New KTM 390 Adventure R Unicorn 

My unicorn moyorcycle would be a CRF 450/550 Rally made by Honda in Japan

It’s my opinion the industry is headed in the right direction. This classification seems to be the right displacement/weight and price.This will open up the adventure world to a whole new segment. While the larger 690cc and up machines are nice, the weight makes them clumsy and taxing on back country excursions. While current dual sport bikes can be adventurized, it’s way more economical to let the OEMs do it. Kudos go to Kove, Royal Enfield and KTM. Beta are you listening?

Moving manufacturing to China will be the death of KTM. sad to see them go

A 490 dirt bike that looks something like the leaks that also doesn't need a oil change before it runs out of fuel would be nice.

FYI, I just put a cruse control on my 22 390A. It is an awesome upgrade. Uses the 890 switch gear too, so it looks OEM.

A friend of mine just got rid of her 890 Duke after three unsuccessful attempts to resolve coolant and oil leaks. Even involving some brass from KTM USA. All of it covered under warranty but never properly resolved. She got tired of never riding due to shop time. This has put me off considering KTM for a bit since I saw the reliability issues in the flesh.

I'd love to see a 390 Enduro, basically a smaller 690 Enduro. That would be a better base to build up than a heavy 380 lb. street/dirt compromise bike. Aftermarket makes lite adv kits all the way to basically full rally kits for the 690. I'd imagine there would be similar products for a 390 Enduro.

I was going to buy a KTM 390 Adventure but held out for a Duke inspired 390 Adventure, and finally gave up. Went to the Dealership started looking at many other bikes. My contact asked me that at 64 how actual serious offroading will I be doing, and how much road and trail riding? Ended up with a BMW GS 850, he threw in a low seat, and dropped 4k off the new 2023. Love this bike, heavy but low seat and advanced tech makes it all just feel right.

For going to come down to weight and seat height. If it's too tall (34+ seat height) and too heavy it's a no go. People focus too much on displacement. My modified DR650 at 370 pounds with 5 gallons of fuel, racks, and off road protection is pretty similar to this bike in spec and has an enviable reliability record.

Will be interesting to see what it feels like on a test ride.

Forget "performance" Horse power, torque, suspension travel,etc. One thing that Noraly/ItchyBoots has shown is the amazing reliabilty of Japanese -and the latest Indian adventure, Royal Enfield. Taking anything other-that includes Harley too-out in the nowhere land would'nt be vey confidence inspiring unless it was Japanese quality. Happy New Year.

I wouldn't even take a look at Himalayan for the first few years. It will be loaded with problems that will take very long time to sort out. Yammie Noob reported that engine is stalling out of blue and everybody acting dumb. He said that others had same issue but, he was the only one to bring it up. Too much of first time from cheap brand with scatchy quality reputation. I got my toy Duke 200 couple weeks ago. Fun lil bike with beautiful orange wheels 😄

KTM would take my money (again) as soon as it releases a 60+ hp 500 Adventure version with 300mm of travel front and back and 2.5L+ of oil capacity. That's the unicorn for me.

I sold my 690 with the intent of going to the lighter 500 exc-f. I just picked up a 21 model 500 but would still be interested if in the 390 if it proves to be more adventure oriented. Things like service frequency and luggage capability as well as stability on the road. I too am very interested in the reliability of the new bike. That is a big deal if you intend to using it as intended.

Just love this ktm adventure. This should launch. Wish ktm launches the same prototype showing in this video ❤❤❤

There are some really interesting small ADV's coming out.... But I just said screw it and went with the "original unicorn" DRz400s for its known reliability, low weight, excellent engine power, ease of maintenance and absolutely go anywhere chops.... Best of all, I scored a 2020, nicely modded , with a mere 900miles for $5k 😎

I'm anxious to see the cfmoto 450 Mt come to Canada. I'd like to see the 390 and the 450mt side by side.

I don't get why everyone is obsessed with the 21/18 wheels the 19/17 is suprisingly capable off road but also makes it more nimble. I'd like to see a more comfortable seat and to get rid of the stupid traction control. Also cruise control would be nice. it probably should come with higher bars too it seems like thats the first thing everyone changes.

Each year we wait and hope for that unicorn of a bike and each year I'm closer to adventurising my wr450f and be done with it.

Very nice looking bike but unfortunately KTM will add a crazy amount of electronics on it and then charge you to access it. No bike needs that stuff on it also that exhaust will be a very big problem especially with water crossings. That and the reliability and maintenance issues with KTM automatically eliminates the bike from my choice. The number one rule is you have to trust your bike to get there and back.

Sure it's a KTM? It could be a Husqvarna. It says so on his suit. (I know it's the same) No matter what, it looks good. Happy new year!

The pegs are level-and not leaning forward. That's great news!

Creo que la verdadera y dura competencia será la CFmoto 450MT,y no solo para KTM,este año se viene interesantisimo en este segmento¡ SaLUDOS¡

If the vibration is low I might be tempted. I'll still keep my F800gs for long travels.

"KTM Owner Moves Production to China Pierer Mobility Group is cutting costs." (Cycle World) I was considering a new KTM this year. That has changed.

My "Unicorn" motorcycle is, my own 2003 Z1000, 130-ish RWH, Muzzy Exhaust (completely improves the appearance-and a bit of poop), Black and shiney. When I pull up to the Starbucks, the 30-40 yearols-and their pretty partners and girlfriends, look at my 74 year old self, and Boom, I'm cool again. Then I ride home to my non-rider/driver wife and have to take out the garbage. But there is beer. Look after Brook, the parent thing is a "unicorn" thing for couples. Cheers from the Pacific West Coast of Canada.

This sucks ... I had decided on the Kove now this?!?! CFMoto too? My beef with the last KTM 390 was exactly what was listed in the vid. They bolted on cosmetic parts to make it look like an adv bike, but this new one addresses that. I would totally consider this. It's great to see companies taking solid small-bore ADV market seriously. Not everyone wants a 700. 400 is plenty.

Great content, as always.

I thought it was 373cc vs 399 no? Do they have 3 displacement versions?

How does the old model go as a touring bike?

After a year with both a T7 and a 701 in the garage, my unicorn has 2 cylinders. It makes the powerplant soooo much more flexible, friendly, and fun. CRF 500L buolds are pretty cool. Maybe I'll try putting a ninja 400 motor in a 500 exc chassis or something...

The new Remus pipe with cat attached slots right on in there, just got one for my 24Duke390 blue model, gets here in January,I love kTm😁.

Good looking bike, nice narrative 👍

Why in some shots is the side stand on the right side yet in other shots on the left side. And for me this is a great starter bike.

380lbs with 44hp… why would I not buy a DR650 with some suspension upgrades?

Not bad at all. I hope not too heavy and good suspensions.

I won't sell my 2022, but I might pick this up for trails. My current 22 is setup for ADV long hauls

if this comes at 390 setup, my money is on it🙌

I'll be taking wait and see stance.

The KTM 500 has been the Real Unicorn.

Yep ! I need something that can carry a tent .. but rides like a EXC450 !! and weighs around 120kg !! 👍🏻

Happy to see the passenger pegs, sad to see no 890 tanks. We'll see where it weighs in at.

I'll wait to see the final product, but if they make this a smaller displacement 690 enduro R with rally inspired bodywork, I think I will need one. Not sure where that leaves the 890 R I currently have in the garage though.

This looks promising, My unicorn has been a Yamaha WR400r with the same reliability and maintainence schedule of the 250r

i am sure it is * someone's * unicorn... just isn't mine.. us old farts with short legs and many women have been begging for lower seat heights for literally decades now... the manufacturers are not listening. an ADV bike, even a truly dirt-capable one, does NOT need the kind of suspension travel that an MX does. Cheers!

Thought the old 390 would interest me but the bug eyes and price were a bit much to step up for.

It better work well on pavement, people need good on-road performance to get to the gravel patch next to the tarmac for those instagram shots!

Is the kove a 2 stroke?

I'm concerned about the low slung pipe. It could be just for testing but it would be a huge issue to spice it up but muck it up with a low slung pipe.

450-650cc, 30-50hp, reliable, modifiable, dealer network, under 400lbs. Still seems to equal DR650 to me. Seems like a bike that no one has beat yet.

The new one looks awesome imho.

I know lots of people are hoping for an upgraded 390 ADV in 2024, myself included at one point, but I wonder if that “unicorn” doesn’t’ already exist in the form of the 690/701. I can imagine KTM marketing people worrying that a new 390 ADV R would subtract sales from the 690 R and from the 790 S that’s being reintroduced to the US market in 2024. Nice job with the video!

CFMoto 450MT is also a contender in this category.

2:43 I don’t get how peak power matters at all off road even for this bike honestly. Except to push the numbers up lower down maybe, it’s torque that matters to me off-road for the most part

Ktm needs to build a 501 rally and call it a day

I think the power plant is yet to be developed. We need a 550cc to 600cc lightweight twin labeled the 590 under 375# lbs dry weight to really find the unicorn adventure bike. Give it near enduro suspension travel, & I'm buying. Current stable is a 2020 500EXC and a Ducati Desert X 937. Really looking for a bike that can bridge the gap at sub 400#. The 500is great in the dirt but sucks on on the road. The Ducati is great on the road but is just too damn heavy in the dirt and is very limiting. The current 390 is anemic in power compared to the 500 which is still underpowered for road use and just isn't the right formula. Need to see 60 + Hp for legitimate road use, but at a reasonable service interval the singles can't achieve.

I’m definitely holding back to see what this bike is going to really be like, the main point that puts me off the new Himalayan is its weight. I am in my 60’s now and weight matters to me a lot. M

My unicorn would if Honda release a CRF 450 Rally and it comes with proper suspension and max 140kg weight for say £7k or less. Come on Honda you have all the parts, do it !!!!

Waiting....for it 😊

DRZ rider, I tested the current model but couldn't get past the alloy wheels and looks. This looks to be exactly what I was waiting for, if reliability is there.

Looks interesting, but how about just stick that motor in the 350 EXC chassis???

Is this USA release

I find it funnny or sad that this category of bike is considered a unicorn compared to the larger capacity Adventure bikes (eg 700+). I've ridden an R1 with aggressive road tyres whilst "adventure riding" on tracks which most mainstream "Adventure bike" riders would probably consider as being at the limit off they're off roading capability. Thanks for the content. Cheers from OZ

I *LIKE* the _buggy_ look! It's different. thx S

Not sure if your sources are concrete, But the pictures you used in your presentation are out for more than 3 years now, with all the speculation in the market, but KTM doesnt fail to disappoint, hasnt actually come up with any bike with anything close to those pictures ! 🙈

the KTM must be be listening now,... finally

I hope it’s got a big fuel tank

The Existing ktm adv 390. Awash SO beautiful motorcycle And Head Light was Outstanding looking 👌

for me crf300l is the unicorn, 390 will be heavier, high rev, ride by wire, vibration etc.

I think Ducati will be a prominent player in the Enduro market quite soon as they are developing an MX 450 program and the 698 motard could be transformed into a Enduro/adv bike without to many issues.

Great video, but this bike is certainly not as nice looking as your Tenere. ☺️

While the Himalayan is RE’s first liquid cooled bike ever and who knows, I would still bet the KTM is the least reliable of the two. So if I had to buy one, I would buy the Royal Enfield.

Kinda odd to have an underbelly muffler on an adventure bike. Hope that's changed on the production bike.

If its a KTM, its going to be a dealership service dept. Queen.

I keep thinking Suzuki DR 400 with a homemade windshield used

An Enduro "R" version of the 390 with proper 18/21 wire spoke wheels, decent suspension with over 9" of travel and a high mount exhaust could be interesting. The seemingly unsolvable "unicorn problem" is heavy bikes suck while riding off road, and real lightweight long travel suspension narrow seat equipped dirt bikes suck on the road. A bike with around 9.5 inches of quality suspension travel, a narrow in front, wide and comfy in back seat, 40ish horsepower on tap with a real 6 speed wide ratio transmission at around 315 pounds wet and ready to go is about as good as it gets. On the dual sport front, my well set up and tuned Husky 701 is way better on the street than my old well set up DR-Z 400 was, and it even steers much better than the DR-Z while off road (the DR-Z was a steer with the rear kind of bike), but it definitely doesn't have the DR-Z's "just ride the sh%t out of me, it will be fine" personality in the dirt. The 701 definitely invites it's rider to have fun, but it also demands respecting it's ludicrous power output, and it always feels like it might just snap the rider in half if they get too carried away in the dirt. If ya aggressively ride the sh%t out of the 701 in the dirt, it most definitely won't be fine. Oh well, I enjoy riding bikes that can kill me if I'm stupid with them - have owned lots of those over the years. It's a tossup between the 500cc two stroke desert racer and the '97 TL1000S - as mental as the 500 was, the unruly TLS might have been the worst, but the 701 is in the running when the pavement ends - it's good enough that it really tries to suck it's rider into believing it's a dirt bike. Trust me, it's not 😆

The perfect bike was the old 990.❤❤❤

The new 450 Himalayan looks sick. Top speed 150km+. Fairly light and strong at the same time. Thinking it would.make a perfect.go anywhere commuter bike. 400+km/tank range🍻👍

I'd still much rather buy a new DR650. There's plenty of 20 year old DRs running around that have spent every year kicking ass. If I buy a new one it might be good until we aren't allowed to buy gas anymore. Then I'll figure out how much alcohol I need to fire through the jets to keep her happy. Brap Brap!

Seat looks close to my DRZ height. As I get older my 29” inseam is wanting a 32 inch seat. I would buy the Himalayan over this. I would pay a premium ($10,000 +) for a 390 with 890 engineering. Maybe 400lbs wet.

I hope KTM wont fill up the bike with all these electronics. but KTM is gonna be KTM

At least it's not fugly. Now if we could get the 690 with a decent fairing I'd be all in.

KTM 690 ENDURO R is the GOAT

Yes, we have seen, KTM is ready to race. Now we want to see KTM is ready to drive. To compete RE, KTM should strip down all unneeded trumpery, and make the ADV as simple and reliable as the indian originals.

If they dont make it significantly lighter than a 690 enduro or dr650 with canister exhaust and a lithium battery (~350lbs wet), i dont see many reasons to buy this.

I thought my DRZ-400 was heavy at 320 (wet/full gas tank). A 390 that weighs 370lbs...? Ho Lee Smokes! That thing is a boat anchor that will not move for dookie in the sand.

where is the 490...??/

It seems like a 450 tuned to run a long time, would be a better bet than a 390. Like a Honda 450X in stock form was a very mild bike, not a new one, they are race bikes. Ive got an 890R and its great, but near 500lbs ready to roll on a day trip. Big no matter how bitchin it is. Great on street and most dirt roads.

I think the new 390 is the most interesting bike since the new tenere 700. Have to see how it prices 🤞

New Adv looks great, I will but ibw

I want my Tenere to have a baby with a TW200 . A TWenawsy 550 .

Candidly? 390 Duke is a perfect bike for certain countries' roads (I had one in Singapore which doesn't have much in the way of major highways). Anywhere else, I'd want a bit more power, including touring in Malaysia. 390 offroad - maybe, but it's a niche thing. I'd probably hire rather than buy for that scenario. You wouldn't love that engine as a daily driver on roads, after a while.

I'd have to buy a pair of longer legs to be able to ride the new bike!

The new Duke 390 gained in weight, but not hugely. I’d say if KTM can keep the wet weight under 400lbs, they will have a winner on their hands.

I’d buy this bike.

That ktm looks like their version of 3rd gen klr

Yhaa...but where is it made??? No Chinese parts on my ktm.

KTM make awesome bike but their tendency to put features already on your bike behind paywalls puts me right off. Which is a shame because the people who run the local KTM dealership a awesome.

No interest in the Himalayan, but have been looking at the Kove. I previously had a 690 Enduro R, hope this one comes in a little lighter than current 390. My issue is picking these up when dropping off road. I'd like to see the fuel tanks like the 790/890. Looks good from what is shown, and I will wait to see this one before investing in the Kove.

I'm waiting for a 499 or the 699cc KTM adventure 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻