I'm REALLY looking forward to the release of this bike. Initially I hoped they'd do a proper 690 ADV but that never happened and the word was the 790 twin was going to be the one. Of course there is already the option of the big V-twins but I've looked at those and not only are they pricey but they are mahoosive. I'm not small or weak but I really don't fancy picking one of those up, never mind alone on a sandy slope fully loaded. And to me that's a deal breaker - I won't be firing through Dakar stylee but I'm expecting unmade roads and dirt tracks, and I've been on my ear green laning enough times to know how easily you can get caught out.

The competition of course is the venerable AT, the replacement Super Ten and the F800. I'm not really considering anything bigger or smaller than that, and while there are secondhand bikes around that could fit the bill (KLR?) I'm chicken enough not to relish the thought of a blown big end in the middle of the Gobi Desert. The Honda and the Yamaha both suffer from 'big bike' thinking which is the same reason I don't fancy the bigger KTMs and for me availability is a problem for the BMW as I'll be buying out here in KZ.

The question being, will the KTM be all we expect? Time will tell but the spy pics suggest a fairly compact bike which has got to be good for weight. With a big tank the range should be good and from my own experience KTM make very good off road machinery. On the road in my eyes is less important even though most mileage will be on the road, the 90-degree engine should be smooth and frankly almost anything can be tolerated on the road. Historically, reliability has been an issue with KTMs but they've been making bikes for long enough now, not to mention testing them in the harshest of conditions, so I feel fairly confident it should be up to the job.

Roll on launch date