KTM 790 Adv R - Tyre Pressure Discoveries

Feeling down? It might just be an inflation issue. A middleweight adventure bike eye opener!

[@bigmanben1]

Absolutely loved this video!! Your narration was hilariously witty and I was howling! I also can relate to you as I am a 790 rider and a complete off road novice! Very helpful video and brilliant to watch! Thanks!

[@motonige]

Cheers Ben. Encouragement is everything! Just completed 6000kms off road circumnavigation of the Iberian Peninsula and bike was faultless for the whole trip. Currently producing videos in 10 - 15 minute episodes for KZbin as we speak. Lot of footage to get through so estimated time of publication around the year 2072 🤣

[@wave6413]

Yeah. Getting ready for my first big ride on my new to me 790r. Still has original karoo 3’s tubeless and they are on 34 & 34 psi. I will get my mates to wait and I will air down when we hit the dirt. Great commentary..👍👍

[@ianparkes2538]

Love the closing tune , kind of fits

[@motonige]

Thanks Ian. Not everyone agrees, but I thought it was somehow apt too.

[@dimsim257]

Commentary was gold and deserves a like! Perhaps i revisit the topic of tyre pressure myself

[@PaulFransen]

Best tyre pressure review I've see so far. I take the 790 offroad with 1.8bar and on the road with 2.4bar. Taking the Michelin mini compressor in de side panel to get back from 1.8 to 2.4 bar in less than 5 minutes.

[@gregheth]

Thank you. Your efforts are much appreciated by a newbie

[@rustysena2638]

I've run my 890 r's tires to 20psi and they generally work fine except when you hit rocks. Then you get a bent rim. So, I guess 20psi isn't the greatest. Grip is very good however. From now on I'm running maybe 26-28 psi so I can reduce the wheel dings. Mine are stock wheels and I'm learning they're not super tough. I carry a portable compressor for airing back up for pavement. Btw - love your commentary. Fun video and great writing. Really enjoyed it.

[@motonige]

Thanks Rusty. Your positive comments are very welcome indeed! Yeah, I ruined my bank account by purchasing a pair of very robust Haan Hubs (c/w cush drive) laced onto Excel rims via heavy duty spokes. These narrower beauties open up a wider range of proper and more aggressive road-legal dirt bike tyres and mean I can keep the standard rims (which appear to made of a soft, French cheese) on road (pavement) focussed tyres (I use Metzeler Tourance Next). The "dirt wheel" set uses rim locks (see video) but I have now removed the hardly necessary front one which has improved the bouncing problem that commonly accompanies a worn dirt tyre when used on the black top. The "dirt" rims are not tubeless so I use Michelin Ultra Heavy Duty tubes which appear to be made of rhinoceros hide. Even so, I wouldn't go down to 20psi unless I had some soft Sahara/Baja type deep sand or very wet mud to negotiate and once the obstacle was passed I'd be back up to 30psi again. We have a LOT of rocks where I live and pinch flats (snake bites) are real easy to acquire! Happy riding - Cheers, N.

[@espero7757]

The compression setting for the forks is also very important to the tyre, what to handle.

[@stevebiron3036]

Well presented. Mirrored what just about all of us have been thru at one time or another. Maybe not with as much out loud laughter !!!

[@motonige]

Cheers Steve and season’s greetings to you

[@ianyates3471]

Fantastic best video I have watched in years. Bravo

[@motonige]

Thank you Sir. Undeserved, and furthermore any advice I give should probably be ignored! Front rim lock now removed on my dirt wheel set and situation much improved as a result, but the more off road focussed the tyre, the more the bouncing effect on tarmac when the nobbles wear down.

[@robgreaves2633]

I run mine at 28 front 30 rear for the same kinda runs but have also got the suspension set up on its offroad comfort settings which makes big difference

[@motonige]

Hi Rob. Thanks for that - I haven't messed with my suspension settings at all so far but I will now. Soft on the rocks makes a great deal of sense. I'll report back with the results. Meanwhile I have removed the rimlock from my Haan/Excel front wheel and the bouncing-on-the-blacktop issue has improved considerably (except under 35mph). In truth, I need a new set of knobblies but I keep pretending that any handling problems are anything but that as Santa remains a helluva long way off. Cheers

[@motonige]

Update. Did what you suggested with the suspension settings. Transformation! SO much better on the rougher stuff. Chapeaux!!! Merci beaucoup.

[@kennyoliver2403]

@@motonige So have you experimented with the higher pressures again after you adjusted the suspension? I could see the front benefiting but still might need the air pressure slightly lower in the rear for traction.

[@markentwistle7248]

Couldn’t of said it better myself… great video 👍

[@grandiagod]

Not sure what kinda wheels the 790 comes with in Europe, here in the USA my 890 came with tubeless tires/rims. This gives me the ability to run really stiff sidewall adv tires and not worry about pinch flats or rim damage at a lower PSI. though I don't usually air down unless I'm know I'm heading into a lot of sand or mud.

[@motonige]

Hi Mike - yeah, we have the same tubeless rims as you guys. However, I do not run those wheels when riding off-road. In the North of England we have a lot of extremely rocky and quite technical trails. The standard rims are just not robust enough to handle these trails, deforming far too easily which of course means the air won't stay where it's meant to be! For this reason KTM offer more robust, wheels in their powerparts catalogue but for reasons explained in my "13 Best Mods for 790-890 KTM Adventure bikes" video a couple of months ago, I had a set built up to my own specifications. I have the original wheels with road oriented tyres on and use them for trips when it's all going to be on tarmac (pavement I believe you folks call it?). This allows me to run 80% dirt, 20% tarmac knobblies on the dirt wheels and 20/80 (I like Metzeler Tourance Next) on the road wheels. The band inside the original wheels can also be an issue. One of mine failed and since its job is to keep the air from leaking out through the spoke holes, that wheel now has to be used with a tube. In the dirt wheels I use Michelin Ultra Heavy Duty tubes and have settled on 29psi at the front (with the rimlock removed and the valve stem loose) and 27psi at the rear. I made this video because I was just amazed at what a difference small changes to tyre pressure could make...or perhaps I was just especially crappy at riding that day! Thanks for watching anyway. Happy trails!

[@davidbadham3712]

Despite the prolonged amount of banjo worrying, I quite enjoyed that. You’re quite right sir, tyre pressure is critical, my bad back will contest to that. A 1290 covered in mud takes a bit of picking up, especially by the third or forth time of fighting gravity with it and losing, due to an over inflated front tyre!🖖

[@motonige]

Although not exactly tyre pressure related, I do have a similar tale involving a downed R1200GS which I deposited in a patch of unexpectedly soft dune sand in the Moroccan Sahara back in '08. Every time I tried to lift the bugger back up I just sank lower while the Beemer stayed exactly where it was. 40 degree heat and midday sun all added to the spine-wrecking fun. Apologies for the banjo - wasn't me but it was free!

[@elobiretv]

3:35 I wonder if any rider would really notice the difference in how a bike handles because they've slightly increased the unstrung weight balancing the wheel. I have seen that you can get "lightweight" rimlocks so might be worth giving those a try.

[@motonige]

Front rim lock not so much affecting handling but creating horrible vibes (vertical oscillations) which cannot be completely dialled out even if a diagonally opposite second rimlock is added (although this can help to some degree). Vibration is always a problem with knobblies as they wear down and the effect is considerably worsened when a rimlock is present. I’ve now done away with the front rimlock on my dirt wheel set and it’s a lot better. I reckon you really only need one on the rear on this type of bike anyway unless you’re going at it hard offroad - rallying or whatever.

[@Theravadinbuto]

I agree. Said gentleman (no names mentioned) who said changing tire pressures didn’t make a meaningful difference… well, no comment. But I definitely agree with the other commenter who recommended adjusting suspension. You can take a good bit of the problem out with somewhat reduced compression and rebound damping… but not, of course, so reduced that the bouncing simply moves from the tire to the suspension 😁

[@motonige]

Yeah, I followed Rob Greaves recommendation and softened both front and rear and the difference is huge and exactly what was needed given my questionable skills. In truth the front end bouncing is primarily down to the bike screaming for new knobblies, but my wallet is in denial.

[@jamescummings4130]

I've ran my 890 with 29 psi up front and 25-28 at the rear, this combo has worked for me... Also why tubes when they come tubless?? No rim locks, no tubes, plug and go and in the most worst situation I keep a 21 " tube on the bike, there is nothing worse than fixing a puncture in the pissing rain 🤣

[@motonige]

Hi James. I have tubes because I don't run with the original KTM tubeless rims. They are not strong enough to cope with some of the terrain I'm riding, bending easily when encountering technical, rocky trails which, of course, lets all the air out! Also, using narrower, stronger rims, built specifically for dirt riding, allows for a far greater choice of more aggressive dirt tyres (proper knobblies). Final reason is that I can keep the original KTM wheel set with road oriented tyres fitted when there's a tarmac-only trip planned and have a ready-to-go dedicated dirt set for when I want to hit the trails. The modification didn't come cheap, but it's great to have the options available. I no longer run a front rim lock but still have one in the back for obvious reasons. There's another (terrible) video on my channel which talks about these and other mods I've made and why. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aquqkJKOeNpjhKc Hope this explains my madness Cheers, Motonige

[@gman3004]

Great vid Nige. 👍

[@motonige]

Cheers - encouragement is everything!

[@JPs_ADVLOG]

Just brilliant.

[@Ariautoace]

This is so funny. Thanks, I am on 30 PSI.

[@motonige]

Thanks Luke, but you shouldn't put yourself under so much pressure - just the tyres 🤣

[@Ariautoace]

@motonige Hahahaha ok I'll be on 10 PSI myself. Leave the high PSI stuff to my tires.

[@skrems]

Informative and entertaining. Bravo.

[@motonige]

Why thank you. Encouragement is everything! Rim lock now removed up front but retained in the rear for obvs reasons. Bouncing issue greatly improved, but always with worn knobblies it doesn't go away entirely until you cough up for some new rubber.

[@eddiethirst9320]

Chuckle.....chuckle. I have been there! :) My advice is don't start messing with your suspension too. Your mind will be blown, and you'll be forever wondering whether that bad technique was down to you needing to adjust that 'knob' just one more click...

[@motonige]

All my bad techniques are 100% self-generated and the bike can in no way be blamed...ever! In fact, I'm so useless in respect of suspension settings that when the rear shock collapsed after about 700 miles from new (evidently a common fault with the 790 Adventure R model, permanently rectified with an under-warranty shock rebuild) the only effect I noticed was a loud and uncomfortable BANG every time it bottomed out. Handling wise it seemed pretty much OK to me!

[@badgerbait8351]

My Beta 300: 6 psi. 😎. While having fun with this, I must say that there's a huge difference between 5 and 10 psi on enduro bikes!

[@motonige]

Ah, nice bike. When I had my 350 EXC I was running mousses so no variation was possible, but I loved the guaranteed zero puncture factor. If I ran the 790 as low as 10 (let alone 5) I'd be snake biting and pinch flatting every 5 yards on our Lakeland rocks!

[@BoonBoonitube]

There is no need for rim locks until you dip below 20psi. Rim locks with 35psi is absolutely pointless

[@mototrailz]

You don't need a rim lock for the front wheel. Case closed.

[@motonige]

100% agree. Removed mine and no problem. Only had ‘em on the dirt specific-wheels anyway, not the OEM rims on which I only run tarmac-specific tyres. Cheers for watching 👍

[@ScrapYardDog64]

hahahah... most enjoyable.:)

[@motonige]

Most kind - thank you