KTM 390 Adventure R and 390 Enduro R Review – Motorcycle Test

KTM 390 Adventure R Review
KTM 390 Enduro R Review

We were recently lucky enough to attend the Australian launch of the new KTM 390 Adventure R and Enduro R models across all manner of terrain in the South Coast hinterland of New South Wales. I came away re-thinking what it takes to make a fun entry-level bike.

It’s been more than ten years since the original 390 series was launched. And boy, hasn’t a lot changed since then… The ongoing rise of social media. The emergence of influencers. The Plague! That was a thing. As was the economic meltdown that followed. Businesses all over the world were impacted. KTM had other issues, of course, but the plague certainly didn’t help.

Other things are much the same. Marc Marquez is still winning MotoGP races just as he was in 2013 when he took his first title. Essendon still can’t win a bloody AFL final, and more importantly, KTM are back producing fun bikes; they’ve been thrown a lifeline by their Indian partner, Bajaj.

Fun has always been their key strength. They are a singularly passionate group of folks who live and love motorcycles. It’s clear in every contact I’ve had with anyone in their team. They build and sell bikes that they too enjoy riding.

That context is important when considering the new 390 range. While they haven’t been a massive seller here in Australia to date, compared to some of their larger-capacity offerings, it’s hugely important for KTM in other markets. Some of those don’t get the bigger bikes at all.

While the big power bikes generally get the hero posters and all the attention, there is something to be said for lightweight bikes. Particularly when things get dirty. That’s definitely the case here and is also reflected in the sales success of some other relatively new 450 cc Adventure bikes in the market. There is now a proven appetite here locally, and I suspect the 390 Adventure in particular is the right bike arriving at the right time to tap into it.

The Adventure R (AR) and the Enduro R (ER)

Importantly, these are the first 390 models to run KTM’s coveted ‘R’ badge. That’s an indication of where KTM see them within their range. The two bikes we got to ride are the first of four that will ultimately complete the 390 range when the final two, a shorter-travel Adventure X model and a Motard SMC, arrive later this year. They share much between them, including a new frame and swingarm that differs from the ‘other’ 390, the Duke, which I rode in Spain last year.

The AR and ER both run the same 399 cc third-generation LC8c single-cylinder engine shared with the Duke. It’s a cracking little engine that loves a rev, punching out 45 horsepower and 39 Nm of torque in quite a non-intimidating way. Softly, softly down low before getting more serious as the revs rise.

At first, you might be surprised by its gentle bottom end – it’s certainly not a hard hitter at lower revs. But it will lug away surprisingly well when required. What it really wants is for you to give it some welly. Redlining at nine thousand rpm, it does its best work and feels the most comfortable past 5000 rpm. For reference, it sits around 6000 rpm at highway speeds in top gear.

Saucy European Suspenders.

The two bikes also share the same 272 mm of ground clearance and 230 mm travel WP Apex suspension. Fully adjustable 43 mm forks up front and a Split piston rear shock that has adjustable preload and rebound. Both ends are decent bits of kit.

Internally, the valving is slightly different between the two. The Adventure rides on a slightly plusher setup compared to the enduro.

On the trail, I found the Adventure to feel more stable and planted in the front end compared to the Enduro. Primarily due to having a little extra weight over the front, what with the front screen setup and slightly larger fuel tank, but I’m sure the valving plays a part too. That’s not to say the Enduro felt unstable, but the steering was lighter and the ride a little less plush.

The two models differ in meaningful ways.

While it’s evident by looking at them that the Adventure R gets the tall front screen compared to the small trail-oriented cowl on the Enduro, there are other, less obvious differences. Let’s set out the main ones.

The most important of them are probably the last two. Fuel-wise, KTMs official fuel consumption is listed at just under 3.4 L / 100 kms, but I reckon you’re best allowing for that 14 litre tank to get you somewhere from 220 to over 300 kilometres to a tank. That’s admittedly a large window, but we saw quite a variation on fuel consumption depending on the terrain and how much hooliganism the rider is engaging in… Turns out I took the gong for using the most fuel on the launch. Fairly comfortably. Skids and wheelies may have contributed…

And then there’s the weight. Arguably, the single most influential factor in terms of the way the bike rides and handles. The thing that enables that suspension to work to its potential is the fact that the Adventure R is around 20 kilos lighter than its most obvious direct competitors (the RE Himalayan 450 and CFMoto MT450). Twenty kilos is A LOT. And it feels even lighter than the numbers suggest.

Put simply: The Adventure R is the lightest, most off-road capable, most fun of the lightweight Adventure bike options on the market. Comfortably. We’ll come back to that when we talk about handling.

Is the Enduro R really an Enduro?

We need to talk a little about the name of the Enduro R I think. It’s not an Enduro bike in the sense of what most of us might think of as Enduro. KTM already produce their supremely successful competition Enduro machines in the EXC range, tipping the scales at not much over 100 kilos. The EXC range is clearly at another level. The 390 Enduro R comes in at just on 160 kilos. So it is not a competition machine.

What it is, though, is a dual-sport bike. An entry-level, smaller brother to the 690. Think of it along those lines and you’re on the right track. It’s a modern-day XR400 or DR-Z400. Though it is worth noting that comparing the Enduro R to the new DR-Z4S, the more expensive Suzuki is the lighter of the two.

On the trails, that extra weight over something like an EXC can be a positive in some scenarios.. It’s more stable and comfortable on anything short of tight single track and hard enduro type riding, which is not really what this is being pitched at.

Gravel roads? Fire trails? Easy Single track? Jumping over water bars? Picking your way around fallen logs? Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes. It’s crazy how much fun these little bikes are when you wind them up.

We also did about a thousand creek crossings. Confident that the snorkel intake that’s behind the steering head is well above the water line. The filter itself is located under the seat and is cassette-style, with foam filters available. It is accessible via the side panels in a couple of minutes. Easy peasy.

Full disclosure on the creek crossings, we did manage to get water into one of the bikes when charging hard enough through a crossing that the bow wave was going over the top of the front screens… Made for nice pics though. Hooligans. That one wasn’t me!

On the trails = Time to shine.

Off-road is where these two work best. To be fair, we were definitely charging along harder than most potential customers at times – yet they responded well. I wound the rear preload up to one notch back from maximum and added a little more rebound. I also dialled up the compression on the front to one away from maximum. This made for noticeably more agile handling on both bikes, as well as enabling it to take bigger hits and drops in its stride. Most others on the launch also ended up at those settings or very similar. For reference, I’m around the 88kg mark.

Now, of course, they have limitations. They’ll bottom out when you send them too hard over jumps and water bars. If that’s your sort of thing, you’d want to consider upping the spring rates at both ends and/or upgrading to higher spec WP suspension kits. Which you can do. And it is a very real option at that price point. But they are both certainly up for most regular dual sport/trail bike activities.

On the trails, the Adventure rides slightly more stable while the Enduro is slightly livelier. But there is not that much in it. I reckon I’d take the Adventure for the extra comfort from the seat and screen. There’s not much in the way of real downside on off-road fire trails and easy single track.

The main drawcard here for these bikes is just how easy and forgiving they are to ride off-road. I was continually surprised by the amount of grip at both ends and just how quickly I could change lines to switch to a different rut, or dodge a rock or log that came into view at the last moment. Combined with enough power to have fun but not too much to be overwhelming, they’re a delight for beginners through to experienced riders.

A chassis that improves with speed.

And just as the engine does its best work when you start getting up it, so does the chassis. Second, third and fourth gears seem to bring the bikes progressively more to life. These bikes are fire trail weapons once wound up. Great balance, great feel. I liked the chassis in the last-gen 390, and this one is even better.

Anything up to around a buck twenty is in its hitting zone. Yes, they’ll happily give you more than that, but you wouldn’t want to be sitting up much there for large lengths of time, I don’t think.

Standing position is worth talking about, too. It’s pretty damn good. Both share the same handlebar bend, and there is a slight crouch to your body position, which does get your weight forward. I’m around 181 cms tall (annoyingly just shy of 6 ft), and if it were mine, I’d consider a slightly taller bar bend for maximum comfort. I think I’d like my hands to be a couple of cms taller. But that’s fine-tuning.

I should point out that, having planned for plenty of off-road fun on the launch, KTM had swapped the OEM Mitas tyres for slightly more aggressive Mitas XT Trail plus tyres that offered a little more bite (without being full knobbies). They suited the bikes really well, even in slippery clay, and yet were still fun enough on tarmac.

The electronics are on point.

I liked the instrumentation on both bikes, but I actually really like the Enduro’s letterbox rectangle format. It sits nice and snug behind the front screen and gives you a larger display than plenty of other dual-sport bikes for easy readability. It has a quick toggle option to show you lots of ‘other’ information, like your trip meter and settings as well. Very nice.

Off-road mode is adjustable on both bikes, but there are additional adjustments available on the more advanced electronic suite on the Adventure R. Off-road ABS mode disables ABS on the rear on both, which is great – I found the brakes to be pretty much bang on. Not overly strong, but enough. Enough bite, decent feel and enough stopping power.

The traction control isn’t overly intrusive in slower, slipperier conditions, which is where you want it. Then you can safely flick it off once a bit more predictable grip returns and bring the skids. Kudos to KTM for allowing the bike to remember your settings when you key off, so that when you do switch TC off, it’s off when you key back on. As it should be.

The Adventure also features cornering TC & ABS, as well as KTM Connect phone integration for Call, Navigation, and Music control. You also get access to cruise control as an option – and a quick-shifter (which was fitted to both variants on the launch and was nice and smooth in both directions).

So they must have some shortcomings, surely?

They’re not without a couple of niggles. The biggest one, which I’m hoping is already solved via an electronics update, is that we found the bikes prone to stalling. Not your typical under-load flame out, more… cutting out when at a standstill just as you crack the throttle to get underway. And yes, it was properly annoying.

It didn’t feel mechanical. I’m guessing it’s either the mapping or the fly-by-wire throttle setup, or a mixture of both. Either way, I’ve had it confirmed that KTM is aware of the issue, and apparently, a fix is on the way and an announcement is pending. Which is a relief.

You may also encounter issues with the sidestand spring. KTM Australia actually updated all of the springs on our bikes with firmer units. Overseas bikes had some issues with the springs not being strong enough and allowing the spring to ‘bounce’ down under load to trigger the stand kill switch.

We actually had a couple of springs find their way into the bush on the ride when the boys were barging amongst the rocks, so it’d be worth experimenting with some other spring weights perhaps, carrying some spares and/or making sure you had zip ties if you plan on hitting rocks.

And then finally, again – full disclosure – one of the bikes I was riding had its spokes come loose badly enough that we had to stop and tighten them up on the trail. It didn’t affect all the bikes on the launch, but one other did need a nip up when we noticed and checked them all.

Worth doing a quick shakedown and bolt check, I’d suggest. These were brand new bikes, and I think the one that I was on was one that had been used for a shoot the day prior that included plenty of extra jumps and shenanigans. I’m not expecting it to be a widespread issue, but it happened, so I’d be checking spoke tension if you’ve been sending it skywards.

So where does that leave us?

Ultimately, for the price point, you can’t expect perfection. And I think those niggles will be sorted quickly if they aren’t already. It’s hard not to be impressed with the bikes as overall packages for the money. Super engaging, easy to ride, and just plain fun.

The Adventure R in particular is easily the lightest and most off-road capable Adventure bike in its class. It looks the biz, and is nicely upgradable, especially in the suspension department if you want to lean on it even more… I think it compares more than favourably against its two closest rivals in the CFMoto 450MT and the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, which are both heavier and more ‘all road’ focussed.

It might not be as strictly Ready to Race as its EXC stablemates, but it’s certainly ready for fun and adventure. Nicely done, KTM. So good to have you back.

390 Adventure R and Enduro R hits

• Light is right! Feels even lighter than the spec sheet suggests
• Which means the WP Apex suspension gets a chance to shine
• Great chassis balance, loads of grip at both ends
• The little 399 cc engine feels best when you work it hard!

And misses

• Stalling/cutting out at a standstill was annoying (apparently, a fix is on the way)
• Sidestand springs might still need some tweaking.
• Worth checking your spoke tension until well bedded in

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KTM 390 Adventure R and Enduro R Video Review

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KTM 390 Adventure R Specifications

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KTM 390 Enduro R Specifications

KTM 390 Adventure R and Enduro R Images