About 1500 kms so far - much of it done by my girlfriend who is getting her licence.

This bike still impresses me. So much bike for so little money. Also, my GF having had the opportunity to ride a few bikes now, says that it is by far the easiest bike of the lot - even though it is so tall that she has to tippy toe it (other bikes beien various honda CB's of some sort, 500-600 ccs.

My thoughts so far is that it is a very good and inexpensive platform for some serious travel. The bike ergonomics is very comfortable right out of the box - both for me at 186cm and my GF at 175cm.

The bike has a lot of punch, is quick and nimble, accelerates fast, is well balanced, got very decent suspension, ok stock tires (wouldn't change them until worn out) and corners like it is on rails.

The off road ergonomics is a bit weird. A common complaint is the angle of the foot pegs. This however I have not found to be anything that I have really thought about. In fact, it lends itself to a more comfortable ride when sitting down. Where it does get a bit weird is that the foot pegs sit a bit high - which means less leg grip on the tank and seat, in addition to the handlebars being a bit too low and forward. To be fair, foot peg uprades and handlebar risers is a common upgrade on most adventure bikes. Still, even with larger, lower and flatter pegs, and handlebar risers, you won't be able to rectify it completely - if using the more typical dual sports or adventure bikes as a benchmark. However - the difference is not that great, and I am feeling as though it is just me being picky. In the end, I would have no qualms taking this bike for some serious off road riding. Standing for hours at end would however get far more tiresome on this bike than for instance on a Honda CRF 300 Rally.

The power train is jerky and the tolerances for choice of gear is far less than for instance on my much more powerful Tenere 700. If I was to do a lot of very difficult terrain, I would have changed the rear sprocket - something I would have done on most bikes anyways. I would however consider this a bit earlier than on my Tenere 700 which has a lot more torque.

I think a really good comparison to this bike would be the Honda CRF 300 Rally - which for me would be my personal closest contender if I was to choose an adventure bike in this size and price bracket. Here I would say that the Honda is more dirt oriented and the KTM more road oriented. The Honda can with its larger wheels, greater ground clearance and suspension travel - handle everything and will excel in the rough stuff. The KTM can handle almost everything but the most extreme ground clearance issues. It will perform great in the rough stuff, just not as well as the Honda. On the other hand - it will ride the piss out of the Honda where the surfaces are more firm.

The suspension on the KTM i think is far more superior to the Honda, even though the travel is far shorter. My first impressions of the Honda is that it is so plush and soggy that it made me wonder if they replaced the shock absorbers with a big pile of memory foam instead. If I was to go for the Honda, I am pretty certain I would have to do something about the suspension.

So far, these bikes for me come in at a tie in performance attributes. One is more off road oriented than the other. The off road grunt is more appealing to me - but if I was to be honest with myself, I ride far more of the not so technical stuff than I do the technical stuff. Riding the KTM is simply intoxicating!

In the end though, if I was to go RTW and had to choose between the two, I would probably choose the more sedate Honda over the fiery KTM - mostly because it is a Honda (reliability, dispersion of bike dealerships across the globe, etc). Maybe also to be on the safe side knowing that I had the most capable (confidence) bike for the toughest bits, and because the "wannabe" within me find the off road image that the Honda portrays a bit more appealing (yes I can be that superficial). But if I had to live with a bike at home, and take it on some longer adventure holidays every now and then - it would have been the KTM for sure - it is simply spectacular!

Fortunately for me, my selection avilable to me doesn't stand between these two bikes only. My newly acquired and fully tricked out Tenere 700 Rally, at 2-3 times the cost (upgrades depending), is sooooo much better than these two bikes, at just about everything.

I had the pleasure this past weekend to take an advanced riders course with Pål Anders Ullevålseter (placed second in the Dakar). I got to ride the hell out of the T7 in the MX track. I also got to ride +200 kms on dirt roads, with the needle pointing north of 145 km/h - struggling to keep up while he was doing wheelies. I am no expert rider, but I found that there is nothing stopping me on the T7. Coming from a a WR250F and a BMW F650GS Dakar (among others), Every prejudice I had towards the capabilities of a heavier adventure bike in rough conditions, in the hands of a novice, is now gone. Now the BMW Dakar seems like an ancient relic and a piece of crap in comparison. The T7 Rally was for me just about perfect.

I still might have considered a lighter and cheaper bike for RTW - but only on the basis of economics alone - mostly because I wouldn't be able to get full coverage insurance that would cover theft, fire or damage to the bike - I would constantly be worried of anything happening to it.

Since that training course I changed the rear spring to 90kgs - but that was just me being picky - there really was no need, except that I sometimes ride two up and often travel with heavy luggage on long trips (tools and spares). I might change the foot pegs, but again, there really is no need. The stock windscreen is perfect, the handle bar position and height is perfect, the seat is good... All it needed were your typical protectors and luggage. I will write a first impression review on the T7 in a bit. But in short, there is in my opinion no other bike that comes even remotely close to the T7 at this price bracket (with the typical extras like luggage, protectors, etc). In fact, if I could have any bike in the world for free, there is only only one other bike that i would have, and it is orange and cost a LOT more (KTM 890 Adventure R Rally!

To sum up my first impressions and how it stacks up against MY favorites... presupposing I can only own one bike:

• Honda CRF 300 Rally wins for a round the world trip, or for a long and rough trip where you plan to sell the bike afterwards. Knowing I could probably buy three or four decently kitted CRFs for the price of a single fully kitted KTM 890 - I would surely sleep sounder at night when travelling in locations where I had nothing but third party insurance coverage. Also, knowing I had Honda reliability, combined with a vast global network of dealers, I would sleep better still - on an RTW that is.
• KTM 390 Adventure wins if you do not plan to go RTW (but would like to have the opportunity to do so should opportunity knock) - but instead plan to go on the occasional long or short distance rough trip - and also keep the bike as your daily ride at home
• Royal Enfield Himalayan - an honorable mention in the price bracket above. It wins in style, and you can be confident it will take you RTW as well as turn heads when pulling up to your local cafe.
• Yamaha Tenere 700 Rally wins for both RTW and as your daily ride at home - presupposing you can afford it... and also presupposing you can travel with it in places where you only have third party insurance - without being worried sick about anything happening to it.
• KTM 890 Adventure R Rally wins at everything if money is no object and you don't care if you have to pay an obnoxious extra amount of money for only incremental benefits over the T7 - and if something happens to it, you will just buy another from your pocket change.
• Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports with latest DCT (wheelie control) - an honorable mention in the heavy and pricey category - it wins as the "most beautiful adventure bike in the world", and for those that have a particular fetish for electronic rider aids. It also wins as the better touring bike of the lot - for those that spend an exceeding amount of riding time close to civilization and prime roads.

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