KTM 390 Adventure
On the face of it, the little Katoom might seem to be the least suitable of these three for trail riding, what with it appearing to be very much a road machine with adventure bike styling. Of course, this is KTM, and while they have a very distinctive style, there is also the ‘Ready to race’ ethos of the brand, which nigh on guarantees a certain level of capability of all of their machines, regardless of where it is that they are made. This, like all of the Austrian brand’s smaller machines, is made in the Far East, thanks to the company’s links with Bajaj, but don’t let that fool you into thinking any less of the smaller-capacity models.
The little Adventure was also fitted with what looked to be very road-biased tyres, with the appropriately-named Michelin Anakee Adventure rubber being of a tread pattern that suggests road use only. Well, prepare to be surprised, as the 390 coped with all manner of off-road shenanigans, with only an element of moisture overwhelming the tyres, despite it having a 19-inch front wheel rather than the more traditional 21-inch rim associated with more pukka off-road machinery.
Naturally, with it being a KTM, the spec hasn’t really been neglected despite where it’s built, as evidenced by WP forks (with the rebound adjustable in the right-hand fork leg, and compression damping in the left-hand leg) and WP shock, while the braking perhaps has a little downtune in the form of Bybre calipers.
There’s a little hint at some further corner-cutting with the plastic sump guard with aluminium trim piece at the front – which would surely be better off all ally? As it was, one of the rocky trails on the island did spit up a big slab of slate that pinged a piece of plastic off of the bashplate, and while it could be argued that the plastic did its job as neither the sump nor crankcases where marked, it still broke when an aluminium part would not have…
The water-cooled single only pumps out 44bhp, and they’re very soft and friendly ponies rather than the raging stallions of the Husky, or the tough and feisty Welsh pit ponies of the GasGas. Subsequently the KTM needs working hard, both on the road and on the dirt, yet it impresses in both arenas.
It can buzz along quite happily on the road, and is utterly fantastic on twisting back lanes, able to be hurled about with abandon, and capable of showing a clean pair of heels to many supposedly ‘faster’ road bikes.
Off road, it continues to surprise. The power delivery may not be quite as punchy as some would like – there’s not the instant lift of the front wheel with a blip of the throttle that the GasGas and Husqvarna can give – so the throttle needs to be worked a bit more urgently, but this also works in its favour, gaining traction where you may not expect the Anakee Adventure rubber to find it.
As an everyday bike, the little Adventure is a better prospect than either of the other two motorcycles – not having the sharp focus of the GasGas or the bulk of the Husqvarna – and if you’re not aiming to be riding trails each and every week; and need a bike that can cut the mustard in heavy traffic; sup petroleum on the daily commute; be loaded up with luggage for a long-distance trek; and still be up for a little light off-road action when the time comes; then quite frankly I can think of very few bikes that would better it.