Revealed earlier in leaked photos this week, the KTM 790 Adventure R Prototype set social media abuzz with its muscular build and aggressive looks. KTM proudly presented their new lightweight adventure bike prototype today at EICMA. Building on the brand new 2-cylinder LC8c parallel-twin engine found in the 2018 KTM 790 Duke, the prototype will eventually evolve into a full production model. And once released, it will be KTM’s first foray into the middleweight twin adventure segment.

The Adventure Riding community has been eagerly awaiting a lightweight, compact midrange travel enduro with real off-road capability for some time. The KTM 790 Adventure R Prototype appears to be exactly what many adventure riders have been asking for: a true KTM to close the gap between the enduros and the larger bikes of the Adventure Touring series. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a little longer before we can ride it because it’s not quite ready for production.

For decades, KTM has been a leader in the off-road segment and has a rich Rally Racing history. Picking up where illustrious predecessors – like the KTM 950 and 990 ADVENTURE rally bikes – left off, the KTM 790 Adventure R Prototype fully embraces KTM’s ‘READY TO RACE’ philosophy. The Austrian company aims at designing the most performance-focused mid-weight travel enduro of its class, with an aggressive attitude and power-to-weight ratio normally found in larger displacement bikes.

The prototype’s rally design with its single seat, small LED lights and low-slung fuel tanks tells much of this story. KTM’s customary design and development partner agency KISKA, clearly referenced the new KTM 450 RALLY which was developed in parallel. If the Dakar Rally had a large displacement class, the prototype shown in Milan would be a tailor-made fit.

The brand new, ultra-compact and lightweight 799cc LC8c parallel twin sits inside a lightweight and rugged KTM chassis complete with top quality WP Suspension components front and rear. It goes without saying that a production version will be equipped with the latest in electronic rider aids – with the versatility to support many types of adventures.

Hopefully, we’ll get our first look at the production model later in 2018 to be released as a 2019 model. In the meantime, we’ll continue to share details as they appear.