Cycle News Staff | September 6, 2019
In a world of soul-crushing connectivity, it helps to get away from it all on an adventure bike. These two are the pick of the crop. Here’s our Honda Africa Twin vs. KTM 790 Adventure R Comparison.
A tale of two personalities. Both are stupendous motorcycles.
I could begin this article by waxing lyrical about the healing properties of motorcycle riding, but you already know those.
You are especially aware of their benefits if you’re into adventure riding, for now, more than ever, it’s important to disconnect ourselves from the imaginary galaxy in our pockets and get lost in this wonderful world for a day, a week, a month, hell, why not a year?
To do just that, we thought we’d take what we believe are the two top adventure motorcycles on the market today in the Honda Africa Twin and the KTM 790 Adventure R, and pit them together like cruel bastards do with dog fights.
By Rennie Scaysbrook and Jesse Ziegler
Photography by Kit Palmer, Video by Gray Pham
Honda Africa Twin vs. KTM 790 Adventure R Comparison | Ready To Rumble
Now, before you go saying this is not a fair match up, let us explain our reasoning behind putting the 998cc Honda against the 799cc KTM.
The first and most important reason is since the Africa Twin landed here in 2016, it’s come out on top in both comparison tests we’ve conducted with it and a KTM. It beat the 1190 Adventure R in 2016, then it beat the 1090 Adventure R in 2017. So, in that regard, it was only fair to see if the brand-new 790 Adventure R could knock the Africa Twin off its perch as our top ADV dog.
Secondly, despite the obvious engine capacity differences, the specs for each machine are remarkably similar.
Both bikes put out nearly identical claimed power from their parallel-twin motors of 94 horsepower for the Honda and 95 horsepower for the KTM, although there’s a 6 lb-ft of difference in torque with 72 for the Honda and 66 for the KTM. Weight is the big difference with KTM claiming 460 pounds ready to ride, while the Honda bulks up with an extra 46 pounds to 506 pounds, also ready to ride.
Another factor is cost—there’s only a $100 difference between the two bikes, with the Honda a touch dearer at $13,599 MSRP.
Those prices, however, are for the base models without any additional extras, and this is where you can start to spend some serious dough. We’re not really going into the official accessories for these two, because what Honda and KTM both offer is a fraction of what you can get for these bikes in the aftermarket.
The KTM (right) certainly edges the Honda in the styling stakes, although the Honda has a stunning, almost retro HRC race paint scheme that reflects the sun beautifully.
But there are a few things to note with regards to standard equipment. Crucially, the KTM comes with a 12V power socket as standard as well as the all-important skid plate—neither come as standard equipment on the Honda.
You also have the optional extra of cruise control with the KTM, something the Honda doesn’t have either as standard or as an extra. This is an important point because even though our test is predominantly off-road, we did a fair amount of freeway riding and having cruise control is a wonderful extra. The only people that knock cruise control are those who haven’t tried it—a bit like heated grips—of which both bikes have as optional extras.
As for the all-important electronics, the KTM has the upper hand with nine-stage traction control compared to the Honda’s seven, and both bikes come with four riding modes including a programmable mode for the Honda called User that allows the rider to basically make the power, engine brake, and traction control (which you can change on the fly) as they want. Honda’s ABS is either on or off.
The KTM takes it one step further with the Rally mode that’s standard on this 790 R model but an optional extra on the base model. Rally mode lets you vary traction on the fly, choose one of four throttle modes, and have Off-Road selected for the ABS that allows you to lock the back when while still having ABS on the front. Rally mode enables the KTM to be more of a dirt bike than a street bike that’s capable of going off-road.
The Africa Twin is offered with Honda’s “automatic” Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) system, an $800 added expense. For this comparison, however, we focused on the manual-shift AT.
Finally, fuel capacity for these two machines that are designed to ride from one end of the continent to the other and over everything in between is 4.9 gallons (with a one-gallon reserve) for the Honda and 5.2 gallons for the KTM. However, the KTM has its fuel mounted real low, right down the side of the motor, which helps immensely in overall weight distribution.
Go on, get lost.
Honda Africa Twin vs. KTM 790 Adventure R Comparison | Enough Chit-Chat. Let’s Ride
So, with that being said, what are they like to ride? Honestly, in isolation, both are magnificent machines. The Honda has much more emphasis on long-range comfort thanks to the riding position that lends itself to sitting in—not on—the seat, getting comfortable and pounding out the miles.
Its rider triangle has the ’bars positioned higher up than the KTM’s, which is much more angled towards standing up and muscling it around like an enduro bike.
On the road, the Honda is the clear winner, aside from the fact it has no cruise control. It’s extremely comfortable, has the motor sitting a tick under 4000 rpm at 65 mph and the wind protection from that huge screen is excellent.
The Honda’s suspension is relatively soft and soaks up the freeway bumps like they’re not even there, and because you’re sitting in the bike rather than on it, big mile days are a breeze on the Honda.
Conversely, the KTM isn’t as planted in general touring. The smaller motor has to work harder at high speeds, and because the seat is flatter compared to the Honda, long-day comfort can be a bit of an issue.
The problem is mitigated somewhat as you can fit cruise control to the KTM, which takes a bit of the strain out of a big day, but overall, if it’s mostly road touring with a few dirt roads you’re planning on—and you’re above six feet tall—go for the Honda.
The Africa Twin is a big bike, no doubt, but you can get away with some improbable riding on it.
Honda Africa Twin vs. KTM 790 Adventure R Comparison | Get Dirty
But then, these are adventure bikes, and we’re going adventure riding, not touring! And for this, there’s only one way to go.
When I rode the 790 R in Morocco back in March, I was absolutely convinced KTM had created the ultimate bike for real adventure riding. I’d just finished riding the BMW F 850 GS Adventure a few months back, and came away thoroughly impressed by BMW’s version of a middleweight ADV weapon, but the KTM moved the goalposts even further.
There are so many little things to the KTM that amount to a brilliant adventure bike, such as the way the handlebars sit at the right angle for stand-up attack riding, or the way the chunky ADV pegs help lock your feet into place, or the fact the gas tank is not a gas tank at all and is thus much lower than what you get on the Honda—just like a big dirt bike.
The Honda is a traditionally big bike by comparison. It carries its girth rather well, but, if we’re honest, the Honda is now a five-year-old design, whereas the KTM is just over a year old. Since 2015, Bitcoin went from $450 to $20,000 at the end of last year. Things happen in five years.
That’s not to say the Honda is not a capable off-road machine—far, far from it. For a bike that weighs over 500 pounds with gas, the Honda is exceptionally nimble and forgiving in nature. The weight feels high, but it’s centered and doesn’t get away from you without giving you plenty of warning in loose top sand.
Couple this with Honda’s well-mapped electronics (aside from an ABS that’s either on or off) and a motor that’s as smooth as Morgan Freeman’s voice, and you’ve got a great machine underneath you.
The Honda’s gearbox is delightfully smooth in application, although you need feet that are about size five to actually lift the lever. Both Jesse and I got incredibly frustrated in that—as owners of big-ish feet—the gap from the ’peg to the gear lever was way too close.
Build quality on the Honda is outstanding, with plenty of places to tie down luggage and more than enough space for two people to tour comfortably on.
The dash is a little old school. In fact, it’s very old school compared to the KTM’s, but it’s easy to navigate once you get used to it. It is, however, near impossible to read when you have the sun behind you.
Honda Africa Twin vs. KTM 790 Adventure R Comparison | Step Forward, KTM!
Once you’re off the road, the ethos of the KTM shines bright like a diamond. This is a dirt bike turned into an adventure bike, not a street bike turned into an adventure bike. As such, you can get away with things on the KTM you simply can’t do on the Honda.
On the road, the Honda (left) is the winner, but the gap is closer than we thought it would be.
Yes, the KTM weighs 46 pounds less than the Honda, but it’s the way it carries its weight that makes all the difference. The KTM carries its fuel down low by the sides of the motor, about where your shins are. And because the tanks are not overly wide, you don’t even know they’re there.
Combining the excellent manner in which the KTM carries its weight with my favorite part of the machine in the 48mm WP EXPLOR fork, you have a machine you feel you can do literally anything on.
From low speed, snotty downhills, to wide, sweeping fire roads, the KTM just takes everything in its stride. There’s greater ground clearance at both ends of the KTM, and the overall suspension action is much more planted, despite being stiffer overall, when riding off-road.
The KTM is not as good as the Honda on the tar, but it’s not far from it in comfort and performance. However, it’s a dramatic improvement when the pavement disappears.
The 790 motor is livelier than the Honda’s—a given, really, when you consider the capacity difference. The KTM’s internals are much lighter, and the motor spins up with an intoxicating velocity that makes you want to wick it up and cut all kinds of funky angles with that forgiving chassis.
There’s more than enough power, in fact, it’s as much power as I’d ever want for an off-road specific motorcycle (no one, ever, needs 150 horsepower for an adventure bike), and the KTM’s electronics give more freedom to the rider than the Honda’s traditional TC and ABS algorithms.
The Off-Road mode in the 790’s ECU allows you to tailor the machine to your specific needs a little better than the Honda, which, it must be said, will enable you to vary TC and engine maps in almost the same fashion as the KTM’s. Traction control intervention is smoother on the KTM in the lower modes, and allow you to hang the back-end out and feel like a hero more than the Honda, and once you know how to navigate the modes, the TFT dash is a delight use compared to the Gameboy appearance of the Honda.
The KTM loves this sort of tight downhill stuff. You have to be a bit more deliberate with your movements on the Honda.
Honda Africa Twin vs. KTM 790 Adventure R Comparison | And the Winner is…
The KTM. And you knew that before we started, right? However, we have to admit that Jesse and I were surprised at just how close it really was. It all comes down to what makes your ideal adventure?
If you’re one who has grand visions of loading up for days and searing across this great country, taking in dirt and fire roads, the Honda will give you a more enjoyable journey. It’s designed half as an adventure bike, and half as one that can tour with the same level of comfort as nearly any real touring bike. If I were riding to Africa tomorrow, I’d take the Honda.
The Honda (left) will handle almost anything you throw at it (within reason). But the KTM will handle more.
But the KTM takes the cake as it’s everything a good adventure bike can be, and then some. It’s a stupendous off-road machine and utterly crushes the larger/older 1090 and 1190 KTM machines in terms of overall performance, and it’s better at nearly everything than the Honda. Again, road performance is the KTM’s sore point, but it’s not a big gap between the two. Get off the road and really go ADV riding—up and down tight hills, fire roads, rocks, open desert as we did in Morocco—and the KTM makes you glad you got your bike license all those years ago.
KTM’s finally created a modern version of the legendary 950 Adventure with the new 790 R.
VIDEO | KTM 790 Adventure R vs Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin
Jesse’s Highly Dirt-Biased Take
The Honda Africa Twin shines in shootouts and comparisons. It is highly capable in all terrain and plenty powerful with class-leading comfort and reliability. It does not intimidate despite boasting nearly 100 horsepower and standing on long-travel off-road suspension. It’s not macho or inspiring, but it’s a smart choice.
Jesse liked the Africa Twin, but he loved the KTM.
KTM’s Adventure lineup has had all the performance, and then some, to beat the Africa Twin in the 1190 and 1090 Adventure R configurations. But they fall short on overall comfort—from wind protection and engine smoothness to heating your buns uncomfortably. And, frankly, the bikes scare people with amplified horsepower and a more aggressive edge across the board. They are exciting. They also look awesome. But said awesomeness isn’t enough to put them ahead of Africa Twins in reasonable comparisons.
KTM has somehow combined reasonable and awesome in the 790 Adventure R. Gone is the intimidation factor of the previous KTM’s—replaced magically by a lovely, conforming, beautifully responsive chassis, and suspension package.
This is complemented by the power delivery of the new 799cc twin that is very close to perfection. As it sits in year-one tune, it is stellar from mid-to-top and ultimately controllable all the way to the screaming goodness of full-throttle.
The Honda engine only wins in crack-of-the-throttle grunt (thanks 200 extra cc!). From there, Honda continues along its reasonably fun path, and KTM goes into fantasy power land with massive control.
Clearly, the KTM is winning with weight and weight balance. The chassis is tremendously settled because it’s not disrupted by fuel or high weight of any kind. And the suspension is keeping the bike even more planted. The parallel-twin engine is smoother and injects less heat into your cheeks—not a surprise.
The ergonomics are comfortable in the seat and magical on the ’pegs. It’s a great design all around, and the computer controlling it all is absolutely dialed in.
The Honda has a balanced chassis and a planted feel, but the limits of suspension and geometry are found much sooner. And with a high, centered fuel tank, the weight balance is feeling dated in comparison when the ride gets rowdier. This bike felt much easier to ride than 1190s and 1090s. Now, it’s on the other side of the spectrum.
KTM’s traction control system is the least invasive of any I’ve tried. Gone are the days of noticeable fuel or ignition cut-offs. Today, riders can have a bike that simply moves forward while TC is engaged without even knowing it. And Rally Mode is amazing. Dial-in your preferred level of slip and enjoy. The Rally Mode algorithms react seamlessly to get you moving off-road.
In Honda’s second generation of Africa Twin electronics, they have introduced more adjustment, but they’re outgunned by the suite coming standard on the 790 Adventure R.
Everything about the KTM 790 Adventure R makes it easy to ride aggressively and casually on-road and off. The new KTM is truly a shift in the direction of ADV bikes for Austria and, in some ways, a respectful nod back to the chassis, handling, and simply fun experience of riding some 950 and 990-powered editions. It’s a dirt bike in the dirt again, but somehow more comfortable on the road than some bigger KTM Adventures. What’s happening!?
Honda still wins in total comfort on-road and predicted reliability for touring. I must recommend the Africa Twin to someone looking to prioritize either of those attributes. It’s going to be a smart, safe choice for years to come.
But for riders looking for the leading edge of Adventure with a preference for dirt, nothing is going to check off more boxes than a KTM 790 Adventure R. As the ride goes further from commuting, the KTM wins more and more. CN
2019 KTM 790 Adventure R Specifications
| MSRP: |
($13,499) |
| Engine: |
DOHC parallel-twin, liquid-cooled, 4-stroke |
| Displacement: |
799cc |
| Bore x stroke: |
88 x 65.7mm |
| Compression ratio: |
12.7:1 |
| Clutch: |
Wet multi-plate |
| Transmission: |
6-speed |
| Chassis: |
Tubular steel trellis, engine used as a stressed member |
| Front suspension: |
48mm WP XPLOR fork, fully adjustable |
| Rear suspension: |
WP PDS shock, fully adjustable |
| Front-wheel travel: |
7.8 in. |
| Rear-wheel travel: |
9.4 |
| Front brake: |
Dual 320mm discs, dual four-piston radially mounted calipers, Bosch Cornering ABS as standard |
| Rear brake: |
260mm disc, 2-piston caliper, Bosch Cornering ABS as standard |
| Front wheel: |
2.50 x 21 in. |
| Rear tire: |
150/70-18 in. |
| Steering head angle: |
63.7° |
| Wheelbase: |
60.1 in. |
| Seat height: |
34.6 in. |
| Fuel capacity: |
5.2 gal. |
| Weight (wet, claimed): |
460 lbs. |
2019 Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin Specifications
| MSRP: |
$13,599 |
| Engine: |
DOHC parallel-twin, liquid-cooled, 4-stroke |
| Displacement: |
998cc |
| Bore x stroke: |
92 x 75mm |
| Compression ratio: |
10.0:1 |
| Clutch: |
Wet multi-plate |
| Transmission: |
6-speed |
| Chassis: |
Semi-double cradle steel frame |
| Front suspension: |
45mm inverted telescopic fork, fully adjustable |
| Rear suspension: |
Pro-Link system w/ single shock |
| Front-wheel travel: |
9.1 in. |
| Rear-wheel travel: |
8.7 in. |
| Front brake: |
Dual 310mm discs, dual 4-piston calipers, ABS as standard |
| Rear brake: |
256mm disc, 1-piston caliper, ABS as standard |
| Front tire: |
90/90-21 in. |
| Rear tire: |
150/70-18 in. |
| Rake: |
27.5° |
| Wheelbase: |
62 in. |
| Seat height: |
34.3 in. / 33.5 in. |
| Fuel capacity: |
4.97 gal. |
| Weight (wet, claimed): |
506 lbs. |
