The desert can be an unforgiving place, with miles of lonely highways and even more unpaved roads and trails.
The KTM 790 Adventure is an ideal choice for venturing into the great wide open, with a 280-plus-mile range, off-road bona fides and creature comforts for the long haul. Photos by the author.

KTM has garnered a reputation (deservedly) for building high-performance, hard-edged machines that cater to what we might call the “one percent” of adventure riders. Let?s just say, you don?t hear jokes about KTMs and Starbucks parking lots. Its highly anticipated, new-for-2019 790 Adventure exemplifies that philosophy (read our comprehensive on- and off-road review here): an eminently capable lightweight ADV tourer that was designed for excursions into some pretty gnarly territory, especially in the off-road oriented R variation.
But what if you aren?t necessarily a “one percenter"” You like the idea of an adventure bike that isn?t gargantuan (a seat height of less than 35 inches would be great, thanks), but is comfortable, with adequate power for touring and high-speed passing and ample luggage capacity. Yet it can still tackle whatever “shortcut” your GPS throws at you — or worse — without breaking a sweat.

The 790 cuts a unique front profile in the Arizona desert.

That pretty much describes me, so when our KTM 790 Adventure test bike showed up I snagged the keys and have clung to them stubbornly ever since, ...