When we got our KTM 790 and 890, we kind of had this idea in the back of our minds that we’d like to put Rally towers on them. Not only do we dig the look, we also wanted aftermarket headlights (that didn’t mount off the side of the bike), and a solid way to mount a GPS. In addition to all of these things, there are also some less talked about benefits of going the navigation tower route. The Nomad ADV Navigation Tower for KTM 790/890 hits all of these points and more and turns the 790/890 into an off-road beast.
What we love:
- The Nomad ADV Tower, while still an investment, is an affordable tower option. You are not compromising quality for a lower price with this tower and it’s very well built. The fit and finish is amazing and everything fits together nicely without any bending or beating.
- This tower fixes the stock headlight mount weak point which is a known issue. The tower is mounted in part with a big U-Bolt that mounts around the headstock. You can read all about the mounting on their website but here is an important snippet: “We designed a clamp which clamps to the frame in three, yes three, places without even using the OEM mounts. We then included the original mounting points into the clamp design in such a way that the clamp both strengthens them and adds two more mounting points for the clamp. So what we effectively did is make a clamp which divides the forces over 5 points on the headstock, without making any change to the headstock itself and strengthening the OEM mounts in the process” (nomad-adv.com)
- You have two different headlight options which are both far superior to the stock headlight.
- The GPS mount is a solid mounting option for a GPS and does not vibrate the GPS.
- Turns your KTM 790/890 into a total off-road monster in the best way!
- We easily added ports like a 12v plug, and USB plugs, without any drilling or finagling.
What we wish we would’ve known:
- The GPS mount is not included with the tower! We thought it was and didn’t factor that into the price/budget. We also had to order it after we had already paid for shipping from overseas for the tower. We had to pay for shipping again to get the GPS mounts.
- We have run Baja Designs Squadrons before so we know how bright they are! However, for a mostly touring trip, they just were too bright even after installing a Skeen Dimmer Switch. At 20% dimmed, it wasn’t a great light to ride by and it still blinded oncoming traffic. If you are mostly touring, we would suggest choosing the Vision X Lights. Most of our riding is off-road, with the exception of this last trip, so we are still happy with our choice.
- The KTM windscreen that Nomad (and most nav towers from other brands also) is using scratches extremely easily. This is an off-road bike so it’s not a huge deal, but we would’ve taken way more caution when cleaning had we known. Well, I mean it’s not like we didn’t take caution. We used some water and a clean microfiber cloth. It still scratched the sh*t out of the plastic.
What we don’t love:
- The install instructions could be improved upon. The main complaint is that the reference photos are a collage with no white space between the photos so they are difficult to reference. There are also no reference numbers, so you play a little bit of a guessing game.
Overall we’re very happy with our Nomad ADV Navigation Towers. They’ll be on the 790 and 890 until the end of their life and we’ll continue benefiting from the Baja Designs Lights, the U-Bolt head reinforcement, and the ability to have a GPS installed in a solid fashion. If you’re looking to improve the functionality of your front end, the Nomad ADV Navigation Tower is the way to go. If you have any questions please leave them below and we’ll be sure to get back to you. If you’re looking to purchase a Nomad ADV Nav Tower, please mention you saw our review! We would really appreciate that and it helps us to be able to continue to work with amazing companies like Nomad ADV.
*We received a discount on this gear in exchange for a review, however, it’s important to know that all thoughts are our own.
