KTM just gave me a new bike to lose sleep over, and the one already in my garage still has last month's dust on the seat.

Spy shots out of Upper Austria show a near-production prototype of the next-generation KTM 790 Adventure, caught testing by photographer Bernhard M. Höhne. And this isn't a light refresh — it looks like the biggest rework the 790 has gotten since it first showed up as a EICMA concept nine years ago.

Quick refresher on how weird this bike's life has been: it debuted in 2019 as the middleweight bridge between heavy tourers and entry-level dual-sports, got unceremoniously replaced by the 890 Adventure, then came back after 2022 as the budget-friendly option built with CFMoto. Now it's getting its own moment again.

Next-generation KTM 790 Adventure prototype, front three-quarter view

Photo: Bernhard M. Höhne / ADV Pulse

The tank is the headline

The 790/890 Adventure's low-slung fuel pods have always been the thing people either loved or wrote angry forum posts about — great for center of gravity, divisive to look at. The prototype ditches them for a traditional tank layout, with a wider front fairing that seems designed to claw back the fuel capacity the pods used to provide. I'll miss the pods a little, mostly because I liked explaining to people at gas stations why my bike's tank was down by my knees.

The front end also picks up a new take on KTM's current headlight language — smaller, more 3D, and paired with a steep, rally-inspired nose that borrows from the Dakar bikes and lines up with what's been spotted on 990 Adventure prototypes. Bodywork overall looks smoother and more grown-up, with the rear subframe more exposed and less plastic covering everything up. Production-ready fit and finish, not rough test-mule panels.

Next-generation KTM 790 Adventure prototype, rear three-quarter view

Photo: Bernhard M. Höhne / ADV Pulse

Same bones, familiar heart

Under the new plastic, this still looks like the LC8c platform we know — frame, swingarm, and suspension appear carried over from the current 790/890. The exhaust stays high-mounted (bulkier than what's expected on the 990) but with reworked shaping. No sign the 799cc parallel twin is going anywhere either — current output is 95 hp and 64.1 ft-lbs (87 Nm), and nothing in the spy shots suggests KTM is chasing a bigger number here.

The cockpit carries over the 5-inch TFT from today's 790/890, a deliberate contrast to the larger vertical touchscreen showing up on 990 Adventure prototypes — KTM seems to be keeping a clear line between "accessible middleweight" and "premium middleweight" rather than letting the tech trickle down. The prototype's brakes come from WP Braking Systems, KTM's newer in-house brake division that's slowly working its way across the whole lineup.

Next-generation KTM 790 Adventure prototype, cockpit and front detail

Photo: Bernhard M. Höhne / ADV Pulse

When do we actually see it

This is where the sources disagree a bit. ADV Pulse figures a 2026 reveal is unlikely given KTM's recent habit of unveiling adventure bikes right before riding season kicks off, putting spring 2027 as the more realistic window. Other outlets tracking the same photos lean toward an unveil "in the coming months," possibly at EICMA. Either way, the dual-tier strategy stays intact: 890 for the buyers chasing max spec, 790 for people who want a real KTM adventure bike without the premium invoice.

Whenever it lands, I'm already mentally routing a trip around it — something through the Alps, first thing in spring, no meetings scheduled around it this time. I said something almost identical about the 890 two years ago and made it as far as the driveway. Odds are about the same here. But a man can plan a route he's not going to ride.