http://crosstrainingenduro.com http://tractionerag.com Our KTM 390 Adventure review. Much of the focus for adventure bikes is engines over 700cc so it’s good to see another mid sized bike available. As usual, we want to take a more critical approach. We will start with the known issues. The KTM 390 Adventure is made in India and derived from the 390 Duke which has been around since 2013. This is actually heavier than quite a few bikes at a similar price or engine size. But considering the price, I don’t really think these are valid criticisms for a KTM 390 Adventure review.What do we like? The price of the KTM 390 Adventure. It varies from country to country, but overall it’s around the same price as its key competitors. To counter this, the bike certainly doesn’t feel heavy as it’s quite a low bike. Some competitors? Honda CRF300L 140kg, Suzuki DRZ400 145kg, Suzuki DR650 wet 166kg, 2021 BMW G310GS Specs wet 169.5kg, KTM 390 Adventure 158 dry, wet 172kg, Kawasaki Versys 300 wet 176kg, Honda CB500X wet 197kg. And I’m sure that low price means some parts are steel instead of alloy. It’s also roughly on par with competitors like the BMW G310GS and Kawasaki Versys 300. Speaking of price, some owners complain about the cheap mirrors, excess use of plastic in the design, and limited adjustment of suspension and the ABS system. If you like bling, you get a fair bit for the money with higher end electronics and basic ABS. It comes standard with a decent skidplate, extremely rare on any adventure or dirt bike. Performance wise the engine works nicely. Don’t expect any massive performance, it has obviously been tuned to last for a long time. The suspension is fine if you don’t try to ride aggressively off road. Will this bike suit you? That’s a tricky question. The bike is definitely very road oriented. There were quite a lot of known issues in the early years. But the good news is that most of these were addressed by the time the adventure model was brought out. These are not just my comments, but also those from many riders in other reviews and on various forums for this KTM 390 Adventure. KTM 390 Adventure known issues? Vibration. A reasonable number of riders report their fingers start to tingle due to vibrations at certain revs. A change of grips or handlebar mods are easy fixes. Many owners say the seat is hard and uncomfortable for any distance riding. The weight. The reported weight of the KTM 390 Adventure is 158kg dry, 172kg fully fuelled. It has cast wheels, although this test bike had expensive spoked wheels fitted. It only has the 19 inch front wheel up front. The suspension is comparitively short compared to most adventure bikes. It is surprising given the road-oriented nature of the bike. The stock exhaust is quite exposed and easily damaged. This is common on many bigger adventure bikes, but it is surprising they didn’t opt for a more dirt bike styled exhaust on this smaller bike. The footpegs tilt forward which many riders find uncomfortable when standing. This road oriented feature can be changed with aftermarket pegs. KTM 390 Adventure known issue? And you do feel the weight as the terrain gets rougher. I know lots of reviews show rider doing wheelies, power slides and jumps offroad. But it definitely feels like an adventurized road bike. I found standing on the footpegs very uncomfortable. The footpeg positioning and overall ergos is also very road oriented. Even our short test rider found it was slightly awkward to stand. No doubt messing around with bars, risers and footpegs will help. Hopefully you will find this KTM 390 Adventure review useful. It’s not an exhaustive review, but aims to cover a few areas that others don’t. Ridden the KTM 390 Adventure? Own one? We are keen to hear your thoughts. We think it fits on the spectrum roughy here. This is not a criticism. It’s an absolute ball of fun on twisty mountain roads. But if you like to hit the rougher stuff regularly, we urge you to consider the more dirt-oriented options. Feel free to argue about this diagram, but it’s just trying to give a rough indication. KTM 390 Adventure Seat height and ergonomics. For shorter riders, the seat height of 855mm works well. And is in the middle of its competitors. Overall it does feel like a bike set up for shorter riders. Riders over six foot or 183cm will progressively feel cramped on the bike. This can be helped with a taller seat and bar risers, but physically it is quite a small bike. Competitors: Honda CB500X, Kawasaki Versys-X 300 or the BMW G310GS. DRZ400 Honda CRF250 Rally, Suzuki V-Strom 250, Kawasaki Versys-X 300 and Royal Enfield 400cc Himalayan.
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Thanks for mentioning your view for tall riders. I'm 194cm tall and want to get this bike, but would love to hear your opinion. Within my tight budget I think my options are 1) 2020 Himalayan 2) 2020 Benelli TRK502(x) 3) 2018 KLR650 4) 2017 Versys 650 5) 2018 Honda CB500X 6)This bike. I won't be riding off-road at all. Assuming you might have tested all these bikes at some point, could you please share your recommendation purely from a tall rider's perspective
Nice review
Looking forward to the new version coming out. I get unicorn vibes from the spy shots.
How does this compare to the dr650 long distance highway touring?
Looking at a 2022 hold over at a dealer. And here in the states, we get the fully adjustable suspension here. The one at the dealer they are asking $5999. Thats new. For prices lately, im truly temped to snap it up and then switch out the wheels for the new spoked wheels.
I am 188cm tall, 90kg, and looking for my first bike, and this one is on top of mu list at the moment. Would use it for daily commuting and weekend trips to surrounding hills and mountains. Would you suggest looking elsewere, or I could make it work with mods? I also value comfort a lot, and I see most people complain about the seat. Any other suggestions, I would look at any bike up to 650-700cc range?
Fantastic "review" with strait to the point and useful information as well as an even better comparison chart! Simply amazing and just the proper way to go! Congrats!
My 390 adv keeps on rockin up until now. I made a lot mods on my bike and i really enjoy it. Doing a lot offroading here in the philippines. I luv ur honest review
Good review, thankyou. I am looking for a swiss army knife – a light all roads travel bike. I thought this might be an option.
I am in Tasmania. A windy place quite often, so sitting up like a sail in the wind on a light bike is not ideal.
I moved from a dr650 to a gs 650 which got me down lower, now I am looking for a lighter option.
I am 185cm .
who was the little boy riding the 390, was he old enough to have a license
You said it comes with basic ABS, but it also has cornering ABS!
How are the vibrations??
damn shit on this bike some more.
Just pickup 2022 390 adv. Changed the oil & filters 114 miles. Lots of metal. I recommend early change due to what I found. Ergo, the seat is like sitting on a boulder.
Bar riser is the first mod I did, much better now.
Clutch cable for the riser I went to a Himalayan cable. It is about 2" longer and works well.
Have 160 miles on it now and it is an awesome bike.
Oh, I recommend grip puppys for the vibration.
Over all I give it a score of " 8.8 out of 10 ".
Not perfect but not bad for the money.
Tossing between this and Honda crf300rally. Thoughts? Some dirt riding some adventure. 5’7 lady.
Man I really want to trade in my 2019 dr200 towards one of these. I love the Suzuki, but it’s lack luster in so many areas. Or maybe just keep it and try to get one of these as well.
Duke, its for me!
I was on the fence about the Duke VS Adventure. Appreciate your unbiased opinion!
You have saved me a disappointment
Thank you!
This is the most uncomfortable bike I have ever been on .
dont expect to much with this bike, because its a mid size adv.
Isn’t the point of any review of a bike to really simply compare it to other bikes in the same price range and class ? If that’s the case and I do think it is then what can you even compare to this bike ? I know I can’t find anything. Not that has the features this has. Not even close.
I really wish Honda, Yamaha or Kawasaki would build a bike like this. 400 cc or less, but with a TFT display and the traction control rider modes and especially cornering ABS. The KTM is a great package, but I am concerned about the reliability.
Really enjoyed your video.
Great review!
I have the KTM 390 Adventure and am loving it. Had the Versys 300X and hands down will take the KTM over the versys, Better on the paved roads and better off road. I getting over 400 Km per tank of gas, did up grade the bash plate and hand guards to better KTM ones. and went with Dunlop TrailMax Mission tires. also have GIVI 33/46 liter hard bags on it and fully loaded still get 3.2 liters per 100 Km, We have some pretty Gnarly dirt roads hear and it handles them all, as well as some off road. I have done 400 Km non stop and find the seat just fine. and have no problem standing on the pegs. If you want to ring its neck it will get up and go, but that is not my stile of riding, and I do off road at a slower pace, never racing over or through things, and that is what this bike is meant for, if you want to race get a duel sport. I find it odd that people keep saying the Royal Enfield Himalayan is great of road and the KTM is only OK but when you put them back to back the KTM dose much better than the Himalayan so do not know what is up there. Even with the tires I have on I have not found any thing that I could not get through with ease. I have also watch the KTM 390 go quit fast over very rocky single track and the rims were not damaged, so again not sure what they are talking about, just put the wright tires on and no need to air down, Sure it is not a Duel Sport but it is not clamming to be, and I will take it where most will not take there large ADV bikes. I also have a DR650 with a 20 liter gas tank and it to is a great all round bike, Bough have there purpose and bough put a huge smile on my face every time I take them out. Do not under estimate the KTM for off road use, the ground clearance is less than some but the stiffer suspension makes up for it. Put a better bash plate on it and let her sing.
1:17 Get on your own side of the road!
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Would anyone know what I could do to a 390 to make it more off-road capable?
EXCELLENT view and comments.
Barry = LEGEND !!!
Please do a stress test review of the Xpulse 200 4V sold in India.
Potentially silly question. Do you 'only' need spoke over cast wheels if you're going to be off roading? Or would I as a 99% on roader, 1% fire trail rider still need/want the spokes?
I am the owner of a KTM 390 Adventure which I bought in January 2021 as my very first motorcycle.
About four weeks ago, while riding on city streets, I noticed something unusual with the damping motion of the rear suspension and stopped immediately. The rear suspension was leaking fluid badly. I was able to ride back home and took the bike to the KTM dealer for a check. The KTM dealer received my bike on December 7, 2021. A month has passed, and they have no idea at all whether the faulty rear suspension is covered by the warranty and that it must be checked with the KTM factory sometime during mid-January. The bike is not in working condition and it is in their workshop since its breakdown.
This is a very disappointing and frustrating situation as I bought this bike mainly because of its alleged quality suspensions and its two-year warranty. Needless to say, KTM has not lived up to my expectations as a newbie in motorcycling.
I love my 390 Adv. My first motorcycle. Great bike on which to learn. That said, I'm selling her today because I got a Ducati Multistrada V4S, and the 390 won't see much use other than when the V4S is being serviced, and she deserves a home where she'll still be ridden more. She was perfect to learn on, and has served me well. If anything, I think she sits a bit tall, and I'm 5'11". Tip-toes to have both feet down at a stop on level ground. The KTM PowerParts seat makes things a bit more comfortable. 99.999% of my 3100 miles of use was on the street. She strains a little going above 75mph on the expressway, but so does a Geo Metro. Below that, she's quite capable, and has decent pickup for 43hp. Considering I literally bought her as a relatively inexpensive option to learn on, and make sure I would enjoy riding at all (I'm addicted!), she has more than done me well. Pair her with a Garmin Zumo XT GPS, and she's just brilliant. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the 390 Adv, especially as an entry-level bike for someone starting out, although she's certainly not limited to that.