KTM debuted the 890 Journey and the performance-oriented 890 Journey R in 2021. Staff Orange’s shiny new toy successfully rendered the prevailing 790 Journey lineup out of date. Because of this, the Austrian OEM discontinued the middleweight collection in favor of its heavy middleweight successor. That 890 dependence didn’t final lengthy, nonetheless.
In 2023, KTM revived the bottom mannequin 790 Journey as a budget-conscious various to its big-bore cousin. This time, the adventurer returned with Euro 5 approval and new styling. That refresh prioritized the 790’s touring capabilities, although, with WP APEX suspension and Pirelli Scorpion STR tires. KTM additionally priced the resurrected ADV competitively, thanks partially to China’s CFMoto taking the lead in manufacturing.
Now, it appears the Able to Race model will put that very same mannequin to make use of when it brings up-spec 790 Journey R again into the fold. Based on type-approval paperwork filed in China, KTM and CFMoto plan to associate on the undertaking. Whereas the filings don’t point out the mannequin’s efficiency figures, we anticipate the R trim to retain the usual mannequin’s 94 horsepower and 64 pound-feet of torque.
Given earlier iterations of the 790 Journey R and the prevailing 890 Journey R, we count on chassis and styling lodging to set the off-road-biased variant aside. A picture included within the type-approval paperwork confirms these suspicions, with the potential 790 Journey R sporting sturdy 48-millimeter WP XPLOR suspension, a high-mounted entrance fender, and aggressive semi-knobby tires.
Nevertheless, the pictured prototype doesn’t look one hundred pc full both. With out its windshield and a KTMR2R sticker plastered to its entrance panel, the undertaking appears very a lot in progress. As such, KTM and CFMoto might nonetheless make adjustments earlier than the 790 Journey R returns to the market. For that purpose, we’ll have to attend for Staff Orange to formally unveil the mannequin earlier than we are able to really rejoice the 790 Journey R’s return.
