KTM’s ideal starter pack for adventure
We all know and love KTM’s entry level adventure offering and have ridden and reviewed it extensively. This bike is aimed squarely at the lighter, younger rider new to the adventure riding fraternity yet capable of keeping an experienced rider quite entertained as well, (at the launch in early 2020 we, (us old, chunky journalists), ended up racing each other around Sun City’s mountain bike park and had a right royal hoot). So, with that in mind we got our two young, hip and lightweight crew members to give the 390 Adventure good work out over a week or so. Stefan, is twenty something, doesn’t weigh very much and was a newbie to adventure riding and big bikes when he joined us a few years ago, however, he has acquired some good skills and is a very competent off road rider these days. René is of similar age and build and is quite new to bigger bikes. She has been on a scooter for a number of years from school days and recently got herself a KTM 390 Duke, she has, however never ridden any form of motorcycle anywhere closely resembling off road. So, both are the ideal candidates to give unjaded and unbiased feedback on their experiences with the 390 Adventure.
Let’s get our first bike, and make it an adventure!
The KTM 390 Adventure is perfect for being unintimidating, yet endlessly entertaining and versatile in almost every department. When you get on the bike for the first time, you might be a bit surprised by the tall seat. It feels like a big adventure but looks small, but don’t worry, once you get rolling that’ll go away! Although it feels big and tall, the lightweight bike is very easy to manage and paddling around with one leg for shorter riders is very doable.
You get a nice big TFT screen that shows you all the info you need very clearly and you can customize your favourites to show you exactly what you want; trip info, fuel range, battery level etc. KTM’s straightforward controls and menu functions are easy to navigate, and much like modern smartphones you also get a dark mode.
Powering the Adventure, you get the same 44bhp 373cc single-cylinder powerhouse from the 390 Duke, which gives you the same punch when you twist the throttle. KTM’s Quickshifter is also very nice. Smooth shifts every time, and it invites you to go faster and faster. I did find it a little hard to get into neutral on occasion though.
For an entry-level adventure bike, this bike is incredibly fast. I clocked a top speed of 171km/h, and it was surprisingly stable at high speeds given its short wheelbase and 19-inch front wheel. Unless you are a superbike fanatic or top-speed junky, you don’t need any more power than what this KTM delivers. With my weight at around 70 kgs, I can comfortably cruise at 150 with enough torque left on tap to get out of trouble if need be. Even with a pillion the bike was unhindered in this department.
The seat height is around 855cm, but the wide seat makes it feel even taller, as it gets in the way of getting both legs down. However, once you get rolling the seat makes much more sense. Suddenly you forget how tall it is and you’re just enjoying the ride. The rider’s triangle is perfect for long comfortable rides on the road, and I can see this being a fantastic entry-level touring bike as well.
The 390 Adventure changes from a comfortable road bike to a maniacal dirt bike once you hit the gravel. It moves in the same way as a plastic bike, and the suspension keeps the bike very stable on bumpy and wobbly trails. The offroad traction control keeps the bike in check while still giving you a rush like no other, managing the power delivery to put it straight through the rear wheel and into the dirt. I found myself going much faster on bumpy gravel roads and around sandy corners than I would usually do on my bigger 800cc adventure.
The power delivery is smooth and linear but still punches hard, and even more so when you switch to off-road mode. Offroad mode adjusts the traction control to allow for some wheel spin when riding on gravel, but even so the aggressive Continental rubber that comes standard on the bike assures maximum traction on most gravel roads.
You can turn off traction control completely if you really want to be naughty, but the bike wants you to hold down the button and keep the throttle closed for about 5 seconds as a safety feature so you don’t accidentally turn it off and crap yourself. It has quite a lot of torque for its weight so turning off traction control completely gives you lots of wheel spin off road. You have to change the abs to offroad manually as well, this turns off the rear abs to let you do skids and drag the rear wheel for off-road riding.
Long distance adventuring might not be the best on this bike. The meerkat position is more of a deadlift position, so if you want to stretch your legs on a long gravel road, it might be best to stop and get off instead. The relationship from the bars to the foot pegs isn’t great for standing while riding but perfect for sitting on the big comfy seat. You can stand up and lean forward if you want to peddle down a dirt road, but the bike doesn’t want you to cruise like that. Although it is a comfortable off road ride and can go well at a relaxing pace, the 390 adventure is always whispering in your ear that it wants you to go faster. I can’t fault the brakes either, even though you only get a single disc at the front, it’s more than enough to stop this lightweight machine. Having the new spoked rims gives you the confidence to do whatever you want with your bike. Gone are the days of worrying about busting a rim when you want to hop over a rock, or jump on the sidewalk to skip around traffic. Add in the aggressive wide footpegs and a whole 200mm of ground clearance and you’ve got yourself a road-legal dirt bike.
Getting back on the road, the bike still wants to race. The light and agile chassis allows for quick and easy cornering, cutting through traffic and being an absolute hooligan. Garth Taylor, regular contributor to the magazine, took it for a spin as well and summed the bike up in one word; “cheeky”, I couldn’t agree more.
If you are torn between getting a road bike and a dirt bike, get the 390 Adventure. If you want a comfortable commuter that’s got the power to get you out in front of traffic but won’t get you into too much trouble, the 390 Adventure is perfect for that as well, plus you get a little windshield that blocks most of the wind at highway speeds for a comfortable daily commute. If you want to go touring or go on camping trips on the weekend, throw some luggage on the big back seat, fasten it to the grab rails and go for it. If you want to do a track day now and then, the Adventure will handle it, but its sibling, the Duke, might blow it out of the water in that department. Still, for an all round, easy going, highly entertaining and versatile entry-level bike, the KTM 390 Adventure has set the bar pretty high.
Let’s get our first bike, and make it an adventure!
The KTM 390 Adventure is perfect for being unintimidating, yet endlessly entertaining and versatile in almost every department. When you get on the bike for the first time, you might be a bit surprised by the tall seat. It feels like a big adventure but looks small, but don’t worry, once you get rolling that’ll go away! Although it feels big and tall, the lightweight bike is very easy to manage and paddling around with one leg for shorter riders is very doable.
You get a nice big TFT screen that shows you all the info you need very clearly and you can customize your favourites to show you exactly what you want; trip info, fuel range, battery level etc. KTM’s straightforward controls and menu functions are easy to navigate, and much like modern smartphones you also get a dark mode.
Powering the Adventure, you get the same 44bhp 373cc single-cylinder powerhouse from the 390 Duke, which gives you the same punch when you twist the throttle. KTM’s Quickshifter is also very nice. Smooth shifts every time, and it invites you to go faster and faster. I did find it a little hard to get into neutral on occasion though.
For an entry-level adventure bike, this bike is incredibly fast. I clocked a top speed of 171km/h, and it was surprisingly stable at high speeds given its short wheelbase and 19-inch front wheel. Unless you are a superbike fanatic or top-speed junky, you don’t need any more power than what this KTM delivers. With my weight at around 70 kgs, I can comfortably cruise at 150 with enough torque left on tap to get out of trouble if need be. Even with a pillion the bike was unhindered in this department.
The seat height is around 855cm, but the wide seat makes it feel even taller, as it gets in the way of getting both legs down. However, once you get rolling the seat makes much more sense. Suddenly you forget how tall it is and you’re just enjoying the ride. The rider’s triangle is perfect for long comfortable rides on the road, and I can see this being a fantastic entry-level touring bike as well.
The 390 Adventure changes from a comfortable road bike to a maniacal dirt bike once you hit the gravel. It moves in the same way as a plastic bike, and the suspension keeps the bike very stable on bumpy and wobbly trails. The offroad traction control keeps the bike in check while still giving you a rush like no other, managing the power delivery to put it straight through the rear wheel and into the dirt. I found myself going much faster on bumpy gravel roads and around sandy corners than I would usually do on my bigger 800cc adventure.
The power delivery is smooth and linear but still punches hard, and even more so when you switch to off-road mode. Offroad mode adjusts the traction control to allow for some wheel spin when riding on gravel, but even so the aggressive Continental rubber that comes standard on the bike assures maximum traction on most gravel roads.
You can turn off traction control completely if you really want to be naughty, but the bike wants you to hold down the button and keep the throttle closed for about 5 seconds as a safety feature so you don’t accidentally turn it off and crap yourself. It has quite a lot of torque for its weight so turning off traction control completely gives you lots of wheel spin off road. You have to change the abs to offroad manually as well, this turns off the rear abs to let you do skids and drag the rear wheel for off-road riding.
Long distance adventuring might not be the best on this bike. The meerkat position is more of a deadlift position, so if you want to stretch your legs on a long gravel road, it might be best to stop and get off instead. The relationship from the bars to the foot pegs isn’t great for standing while riding but perfect for sitting on the big comfy seat. You can stand up and lean forward if you want to peddle down a dirt road, but the bike doesn’t want you to cruise like that. Although it is a comfortable off road ride and can go well at a relaxing pace, the 390 adventure is always whispering in your ear that it wants you to go faster. I can’t fault the brakes either, even though you only get a single disc at the front, it’s more than enough to stop this lightweight machine. Having the new spoked rims gives you the confidence to do whatever you want with your bike. Gone are the days of worrying about busting a rim when you want to hop over a rock, or jump on the sidewalk to skip around traffic. Add in the aggressive wide footpegs and a whole 200mm of ground clearance and you’ve got yourself a road-legal dirt bike.
Getting back on the road, the bike still wants to race. The light and agile chassis allows for quick and easy cornering, cutting through traffic and being an absolute hooligan. Garth Taylor, regular contributor to the magazine, took it for a spin as well and summed the bike up in one word; “cheeky”, I couldn’t agree more.
If you are torn between getting a road bike and a dirt bike, get the 390 Adventure. If you want a comfortable commuter that’s got the power to get you out in front of traffic but won’t get you into too much trouble, the 390 Adventure is perfect for that as well, plus you get a little windshield that blocks most of the wind at highway speeds for a comfortable daily commute. If you want to go touring or go on camping trips on the weekend, throw some luggage on the big back seat, fasten it to the grab rails and go for it. If you want to do a track day now and then, the Adventure will handle it, but its sibling, the Duke, might blow it out of the water in that department. Still, for an all round, easy going, highly entertaining and versatile entry-level bike, the KTM 390 Adventure has set the bar pretty high.
René says:
I’ve never been on an adventure bike before so at first I thought it was going to be tall and lumpy, and not easy to handle. I was wrong, the KTM 390 Adventure was so easy to handle from the start even for a beginner like myself who has only been riding for a couple of months.
Firstly the seating is really comfortable and upright which is great for long rides. Offroad was also pleasant for me, the suspension really helped to even out the bumpy gravel road. The adventure also has great throttle and clutch control that makes it really easy to get up and go. In addition the quickshifter is also so much fun and smooth, although quick shifting from 1st to 2nd gear in low revs kicks a little bit.
The only thing that made things a bit challenging as a shorter rider was that I was not able to put both feet on the ground which made me feel unbalanced at times, but the more I rode it the more comfortable I got with it.
All in all I think the KTM 390 Adventure is a fantastic entry level bike for anyone who wants to get into riding. It’s a great all rounder with easy handling and makes off-roading unintimidating. So far one of my favourite bikes
For your dealer: facebook.com/KTMSouthAfrica/
Words & Pics: Stefan vd Riet and René Swart
