KTM 390 Adventure
An orange, trail-ready motorcycle powered by the potent 43.5-hp motor that we all know and love. Let’s kick up some dust!
Mattighoffen’s single-pot ADV is ready to take the world by storm
Yes, she’s finally here! standing before me in the flesh. no, not at the eiCma show in milan where i first made her acquaintance a few months ago, and not at the india bike Week where she was introduced to the indian public at the capacious Ktm stand. We aren’t at a bike show or unveil where one can’t do much more than take a few pictures and leave the rest to the imagination; we’re in the hills around lonavala and the long-overdue 390 adventure is finally here, fuelled up and ready to ride for the first time. news of a long-legged, off-road-capable motorcycle based on the popular 390 duke has been doing the rounds of the internet since late 2016, with several spy shots emerging, and with it, worldwide speculation about its launch. the biking fraternity was sure that the bike would break cover at eiCma 2018, and we were all sorely disappointed when Ktm asked us to wait yet another year. but the hype didn’t die down, and this was apparent with the positive reception that this bike received when it was finally shown to the world. there’s no mistaking this machine for anything other than a Ktm. the design is typical of the austrian brand, with splashes of orange, edgy styling and that somewhat familiar divided led headlight up front, now topped off with a short flyscreen. Wide, raised handlebars shod with handguards give the 390 adventure a spacious and welcoming rider triangle,while the 14.5-litre fuel tank leads back to the roomy stepped seat that, at 855 millimetres high, seemed like a bit of a stretch for 5’5” me. shift your gaze lower, and the off-road brigade who were hoping for an out-and-out enduro motorcycle to tame the wilderness with will be somewhat disappointed by the fact that Ktm have elected to give this motorcycle alloy wheels in 19- and 17-inch sizes, rather than tougher spoked hoops. the obvious advantage here is that the 390 adventure can run on tubeless rubber, making repairing punctures a relatively painless affair.
metzeler tourance dual-purpose tyres manage contact with the ground, and perform quite well on and off the tarmac. hardcore off-road riders might consider switching to spoked wheels and knobbier tyres, and should also look at sourcing and investing in a proper bash-plate. the stock unit is mostly plastic supported by a metal framework, with aluminium protection on the left side to protect the exhaust head pipe, leaving the crankcase and oil sump open to potential damage if you head too far off the beaten trail.
on the electronics front, the 390 adventure is better-endowed than anything else in its class, with lean-sensitive, switchable traction control and abs with the option of
off-road mode — allowing you to lock up and slide the rear wheel on the brakes. Ktm have also included a two-way quickshifter/auto-blipper for clutchless shifts in both directions. suspension duties are handled by a WP fork up front with 170 mm of travel, while the WP shock at the rear gets 177 mm of travel. a ground clearance of 200 mm gives the 390 adventure the ability to take on the rough stuff.
the 373-cc liquid-cooled single is nestled within an all-new steel trellis frame that Ktm claim has been inspired by their rally 450 dakar bike and shares its state of tune with the 390 duke, making 43.5 hp at 9,000 rpm, and 37 nm of torque at 7,000 rpm. Consequently this bike shares the duke’s rev-happy nature, and a fistful of throttle propels it forward with a sharp bark from the slim upswept exhaust. the rider interface is a colour tft quite similar to the one on the 390 duke, and below it is a handy 12V socket to power your phone or gPs device, while the switchgear too seems to be shared with the duke.
heading into the hills following the lead rider, aussie ex-racer adam riemann, i was immediately aware of how firmly sprung the 390 adventure is. the trails were strewn with rocks and, while we were carrying decent speeds over the rough terrain, i never felt either end bottom-out or protest, whether bouncing over the terrain or during one of many hard landings after catching some air. the 390 adventure absorbed everything
i threw at it, and it seems like it would take a whole lot of abuse to break something. my only concern is the somewhat inconsistent fuelling, causing unpredictable responses to throttle inputs at low revs and small throttle openings. hopefully Ktm can rectify this with a software update. also the tyres, although fine for occasional trail work, were quite overwhelmed over loose gravel surfaces, and i did have the bike slide out from under me on a few occasions. regular trail riders might consider upgrading to rubber that’s more up to the task.
after thrashing the 390 adventure off-road, i headed on to the tarmac and am happy to report that despite its rugged nature, this motorcycle makes for an extremely comfortable and competent road bike. the riding position is all-day comfortable, while the wide handlebars provide the necessary leverage to attack corners with aplomb, and the quickshifter made it possible to tap up or down through the gears without worrying about the clutch. the brakes worked flawlessly as well, shedding speed without upsetting the chassis as i dived from corner to corner. the taut suspension was constantly communicative, if a bit harsher than i expected, but allows you to blast over bad patches of road without worry — just don’t expect a plush ride.
the Ktm 390 adventure has been a long time coming and doesn’t disappoint. Priced at rs 2.99 lakh (ex-showroom) the bike is ideal for our less-than-perfect roads, and is a great tool for a rider who is looking for a quick machine that can be ridden on a daily basis, and also one that is ready to head off the beaten path on weekends. it is tough enough for all but the most demanding and experienced off-road riders to not have anything to worry about when thrashing it through the rough stuff, and yet provides great on-road comfort and usability. are you ready for an adventure?
The 390 Adventure absorbed everything I threw at it, and it seems like it would take a whole lot of abuse to break something