The first-generation KTM 390 Adventure was labelled a ‘taller Duke’, and well, in a way it was, wasn’t it? It had ‘Adventure’ in its name, so how can it not get a 21-inch front wheel, wire-spoke rims (tubeless, of course) and adjustable suspension? The Commuters’ Recreational Adventure Posse cried foul — the regular 100-km Sunday breakfast rides demanded nothing less, after all. Just being a great mile-muncher or making mundane commutes entertaining wasn’t going to cut it. It had to look the part in the parking or when straddling on the tarmac. Well, KTM finally obliged with the second generation of the 390 Adventure and gave in to the C.R.A.P’s demand.
Now, the 390 Adventure looks more adventure-ready than ever before. It looks a lot more substantial, and has all the right ingredients for that Dakar-ready look. In a pure dirt bike-style fashion, the bike uses pigmented PP body panels with in-mould decals. So, if you were to drop the bike and scratch the panels, you won’t have to worry about the ‘paint job’ because there isn’t one. The vertically-stacked dual-LED headlight with the LED DRL surround is inspired by the bigger KTM ADVs. As is with almost all KTM headlights, this is polarising. And for the C.R.A.P riders, there is a provision behind the fairing to install one set of auxiliary lights. The next one can go on the crash guard that comes as standard with the bike. Even the knuckle guards and the bash plate come fitted straight from the factory.
Well, aesthetics is one thing, but the 390 Adventure also comes with some serious hardware should your skills go up, or god forbid, the Recreational Adventure Posse need to venture beyond the well-paved parking lot. The front forks are adjustable for rebound and compression with 30 clicks for each, while the rear monoshock gets 20-step rebound and 10-step preload adjustability; that’s 1.8 lakh combinations for you to fine-tune the ride as per your requirement. But don’t stress out since KTM has made your work easier by suggesting settings for various situations. And of course, the factory setting will work best under most conditions.
Speaking of things that have now become easy, is managing the 399cc liquid-cooled engine. Though it still belts out 45.3 bhp and 3.9 kgm, the way all that performance is sent to the rear wheel feels a lot different. It doesn’t exude the same urgency as the Duke at low rpms, but post 5000-rpm mark, it is a different bike altogether. But if you don’t want to venture in that zone, it is perfectly fine, for this bike is way more tractable than the older one, or in fact, any KTM 390 that you may have experienced. Partly because of the revised sprockets: 14/46 vs 15/45 and also because of the new crawl function that allows the bike to keep moving at a constant speed without any clutch or throttle input. I mean, 23 kph in the fourth gear with no rider inputs is unheard of in a stock KTM 390. Not only will this be of help when riding through tight spaces like a parking lot of your favourite cafe, but also technical trails.
KTM has also made toggling through the 390 Adventure’s 5-inch TFT console quite easy. Though the left switchgear has a total of 11 buttons and toggles switches, they are almost perfectly placed for you to use them without having to take your eyes off the road. Well, initially I did find my thumb reaching to the cruise control’s Resume toggle instead of the horn, but it was a matter of a few tries before I started using the right button without looking. The shortcut button to switch between riding modes is a boon. There’s Rain mode with the laziest throttle response, and harshest traction control setting, Street mode with a slightly aggressive throttle response and less intrusive traction control and an Off-road mode when you feel adventurous. This setting has the most aggressive throttle response, least intrusive traction control and no ABS at the rear wheel.
So, it looks like a serious off-roader, has fancy suspension and enough electronic aids to brag of, but if and when the need arises, can it handle the gnarly stuff? Heck, yeah! Thanks to the new platform, KTM has managed to drop the seat height by 25 mm while increasing the ground clearance by 37 mm compared to the older model. So yeah, even if the bike features an underbelly exhaust, you won’t be scraping it or water getting in.
With its 182-kg kerb weight, it is the heaviest 390, but didn’t feel so, at all. The handlebar was tall and wide, and the seat-to-footpeg distance was great, too, for my 5’11 frame. This, combined with the low seat height makes doing anything with the bike so easy. The narrow 21-inch front wheel makes low-speed manoeuvring quite effortless. The Apollo Tramplr XR tyres did a decent job of keeping the bike right-side-up… until I started pushing the bike on tarmac. There’s not enough feedback to understand whether you are at the limit of its grip or there’s some more left to exploit.
But when off-roading, there’s a lot to exploit. The 200/205-mm suspension travel can handle some beating, and unless you are doing some serious air time, the suspension does a remarkable job of keeping the impacts away from you. But there’s a limit to how much it can handle before completely bottoming out — something that the 390 Enduro R should sort out.
The 2025 KTM 390 Adventure is priced at Rs 3.68 lakh (ex-showroom) which is a little over Rs 3000 more expensive than the SW variant of the older model. Despite the bump in performance and more ‘adventure-ready’ componentry, KTM has managed to make this bike a lot more easier to handle while also making it capable of doing some serious stuff. So, if you are looking for a do-it-all motorcycle, the new 390 Adventure fits the bill perfectly. But, if occasional rides and Sunday rides to the cafe are your thing, maybe the new 390 Adventure X is worth considering. After all, with the Rs 76,000 you save can get you some good (and hopefully, worthy) accessories and if you are looking for something more serious, maybe waiting for the 390 Enduro is the right thing.
