SW-Motech KTM 790 Adventure Engine Guard

The first SW-Motech accessories for the very popular KTM 790 Adv have recently arrived at our shores and Jason has wasted no time to get them bolted to his new favourite toy. He has kindly agreed to share his article with us and our readers.

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Let me start off by saying that the bike in the images / video is my personal bike, paid for with my own money and I am not about to go throwing it off a cliff just to give the more extreme riders out there a crash test to destruction. I'll leave that to the professional reviewers who use "test bikes" and get paid big bucks.

I'm just a regular guy commuting to work on the 790 Adv R during the week and hitting the trails on the weekend. I'm not trying to push the limits of this bike or myself. I'm focused on having a great ride and being able to turn up to work again on Monday without any injuries to me or my bike.

So, if you are like me, then this review is for you.

There have been a few questions and comments popping up about the new SW-Motech KTM 790 Adv engine guard and here are some answers.

Why is the SW-Motech 790 Adv engine guard so big?

The engine guard is so big because is has a big job to do.

In this case we are talking four-in-one. As with other engine guards, the primary function is to protect the lower part of the engine, however on this bike it also protects the fuel tank, the header pipe of the exhaust (no need for a "crap flap") and the catalytic converter. Yes, it is big, but it's engineered this way to protect many critical and expensive parts of the bike.

How heavy is the engine guard?

It may not win any beauty contest, but there can be no denying the new KTM 790 Adv engine guard from SW-Motech is made of tough stuff. Being tough comes at a price and that price is weight.

The engine guard is mostly made from a single sheet of 4 mm thick brushed aluminium, which has been cleverly cut, folded and welded to ensure maximum strength. The engine guard itself weighs in at about 4.4 kg with the additional heavy duty sub-frame and mounting hardware bringing the overall weight closer to 8 Kg.

With the 790's original tank protectors, 2 mm thick aluminium engine guard and hardware removed you are looking at a weight differential of about 6 Kg, which is small a price to pay for the increase in protection, which the new engine guard from SW-Motech delivers.

In the few hours I rode the bike off-road with the new engine guard mounted, I did not notice the difference in weight and I think this would be the same for 90% of riders.

Does the engine guard mount directly to the engine?

The engine guard itself does not mount directly to the engine. It uses a series of mounting brackets, which transfer impacts indirectly to 8 different mounting points on the engine and another 4 points on the existing front support rail. This should significantly reduce the chance of impact damage to the lower part of the bike.

How long does it take to install?

It took me 1.5 hours from start to finish, but a trained mechanic would most likely be able to do the installation in less time. I found the following helpful:

1. Lay out all parts of the mounting bracket including the mounting hardware. SW-Motech's fitting instructions are of great help, as they are always very detailed and list all parts required.

2. It would have been of help to have an additional pair of hands to assist with mounting the actual guard to the sub-frame. However, I found loosely inserting two of the bottom bolts, just to hold the guard in place while I lined everything up, worked just as well.

3. Follow the installation instructions from start to finish.

Is the engine guard compatible with SW-Motech's centre stand?

Engine guard and centre stand can be installed together.

Not so pretty?

Now as the engine guard is installed to my bike, I feel like a new parent who doesn't realise how ugly their baby is, or maybe I just have a bad case of "beer goggles" because I have come to believe this engine guard is a thing of beauty. In my view, it's a "form follows function" kind of situation where the product is engineered to do a specific job with no superfluous frills attached. So, if you are an engineer (or even better yet a German engineer), you'll understand.

Watch a video of the SW-Motech KTM 790 ADV Engine Guard in action:

Watch a video of the SW-Motech KTM 790 ADV Engine Guard being installed at Motorrad Garage:

For more information on the SW-Motech engine guard for the KTM 790 visit: