KTM 390 ADVENTURE: STRAIGHT FROM DAKAR??

KTM 390 ADVENTURE

Human beings always lived depending on nature, from food to shelter we used to be living with the nature, But as men evolved to more sophisticated , intellectual being especially in field of engineering, we started to innovate. Soon we were able to innovate stuffs which were able to replace its natural form. Fire is lit by a match and not by rubbing stones, swords got replaced by guns and most importantly horses were replaced by Motorcycles as mans best travel companion.

Bikes did what Horses did in the past, carry us Humans from Point A to Point B. But what if you got to explore a mountain to reach Point B? What if you want to get back to the nature from concrete jungles? Thats when you get an ADV bike. 

Adventure bikes which is now called as ADV bikes, are some 2 wheel madness which are always ready to tackle any roads you want. With a perfect balance between a cruiser and a motocross bike, It is now the most preferred genre of bikes for long distance rides.

The affordable ADV bikes segment in India kick started with RE Himalayan. Then comes The G310 GS for double the price. But both couldn't give us what we wanted from an ADV. So we eagerly waited for KTM to drop the 390 Adventure even before they actually starts to think about such a bike. After waiting for long... India finally gets the 390 adventure, With huge expectations This got to be really good to please.

First impression and I found it looking similar to an Antelope,  With its tall stance and large headlight resembling to face of the beast, It sure looks like it can go where some bikes could never go. The ADV does promises to be able to tackle long distances similar to an antelope too.

All LED headlight unit with adjustable visor

The tank now got higher fuel capacity is covered with a panel which looks as if its made of helmet. The seats are nice and wide and handle bar too are made wide providing greater leverage. The headlight from duke 390 works great and the adjustable visor is a surprise addition. New curved radiator promises to dissipate heat. With mouth of fluid reservoirs kept at more accessible location maintaining doesn't look to be a pain in the ass. 

The Rims of 390 adventure are not spoke, but comes with an alloy, Which made the faces of many frown. But I would say its not a big issue, You may ask why? and I would answer that in the last part of the article.

The 390 Adventure comes packed with some electronics, The TFT screen and controls are similar to duke 390. But here the bike comes with 2 levels of traction control and 2 ABS modes, Up and down quick shifter is a new addition in BS6 390s and this one gets that too.

The TFT screen is best in its class and pretty easy to navigate

Switch gear quality could be better

Take the bike for a spin and you realise its not eager as a duke 390. Its powered by the iconic 375cc engine from KTM delivering 43 ps but in a different state of tune. The power feels linear across rev range and manageable for a mile muching ADV. It doesn't feel as brutal as a duke but its not slow in any means,  0-100 comes in under 6 second. Cruising at 120kmph on speedo feels really easy, and quick overtakes seems effortless even at those speed. 

The 375 cc engine is the same from Duke 390

Ktms were always fun in the twisty track and its the same story here. The bike tips into corners really well and doesn't feel heavy. Generall bikes of this class feels reluctant to turn in and feels like understeering a bit, But the 390 just flows in almost like its naked sibling which makes it so desirable. The ergonomics are relaxed, upright and comfortable, The wide handlebars offers much more relaxed position and greater leverage, Seats are wide enough and just the right cushioning for me. 845mm seat height is tall but someone of 5 foot 7inch tall could handle the bike. The riders triangle and tank design makes it easy to stand up and ride when the terrain gets rough.

The seats are just perfectly cushioned and are comfortable

The heating ?? its long gone, the curved radiator works well. The rear tyre unlike all other KTMs isn't 150 section but comes with 130 section. Still the width of the tyre doesn't cap the cornering ability or grip of the bike, the metzellers offer good grip on the road.

The curved radiator manages heat very well

On the road this is a really fast ADV which can carry greater speeds at every situations compared to its competition.

What about off-road???

This is the question everyone eagerly waits for.

Straight away let me say, The bike sure does look like something coming out straight out of Dakar Rally and while riding on a pretty bad dirt track, that's exactly what you feels. A Rally Bike. This just goes through un even dirt track like a dream. The rear tyre with traction control switched on will just grips and grips inspiring a lot of confidence in you. The TC doesn't cut power very abruptly but controls its very efficiently, I never felt like the fueling was cut or the engine cuts its power. The Traction control system is that good. Switch it all off and its still fun. The rear slides but still I never felt like I am losing control. 

From my experience the Adventure 390 does felt like the easiest bike to go on an uneven dirt track among the Indian ADVs. Its soo forgiving for a beginner that he sure feels like a pro because of the traction control and electronics. With the TC turned on you feel like a pro. But frequent kicking in of traction control system made me question if the tyres could have been better or not. Still as far as you are running through an uneven dirt track, This is just too incredible.

Now about the alloy wheels, I don't think that is gonna be a big issue here because the 390 Adventure is supposed to be a road biased adventure tourer, so alloy wheels are more convenient, if KTM managed to bring in the spoke rims, a puncture could be your biggest nightmare as its not compatible to tubeless tyres. If you want to bring a spoke rim which can go with tubeless tyre, that's gonna keep the costs up. 

The alloy wheel might not be strong as a spoke rim but it too can take some hits. unlike road bikes, The Adventure 390 is slapped on with Metzellers dual purpose tyre with a larger side profile. From my research these tyres do absorb shocks much better than the road tyres. So mild off-roads won't  be tension with this bike, and Its an ADV not a Moto Cross bike so do treat like one . 

I came across some negative review of Adventure 390 from many journalists on its off-roading abilities. But after spending some time on the bike I felt I couldn't agree on that. You see most of those people might have had a lot of experience off-road and also a huge expectation for this motorcycle which made them expect it to punch above its class, which it hasn't, It is just an entry level "road biased" ADV and not something designed similar to a Tiger 900 rally. 

Straight from DAKAR??

Where the 390 Adventure disappoints is its lack of low end grunt, You will be forced to keep some revs and always be prepared for upcoming obstacle, the bike doesn't feel like it could handle some un predicted road impacts as efficient as Himalayan does. 

It also struggles at hardcore off-road trails too, Also the quick shifter is not the most reliable one. But being a Road biased ADV those were some negatives which I genuinely think could be called nitpicking.

KTM 390 Adventure will be rivalling against the Royal Enfield Himalayan and BMW G310-GS

Himalayan is undoubtedly is better off-road with its huge low end torque and ergonomics designed specifically for off-road provided you are not a beginner. It also felt bit more comfortable on road too, But being underpowered and with a reputation for dropping parts and breaking down on it way to destination, its not the ideal bike in my books

BMW is the most comfortable on road but genuinely that's all it got.

KTM hits the balance very well It is a bike which can handle all kinds of roads your trip offers with identical enthusiasm.It is fun in corners, comfortable for a iron butt challenge and can handle some un predicted off-road pretty well. 

Priced at 3.0 lakhs ex showroom it offers great value too. Even though it is priced over 1 lakh above the HIMALAYAN, The electronics and quality feels few generations ahead of Himalayan.

So right now KTM 390 Adventure is my pick among affordable ADVs in India.

By Ambady Anil

Assisted by: Aaron Joseph