KTM 390 Adventure Full Test Video 

No irritating music, robot voices or flash screens, just a bloke standing behind a bike giving everything you want to know, first class job sir!

Can't get better, the best analysis of KTM 390 adv anywhere on internet.

This guy really knows what he's talking about, and it's great to listen to someone with confidence enough in their knowledge to speak naturally in depth about the bike at hand. This is just a great test and review video. No nonsense and flashy shit, just straight bike talk. Outstanding.

Massive relief to hear a review by someone who actually knows what they're talking about (like sussing the voltage drop). Nice.

This is the best review I've seen on this little bike. Honest discussion of both the good points, the bad points and who it's aimed at. I got into ADV riding about 10 years ago, and have owned a DR650, WR250R, WeeStrom, 800XC and now a 1290SAR. All have their good and bad points. The 1290 is a beast, in good ways and bad. Very good power, but tall, top heavy and rather expensive. The WRR is the opposite extreme, light by ADV standards, but a bit too small and underpowered for the highway, especially at any elevation, in hills or wind. DR suspension is crap, by the time it's updated with Race Tech parts I had an extra $1200 or so in it, on a heavy, underpower bike with 25 year old tech. I do think the review misses out on another potential target market. Older, experienced riders that are ready for something smaller, lighter, simpler and less expensive-and don't try to ride like desert racers. For adventure riding in the mountains of North Idaho, this looks really appealing-enough performance to get the job done, enough suspension to get through most terrain at a moderate pace, and enough highway capability to jump on the highway and get home after a trip. Without the need to drop money on a bigger gas tank, suspension upgrades (not that they wouldn't help) and enough lighting to actually ride safely at night.

Sounds like it would be a good bike for me who has been riding dirt bikes for years and just wants to go slow, sit down and be OK on the freeway to get home. Thank you for the great review.

This is literally the best review of this bike I have seen yet. I REALLY appreciate it, as I'm looking for a beginner street bike for my son.

Got this one three months back, worth every penny. As an owner, I find this review really honest and to the point.

As a new rider, dad with kids and looking for a bike to go off trails and do easy sections. Maybe even pop a tent down for the night, this is literally perfect me. KTM nailed the audience on this one, adventure bikes are either enormous or low spec, this is a good mix at a very good price point.

This is the single best review I have seen for this bike! So incredibly thorough and done by real dirt riders in real off road conditions. Thank you.

This is by far the best review I could find, thank you!

Exceptional, honest, and realistic review of this bike, and all the pragmatic considerations explained in a way that everyone can understand.

Best analysis and review on the KTM Adventure 390 on the internet till date. Worth every minute of the review. Thanks 🙏

Thanks for the very thorough and enjoyable review Jimmy, that was terrific

I almost never comment. This review was so insanely refreshing because it not only intelligently discussed the pros and cons of the bike, but it also contrasted those pros and cons of the bike to different rider skill levels. What is a con to an experienced dirt bike rider, is actually a bit of a pro to me as a street only rider thinking about getting into ADVs. Just beyond helpful. More than earned my subscription to the channel. Thanks for the vid.

Wow....great review ! This is wht a motorcycle review looks like ! Nothing unnecessary, no bullshit review. Great job guys. Subscribed 👍

Thanks Jimmy! This was by far the most thorough review i've come across!

One of the best reviews out there. I can finally say I heard an expert review.

I’m a street bike rider back into it after a 20+ year hiatus. Now with a 2013 Ducati Monster 1100 and thinking of getting into adventure bike riding as well. I watched and read a lot of hours of reviews over the winter. What a great review of the 390 adventure. An unbelievable amount of useful unbiased information by someone who obviously knows what he’s talking about and the fact as a crew they tested the bike with a cross section of riders is really helpful.

Been literally binge watching 100s of Adv390 videos since few days and inarguably this is one of the best described video i came across. Worth the 25mins where you talk about genuine + and - than just reading out whats on spec sheet. Thanks a ton Jimmy.

Thanks jimmy, as always I learn something every time I listen to you!

Rare. Really rare to find this kind of honesty. Subbed.

Stupendous review! Technicalities, weight distribution, flaws, fantastic. Tons better than the ones simply ridden on tarmac and the spec sheet repeated in a stylish manner!

Hi Jimmy, I gotta say that is one of the best and most thorough reviews of any motorcycle that I have ever seen on RU-vid period. The KTM 390 Adventure had already captured my attention, but after seeing this excellent review I feel like it's almost a done deal. I will at least drive the 200 miles to the nearest stocking dealer to get a hands-on look at it, and it is very likely I will be bringing one home with me. Thank you so much for doing such an awesome job reviewing this bike. I only wish more videos on RU-vid were as valuable and informative as this one is. Sadly, so many of them are nothing more than a big waste of time. Very well done. Thanks!!

I watched this video before I bought my 390 and revisiting it I think its a very solid assessment of the bikes strengths and weaknesses. Coming from a dirt bike back ground (I grew up on trail bikes) but a road bike history as an adult its been an absolute joy to find a light bike that handles both of these roles so well. I fitted cruise control to the fly by wire setup and that has turned it into a very competent all round tourer with significant dirt road chops. Each time I take it off road my confidence in it increases. I put 3500km on it over the Easter break and found it very comfortable for extended rides, doing as much as 700km a day. I'm loving the experience of getting to know this machine. Unfortunately it blew a countershaft/drive sprocket seal on the ride and I'm waiting for it to be repaired under warranty as the bike is only a month old, but assuming that is a minor blip, I'm looking forward to my next ride very much.

Your reviews and knowledge are always second to none.

bought one last month...love this bike so much I'm glad I didn't get another street only bike. great review, spot on!

This is what I would like to see more dual-sport bikes turn into. He mentioned the street bike feel as a negative but I think it is a positive.

Wow, extremely detailed. Great review

After putting my 390 Adventure though 800 miles of street and off-road trails in the Colorado mountains, I have to say your review is very accurate and more thorough that any other review to date. I too come from a very long dirt bike background and and carry a bias on how a claimed Adventure bike should perform although I've never ridden one until I purchased this one, oh and by the way, your review did the trick for me and made me pull the trigger and purchase it. To go on, consider myself an advanced dirt bike rider so of course the weight made me think that, when off-road, I would spend all my time trying to keep this bike upright, rather than enjoy the performance. As you know every bike is great at somethings and not others. This bike by design is a compromise. I have to say it's great running up and down the twisty Colorado canyons. It's got enough power and great cornering to thrill most anyone. Off-road on rocky and steep up and down hills, and I mean rocky, It's not dirt bike, but it is manageable and you can get where you want to go. I did have to use all my skills given the weight, and those stock tires, but never did I go sideways or have to put my feet down on steep rocky trails. It is a little unstable if you lean too far towards the handle bars, as you said, but move back from the bars and it was back to feeling right. Off road, I really did put this bike into the realm of needing a true enduro or dirt bike and it held its own as long as I kept the speeds down and way down on the steep rocky hills, but to be honest I won't take it over those particular rocky sections again - I have a bike for that. Now remove the rocks and even on extremely washed out mining trails, it does well. To conclude; I think they have hit the mark for its intended purpose and at this price point you can't go wrong. So am I happy with this bike?, oh hell yeah. It does what I want and threw some surprises my way with the traction control and ABS. So, I guess I just agreed with all your findings., :) You've made a loyal follower out of me just for that reason. Thanks again. I really appreciate you taking the time to put this review together.

Great detailed review -it looks more like a street bike to me -thanks for all the great information to digest

Wow. Best review I’ve seen yet on this little bike. Nice job.

You don't like some things like standing position, but watching the way it flies on gravel and sand is just amazing! Great review!

I'm getting it next week hopefully...can't wait. I'm in EU so I ordered crash bars, it's a must!

Got this as a commuter bike that I mostly use in town, but can rise it in the mountains or the occasional drive to Moab for weekends, and i love it! Great alternative even for experience drivers, torquey and lots of fun!

We're gonna answer all the questions live tonight on our Tech Talk Taco Tuesday show that takes place live on Dirt Bike Test Facebook page 7 PM PST time zone or on about an hour. We may try and go live on this channel as well if bandwidth allows...

Excellent review by being so in-depth. Subscribed as a result.

Great thorough review . This was my first time I've watched this channel and I decided to subscribe. You sound knowledgeable and reasonable.

Brilliant in depth review. The kind I wish, I’d see on the other 80% of Bike reviews out on the Net. Well done mate. I was looking for reviews on this and the CB500x, with more bias towards the Honda, however, after watching an experienced nuts n bolts review on the the 390 - I have to re-think my choice. Bloody awesome mate. Cheers!

Very thorough review by a guy that really knows how to ride a motorcycle.

Great review! Cool little bike, I have a 790R, and I love it! KTM hit this one out of the park!

Great review, thanks. If KTM offers an Adventure R version of the 390 I‘ll go for that! 390 is all I need for my travels and touring - less weight is more important for me than more power.

Thank you, one of the best reviews I have watched. Thank you Jimmy, really enjoyed this vid. Just want this to be a reliable bike.

As someone who watches a ton of motorcycle reviews, I just want to echo the comments about how spectacular this review is. I watched it as I was considering whether to buy this bike (which I ultimately did) and here i am watching it again (in fact there is a risk I've even commented before and said the same thing). Your presentation is just so even and informative, and the clips of the offroad use helps give this novice a sense of what is possible on this bike in a range of conditions, (not that I expect to ride as well as your rider at first). I've been running around primarily to get it through its first service and identify if it has any issues (so far none). Your "not going to be in the fast lane" is spot on, (one COULD do it, but it would just feel wrong). I did buy pegs that are larger and yes flattened out; made the requisite adjustments to the brake and shift levers...easy. A couple other mods were a tougher skid plate and 50-50 tires. Heading to Death Valley soon for its first real adventure. Thanks again for helping me get to this point.

Thank you so much for presenting information and data about this bike in such a well-considered, fair, and reasonable manner. A completely unexpected and delightful treat.

Attitude and approach to reviewing a bike is crucial. He gives the product a chance and analyzes within the mindset the manufacturer had. Everyone wants one bike to be everything and its just not possible, otherwise everyone would be doing it. The bad reviews come from their competitors paying people to say bad things, PERIOD. It's a great first bike that can do everything but heavy motorcross and heavier obstacle riding. Get an enduro for that. It does EVERYTHING else.

Wow what a review, congrats, that's better than we can expect. I'm currently evaluating this bike for my wife and your review has removed the "seat height" fear. Thanks. I personaly own the 790 Adv and I cannot explain how addictive it is. It really is a strong personality and always pushes you to go further. Very easy bike indeed. In a "work from home" period I drove 8,000 km in 3 months (5500 miles). KTM is on the way to become world nr1 motorcycle brand (OK that's only my opinion).

Excellent detailed review and honest outline of advantages and short comings. With other brands testing the entry ADV market, it's great to see that KTM can play in that field. Spoked rims would be icing on the cake.

This is the best proper review I have seen for a long time , if you are considering one of these bikes it’s well worth a watch . It has made me question the long term durability as it is not an Austrian built Ktm , but it’s obviously built to a price .

I wish you'd do a review on every bike out there. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Hi jimmy, thanks i' m glad to find someone Who knows what is talking about so no waste of time. Hi from Spain anda keep Rolling the throttle

Thank you for that fantastic review. I think you just helped me understand just what this bike is capable of doing. I came from a 1200 GSA to a WR250R, and now am considering a 390 or 790. It's been 4 years since my dual sport accident/foot injury, and I think the 390 will be a good balance of weight, suspension, and seat height (I've a 30" inseam). cheers

I know I have commented before but this is the best review I have seen of this bike. You went into more detail than anyone else. You even changed the tyres for comparison! Will you make more videos of this bike somewhere down the line? This is the first video on your channel that I have watched. OK, I'm subscribing.

Really great review guys and im being an ktm 390 adv owner myself and also from india the country the bike is made loved the way you have experimented. Nicely done guys. Cheers

I thought I'd post a thought saying, "Very nice review, comprehensive and detailed, and yet also pretty neutral and unbiased," but it looks like many other folks have said the same thing! Well done. I'm a street rider who's desired an adventure bike, but wasn't keen on taking a big bike off pavement. This fits the bill about as well as anything, and is at an amazing price point.

What a great review, matching the comments to what the bike was intended for, not what it was never supposed to be.

Best KTM review I've come across. Kudos!!!!!!

Awesome review. Very informative. Covered everything I wanted to know. Thanks

Maybe the best dirt bike review I've seen. Thanks.

Terrific review, as always. You are one of the very best reviewers on the web.

Very informative review mate, talked all the off road aspect of the bikes. Nice

Best Motorbike review, seen so far on RU-vid

Awesome review mate I'm in New Zealand. I've just subscribed to you guys. Looking forward to seeing some more reviews on other bikes you have done. Cheers Keep up the great work.

This is the kind of objective review I want ... no bs ... subscribing

Superb review! I’ve been riding for many years, but I’ve only really started going properly off piste in my 50’s and I’m finding my Tenere XT660Z a bit of a handful for me on the trickier stuff. This bike has hit my radar quite recently and it seems to be ticking a lot of boxes for the price. So much so, that I’m taking a Demo bike out for a ride from my local dealership tomorrow! Everyone knows there’s no such thing as the perfect bike, but I’m thing (on paper) this bike comes pretty damn close for what I’m looking for as an alternative playmate to sit beside my beloved Tenere in the garage. Thanks for an inspirational and truthful review. Regards, Dazza. 🇬🇧

Excellent review! I have a Versys X300 and the KTM 390 is very intriguing for a light adv tourer. I really appreciate you discussing the factory set up not being comfortable for standing. The X300 actually has good ergos for standing. I sold a Honda CB500x because the peg position was similarly shared with the street models on the same platform and was difficult to stand on. I do think KTM has packed great value into this bike. I'm interested to see how the pegs could be improved and the possibility of a wire wheel version. Thanks!

The way you present is very complete, knowledgeable and resemble an expert in theory and practice. Kudos from Indonesia

One of the best reviews I’ve seen thus far on this bike! At that price point compared to the current competition it’s a home run for KTM. It should be noted to everyone that at KTMs official press release they stated that spoke wheels will be an OEM aftermarket option. Of course this is not currently standard so figure that into your total cost when wanting the upgrade. (Quick shifter is also not standard)

Great review! Actually, this is the best review I have ever seen. Real full detailed review of the 2020 KTM 390 Adventure. Thank you a lot for that. Thank you for the opportunity to learn a lot about this motorcycle. Now I'm thinking of buying it! :-) I'm a newbie in adenturing...

This is by far one of the best and informative reviews I have seen. They really stuck to the facts and that it is meant to be a price point machine not a comparison to a $18,000 KTM. I just bought the 2023 390 Adventure. For the money I think it’s a fun, good looking bike for me to zip around on street and dirt with. No intention of entering motocross or tour the US with it. It’s playful fun. I have ridden street race bikes and dirt bikes a lot. I am older now and just wanted some light weight local fun to drive to some dirt roads. This fits the bill. Hope this helps.

Fantastic review -- thank you, and even though I rode dirt bikes as a kid in the Midwest but I am now 59 and have been feeling the pull (while age permits) to get a 500cc or less dual sport. I like the 2019 or newer Honda CB500x (with a rally raid kit) for being able to ride both pavement and forest roads/dirt/ mountain roads/ easy trails, but I will definitely check this one out. A lot of bang for the buck to be sure. Thanks for the clear explanations on everything - although at one time I rode, I consider myself as a beginner, and you did not talk beyond what I could understand. Great job!

Thank you for this review. This is actual real-world useful info.

The T7 review queued into this review....what a time for motorcycles, they're all pretty good.

Very detailed, precise and informative real review. There must be keen observation on many points before reviewing this amazing urban adventure machine. Hats off to Duke for beyond such beast on very reasonable rates and bonus is their kore cost maintinance... Kudos KTM Duke 👌👌

Really excellent review. Comprehensive and thorough.

thank you so much...im waiting for long time...detail review. best review

Best bike review I have seen. Congrats very enjoyable!

Superb analysis and indepth clarification.... Fantastic to hear from you..... 👍 👌👋.... Thank you...

So I'm an owner of a KTM 690 Enduro R. Last year I thought I'd buy a pure street bike to compliment it so I bought a Kawasaki z650 for riding the twisties and cruising around here in upstate NY. The problem is that where I'm finding the twisties I'm also finding lots of gravel roads. Every time I pass one I want to turn on it but don't because of the bike. So now I've find myself looking for something that's quite good on the road but can still manage the occasional gravel and fire roads. I've been eyeballing the Honda CB500x but I'm thinking the KTM 390 Adventure might be an even better choice. It seems like you're getting much bigger bang for the buck. Any opinions? Amazing review btw.

Awesome review, thank you. This is the real info I need to make a decision on buying.

Hands down the best review on YT 👍

Fantastic job. I honest and intelligent review of the 390 Adventure! Many thanks.

Excellent Test. Straight forward , no fancy talking like in our German reviews. Two Thumps up ! Greetings from good ol' Germany.

Such a great review! Looking to test ride one soon to see if this would suit my cross country travel needs in the future.

A very well rounded review! I am waiting for the 2020 KTM 790 ADV India Launch. It ought to be here by Dec 2020.

Thanks for the great review. Very professional cinematography, too. This looks like it competes well against the BMW G310GS, also made in India.

Damn man. What an analysis. The best out there on the internet! I watched this video a couple of weeks back and wanted to find it again so that I could share it with a few riders but fuck it was so difficult to find this. Just a suggestion: you guys maybe wanna try some good SEO and tagging to make it more searchable.

Great thorough review. KTM is the BOMB, THEY DO it right!

While I’m not planning to learn and start motorcycling until at least 2 years from now due to studies, I can see this already good bike becoming much better after 2 or 3 iterations. Seems like it will be perfect if they implement your few suggestions. Would probably buy it as a novice rider once I get my A2 license.

Very detailed review , thank you!

The best review of KTM 390 ADV. ❤️ from India

Great review, done by a guy who’s been there done that. I own one of these bikes, and he nails it! I think the quality of the materials on the bike is first rate, except as Jimmy pointed out, the fasteners 😂 are not the best. I plan on keeping this bike, so as the fasteners fail, I will replace with good quality hardware. There is this resonator box , that is located between the exhaust header after the cat, and before the muffler. it does a great job of quiet the bike down, but it adds at least 5 pounds of weight, and gets very hot and cooks the shock. I installed a resonator delete, And a acrapovic slip on exhaust made for this bike. It now sound like a motorcycle, without being too loud… thanks again, Mr. Lewis, for the top-notch review!

This Sir is the best review of the KTM Adv 390, you covered everything that matters to someone who is a potential buyer of this bike.

Looks like a solid review. My son is looking for his first bike and I think this would make a great choice.

many maaaaany people buy these bikes for practical reasons including price so, don't call it an entry lever bike....call it a purposefull bike.

I hate, I mean really hate someone just standing there talking about a bike. BUT WOW, this video has my attention, Every piece of information was very well put across with excellent knowledge of the subject. This bike is for me, I’m not a novice rider, but a novice off road rider. New subscriber.

Thanks so much for this review. My 390 is currently being built at the shop. I was able to order all the farkles i wanted except the body armor. I see your bike has crash guards. My KTM dealer can't find them even though your bike and another tester had them on....oh wait you just talked about them. YYEESS, you're saying mine comes with the crash bars. THANKS DUDE!!

Great review! Love the depth you went into on this bike..I agree with the other viewers as I want to know about the bike whether it’s good or bad and all it’s nuisances..I am not looking for b.s. entertainment just a solid motorcycle review..Look fwd to other bikes being tested under all of your prying eyes

By far the best review

An excellent review - thanks very much!