Hi Everyone

Any views on the new KTM 390 Adventure ? Has anyone ridden one yet?

Hi, I haven't ridden the adventure 390, but I have taken the 390 Duke out for a long ride a few months back. It packed a punch, handled super easy, and to me, it felt like it was more than adequate power-to-weight wise to take me anywhere without any hassle. Despite the small fuel tank, the range was excellent (I got over 320 km before seeing the reserve light came on). I expect the 390 adventure to be similar, if not better with it's upright seating position, a bit more comfortable seat, and somewhat longer suspension travel. The TFT display was easy to read!

Things I didn't like? The price, it's at a premium despite being built in India.

Happy hunting

I did a 15-20 km testride on a 390 ADV a couple of weeks ago. It was my very first ride on a KTM whatsoever so I was a bit exited.

Some of the specs did sound promising, some not so promising. It weighs in at 158 kg DRY and around 175 kg wet(?) and that is a bit on the heavy side for such a small bike. The KTM 690 Enduro weighs in at 146 kg dry in comparison, but the Royal Enfield Himalayan is way heavier (both around 400 cc and made in India)
It didnt feel that heavy though and one can say it carries its weight good.

It got 44 HP which is a lot for a 373 cc engine but this power comes with a downside: under 4000 rpm its absolutely dead! No power whatsoever. But above 4000 rpms its comes alive and at 5-6000 rpms and above it has amazing power.
KTMs slogan is «Ready to race» and I think you have to race it or at least ride it hard to get the engine workin decently. And Im not sure how suitable such an engine is for pottering around on loose gravel or potholed backcountryroads where adequate power in low and mid end rpm range is preferred.

14,5 liter gastank is good and should be plenty for long rides without thinking about fuelling up every second hour. But Im not sure how the fuel consumption will be when the engine is constructed and tuned the way it is with power only above 4000 rpms? Still 14,5 liters seems good and should last 350-400 kms at least.

The dash is very detailed with a big screen and several ride modes etc. Im not used to such things so I didnt touch it on my short testride. The seat seemed good but then I rode only 15-20 kms. The handlebar felt low and close go the rider. Im 180 cms of height btw. But Im sure you can easily change this by adding some bar risers and also twist the handlebars a littlebit forward.

The engine was as before mentioned totally dead under 4000 rpms but it really came alive when I reached 5-6000 rpms and felt very powerful for its size and it was great fun to ride on twisty backroads at high rpms.
However Im not sure such an engine and tuning is for everybody and personally I would for an adventurebike/travelbike maybe have wanted more power in the low and mid range rpms. For example pottering along on a relatively bad gravelroad I personally would like an engine that has some more momentum at low rpms and not a engine that you had to rev quite high to get some power out of.

Thus Im a bit sceptical to this model as a long distance travel bike. What consequences will such a high reving engine give on the longevity of the engine and maybe also on fuel consumption?

But for riders who like to ride their bikes hard and rev the engines a lot and like to ride on winding back roads and on firm gravel roads - I think this bike will be great fun! It would also do highway miles relatively easy as well with its power,

Suspension and seat seemed relatively firm but no complaints. The windscreen was a joke however - I got massive winds in my face above 60-70 kms/h.

A positive note on the price here in Norway - its a lot of bike for the money, its cheaper ~ 500 USD cheaper than a Honda CRF250 Rally and Royal Enfield Himalayan here.

Just my 5 cents though after a short 15-20 km testride.

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

Another issue is the seat height which is slightly higher than the KTM 790 Adventure (855 vs 850). So not ideal for shorter ladies or in fact many Indian men.

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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

Thanks for your comments Snakeboy, you are in line with what most people say

I test rode one a couple of weeks ago and really liked it. In fact I liked it so much that I put my money down and collect it this week. Most of the off road riding that I will be doing is hard packed gravel roads which as you say it's great for. I get your comments on the low rpm Snakeboy and totally agree. I am going to see how it goes and maybe swap the front sprocket if it bothers me. I had a gs800f then went down to a crf250l and was looking for something mid range. I'm quite new to riding off the road but want to do a lot more. I don't intend on going over rocks and logs, as I say just gravel roads.

I am 175cm but found the seat hight to be fine. I had a KLR650 a few years ago which was a bit tall but once I got used to it, it wasn't a problem

There is a Youtube channel called MVDBR Enduro I was looking at the other day. The lady on it that has just bought a 390A and does some off roading on it. Its way beyond what I want to do at the moment but never say never eh