On The Pegs May 2020 - Volume 5 - Issue 5 | Page 45

On The Pegs
VOL. 5 ISSUE 5 - MAY 2020
45
TALKS ABOUT
nture R Rally
Eight-time National Enduro Champion Mike Lafferty has spent as much
time as anyone racing and riding KTM’s recent Adventure series.
For 2020, KTM has introduced its most hardcore Adventure bike – the
limited edition KTM 790 Adventure R Rally. Restricted to just 500 units
worldwide, the third and newest member of the KTM 790 Adventure family
is positioned as the most travel capable rally bike.
On The Pegs recently talked to Mike about the 790 R Rally and about rid-
ing Adventure bikes in general in off-road settings.
Here’s Mike:
We’re just coming out with a new 790 Adventure R Rally. There’s only 500 of
those made. They’ve got pro component suspension and it’s taller. It’s got 120
millimeters of travel. So it’s still 465 pounds, but compared to 500 pounds, 497
or something like a 1090 Adventure is, it still is a parallel twin motor but it’s so
nimble and the suspension has lifted it up to where… It’s just if you give some-
thing more travel, it’s going to handle the holes so much better. But you still got
to respect it. So the difference in riding that versus my dirt bike per se, is that we
used to go from a 500 XCW or a 350 to a 1090. That’s huge. Well now this 790 has
bridged that gap a lot more and it feels way closer. So there’s not many changes
in the way I ride it. You just got to really respect it. You got to remember that you
get so excited with the way this thing handles, it corners, it hits bumps, it hit big
G-outs, but you’ve still got to remember it’s 465 pounds. So when something
goes a little haywire, it’s really hard to bring back. You’ll never bring it back, as
far as it getting kicked out of control or wanting to do something. So it’s not a
big difference in the way I ride it. The electronics have so much to do now, even
on the 790 where there’s traction control. There’s different throttle responses.
There’s street, there’s sport, there’s off-road. So those characteristics come into
play for me and really opened my eyes up. So if I’m riding in the dirt, of course I
want the traction control off, and I want it in off-road mode to where if I’m on the
street and it’s dry I can ride it in the street response throttle mode with the ABS