How I hate these comments in the reviews about power of small bikes, jeez man, it’s 300 engine, 44hp, it’s plenty for people who enjoy cruising on a motorcycle. If you want motorway buy 5000cc engine 🙄
Great review, thanks. I traded my 2017 390 Duke in for a 390 Adventure in March 2020. I loved the Duke and regularly rode it from Stevenage to Portsmouth and back. It has an aggressive riding position and feels faster than it actually is so it's huge fun. The adventure is so different. The riding position is really roomy and the seat is high which suits my long legs. Initially I was disappointed with the engine which felt less willing than the Duke. The reason for this is that it is higher geared. The Adventure's 5th gear is the same as 6th on the Duke. Once you realise this and give it more beans the motor feels just as responsive and the overdrive 6th gear is far better on the motorway. I had an Arrow can on the Duke which sounded fruity but the standard can on the Adventure makes just a quiet chuffing nose. In a recent run to Devon with two Triumphs, a Tiger 800 and a 900 Sprint I had no problems keeping up with the 85 mph pace. They out dragged me from roundabouts but not by much! The small screen keeps most of the wind blast of and is better than nothing. As you point out in your review, commuting is a breeze particularly around the M25. The light weight and punchy motor makes carving through the traffic most entertaining. The bike's main fault is revealed when the lanes slow to a crawl. This is mirror clash avoidance riding and the Adventure's mirrors are too wide and pointy. 4x4 and Transit van mirrors constantly get in the way and impede progress so these will need replacing with narrower mirrors. Overall I'm really pleased with the bike and will ride it lots.
I just traded my Triumph street triple 120 hp for this because I wanted a duel mount. The screen is not meant to be a wind shield but a fly screen in its present form, but you can buy bigger ones or add-ons for more protection, there’s no power up to 4000 rev, but that’s due to the Euro 5 emissions laws, a good tuner will be able to fix that with a re-map, I’m waiting for the Evo 2024 to be released, it is over-geared with the 15 sprocket as there’s not enough power to pull that gearing on this bike, 6th gear is just an overdrive for going down hill lol I agree with you about the mirrors when 3rd laning, I want a pair of mirrors with 2 click-in positions so that I can pull them in when 3rd laning and pop them back without having to re-adjust them, what did you settle for ?
I've stayed with the standard mirrors as couldn't find anything at the time (on eBay) that would be an improvement or would look ok. Interesting what you say about Euro 5 affecting the power below 4000rpm. I find the motor a bit 'snatchy' at low rpm. Not sure whether a remap would help there.
Took this bike on a 8-9 hour trip from Utah to souther Colorado (going to a cabin, so I wanted this bike's off road capability to ride around some of the trails nearby), and it did well on the highway, though most of it was 65mph roads, and a lot was single or double lane, there where some long stretches on 75-80mph speed limits, and bike did well, though I would not have done this while breaking in the bike. I did fine with a couple of saddlebags and a pilion bag. But it is best for in town riding,and ripping off forest service unpaved rods and fire trails, some easy single trails will do fine, but the wheels will start to suffer on that type of loose dirt trails. Nice thign is if you're carefull on the trotle, and don't rip it off the line all the time (which is tempting to do) it will get you descent mpg. Sold this bike, and I regret doing so. May have to pick up another one. (Traded it for a drit bike, but I do miss this bike as a commuter) At the time I was pairing it with a Yamaha R1M, and I ended up using the bike a lot more than the R1M. I have a Jixer 1000 now, and I use that a lot more than the Yammy, so I wonder if I could justify another bike (since I have the Suzuki, two dirt bikes, and this would be the 4th....) Such a nice bike, I want it back"! :P)
you sure are spoil by big bikes, can not do 300-400 miles on this?really? why not? does the motorcycle just die after that?? your style is must be like 600 cc and 100 hp or is not a real bike. I say that since I have tour with 12 hp and 150 cc and did several 300-400 mile days and it was long but it was great.
yes it is suitable for long journeys!!! It will certainly be a bit boring in the usa's highways but, to be honest, around the world you won't find much of those, instead, you'll find all sorts of roads that will be perfect for this bike. This would be a perfect around the world journey motorcycle, certainly better that a gs1200...... and the weight is a plus. You probably said that because you don't seem to be a long distance rider or at least not a traveler.
American highways are boring on my H-D Roadglide Ultra too. The exits all even have the exact same restaurants, hotels and gas stations. Ho hummm. I much prefer the state highways to travel on through small towns with mom n pop resturants and old general stores. I’m looking at one of these because I live near theSmokey Mountains and there are lots of dirt roads and tracks around here. The Trans America Trail even runs nearby, coast to coast on dirt! Woooo Hoooooo!! The Husky 401 may be perfect but these are here now.
From India, Chennai. I own a Superlow. We don have much of options to explore in light weight except Himalayan which is even heavy and underpowered. This fits in right! Awaiting for Honda CB 500x would be ages. Took this for a spin, the quick shifter alone convinced me to own one. Booking one of em today (being my wife's bday got d approval 😝)
Have the KTM 390 Adventure and tested the CB 500 X when looking and the 390 Adventure won hands down, a much better bike, one thing that got me is that the KTM has less vibration at high way speeds, than the CB 500X and there is no comparison of road KTM way ahead. Just be ready to talk to people, so many come up and want to know about the bike, They can not get enough of them here, the dealer can sell them but can't get them, I have the orange and it gets a lot of likes, even from non bikers. This bike is way more off road capable than you would think,
I own 390 adventure and travelled thousands of kilometres. For india 43 hp is ok for motorways. I would have loved some more low end torque. But I love it for everything else
I second your thoughts on the Husqvarna! I prefer the look as well. Can't wait for the new ones to come. It seems we're living through an Adventure segment renaissance!
It's on its way...ktm just announced that it'll be produced by Bajaj (In Pune, India) And following that Bajaj also released the news of signing paperwork with the state government for putting a new 650 crore plant to manufacture ktm/Husq/triumph..hope to see it in the later part of 2022.
It'll cruise at 80 miles an hour all day long with a 200 lb man on it, what more could you ask for? Put on a performance exhaust get an EFI regulator and then you'll have that little extra skip needed for passing traffic at speed that you are missing out on stock.
You could tour on this. I toured extensively on a Yamaha XT500 in the 80s. You'd certainly know what vibes were if you'd been to Greece and back on that bike. Excellent video, but I think I'd rather have a Duke.
I love this boke. I actually took ut ob a 9 hour trip to a cabin in Colorado, did good in the road though i would have loke a bit more passing power. Do get a more cushy sratbthough. I picje tgis bike ober my Super Duke Becsuse I was then able tovtake off side vags and play around with people on ATVs. I did add sidebags and new seat and bit bigger windscreen. Totally fyn once i did arrived! I love this bike.
Do your home work, this bike is very good on the gnarly dirt roads and trails. just look at some of the videos of what this bike can do, I did put the upgraded bash plate from KTM on mine, with the cast wheels you need a tire with a stiff side wall. I went with the Dunlop TrailMax Mission and have hit some deep sharp pot holes doing 80 Km and no problem, I get 400+ km per tank of gas in all round riding. Did the bike you tried have the first oil change and remapping, after that you will no the difference. I have done over 4 hour non stop rides and have no problem but I do stick to mostly 2 lane highways, back roads paved, gravel, and dirt, and some trails. Some of the dirt roads hear are mote like trails than roads. with deep muddy ruts and deep sand. This bike is an ADV not a off road or duel sport bike, so limited to what speeds you can do on the gnarly stuff. Ground clearance is a little lacking but the suspension more than makes up for it. Get one that has had its first service and put the upgraded bash plate on and make sure the tires have stiff side walls, then put it through it paces. The KTM390 Adventure is a lot more off road capable than you would think. and being on the light side, for 90% of the riders, they will be able to do more on this bike off road than they would on the heavy weight 1000 cc bikes that weigh 600 lb. plus. Get out and ring its neck and it will pick up and go. But again get one that has had its first service, and been remapped. And as for wind protection I do not want it, I use my guts to hold me up not my arms as it should be. I will leave the high wind protection for the candy ass riders. You know the ones that hide under the over passes, when it starts to rain. Well back to your video, but had to set you straight of a few things I have over 10,000 km on mine and have GVIG Trekker 33/46 liter hard bags on and still fully loaded get over 400 Km per tank of gas. ( I have done 430 Km and still had gas in the tank, when I went to fill up. ) .
Man I’ve only seen one for sale on offer up, only once, which is how I found out about it, this bike is incredible! It will be my most favorite motorcycle when I get it, I’ve came from a Kymco K-pipe, cbr300r and Nc700x it’s petty much the handling of a k-pipe, engine of a 300 and the style of an adventure bike. This is the go to bike for experts / beginners alike! It’s fun, easy to use, and it looks beautiful, this will hit the sweet spot for rare birds, I know I’m hooked.
Liked the video Bob and the scenery behind you. This bike has one purpose in life, that's to be a commuter with a tall rider. It hasn't got enough oomph to be a genuine off roader, but it looks good.
Hi just found your site. Imn a Strood man and recognise all the local roads. Think I may opt for a 390 adv bike ticks most boxes for me . Great review btw
Gotta say this.. At 3:14 I disagree totally. I'm 5'7" and not confident in my riding but went for a test ride in QLD on one of these. It wasnt a problem and I could safely touch the ground without panicking which is my first reaction to taller bikes. So shorter people like me, please disregard this. Also, there is a comfort seat for $250 that reduces much of the vibe in your arse. FYI. Great vid though. Im only up to 3:30 :-)
I've got the 790 S for every day commuting. 70+mpg, Plenty of protection from the wind, Low center of gravity making filtering easier. There is a free app available for the turn-by-turn navigation called "KTM turn-by-turn navigation" which works very well. I recently fitted the Ergo seat believing it to be more comfortable than stock. It's not. The heated seat might be nice during the colder morning commutes but I wouldn't say it was any more comfortable. I did use a 2014 Tiger 800 for just over 2 years and covered over 40,000 miles in that time and the Tiger never let me down. The KTM has had a few issues but all have been covered under warranty and my local dealership have been great in answering any questions/concerns I've had. Despite what some people think, adventure bikes make great commuters. There is a reason why the BMW GS is one of the best selling bikes and it's not for its off-road abilities. Recently had the fork springs changed to reduce fork dive and make the bike more road bios. And when the stock tyres are done, they will be changed for thing more suitable for my needs 👍
Really informative review, thanks. I own Svartpilen 401 and love the character of the engine (will be modding soon for a little more grunt n growl) but the thought of a Husky Norden with the rumoured new 500 twin is exciting... as long as the engine is still FUN because that’s the best description of this little single.
Did you have any issues with stalling on downshift? I owned a 390 Duke a couple of years ago which I loved apart from that issue. Dealer couldn't fix it so I sold the bike. I know you rode a 701 Vitpilen. Would be interesting to compare the KTM's to a 401.
So let me get this straight… the motorcycle industry basically tells shorter people to screw off when it comes to having a comfortable adventure bike? I’m not even that short at 5’9 yet every single adventure bike out there seems too tall. What a load of BS
All the electronics and yet no cruisecontrol.. Odd decision.. I own a 790S, love the ability to just let my right arm hang loose for a spell. Don't think I'll ever own a bike without it.
To deliver an appealing Market Price Point you can't load a bike with options. Example: Cruise control is available though I won't be installing it on my 2022 when it arrives, same goes for the quick shifter.
This is quite a good video from Moto bob before he lost his way. My word of advice to bob would be watch some of your older stuff take your head out of your arse and get back to keeping it real
It is the bike for 3-400mile days...last thing you want for a solo tour from Cape Horn to Deadhorse Alaska is a 1250GS (you can't dig that out of Colombian clay). It wasn't out when I was looking, though I did look at a Husqvarna 401, I settled on the Kawasaki Versys 300, due to the fuel capacity, range,weight,accessories available, but this probably tops that. Get the swingarm bearing and bushed, junk the cat to save the shock(major issue), usual sumpguard,bars,spoked wheels,etc, that'll take you the 25.000 mile in relative comfort(powerpart 1 piece seat). Once the politics in North America get sorted out, with Biden and Trudeau gone, I'll start planning again, with this pretty high on the list!(guy just did 140.000kms on a KTM 500 EXC, hardcore).
Have you noticed tho people recieving their 2022 ktm 390 adventures are not getting the 5 spoke stronger wheels 🤔🤔🤔🤔 are they getting what they are paying for or should they get discounted 👍
I have this bike, changed from a Duke 390. Duke 390 is far more fun. Better handling in a corner and engine feels more peppy. 390 Adventure is more relaxed.
Project manager when building the shop center: And...can we get a little rock crawl for the adventure riders over in the motorcycle test area please? Thank you.
I have a brand new Honda 250 L. It’s 2” taller than this , weighs far more and is just a bigger bike over all and I’m 5’5” tall with zero issues on it. The issue of seat height really comes down to riders level of experience.
How can this be a Commuter when in Britain with the climate you need heeded grips. Not possible without sanding the grips down, and you can’t fit an alarm, both of these will make your warranty void if fitted.
Packed dirt roads are my favorite for off-road riding, even after I hit a rut and crashed, it was so much fun! I am a beginner though and not used to gravel, etc.
I am genuninly confused about people always being concerned about the power... It doesn't make sense that we think bikes are questionable if they are under 600 cc but tons of countries do wonderfully fine with much smaller displacements. It is a light bike and it's job is to hold a couple hundred pounds maybe. It does that amazingly and it provides you with a bike that allows you to take it anywhere you could imagine a bike going. I think bike reviewers in the US and EU need to considers what makes a bike with more power remotely neccesary (other than "just because it's cool" which is a legit reason and that's fine) but I can not fathom what abilities the bike would gain by giving it more power... It can do absolutely everything it's higher displacement brothers can do. The onl reason I can think that it might feel "lacking" is simply because other bikes have more power and so it's noticeable when you get on this but that doesn't mean this bike needs more power, it gets you up to highways speeds well, it can traverse rough terrain, it is comfortable enough for touring... I just think bike reviewers let all the bikes they ride bleed onto each other and they lose the plot of what the questions are. "could it use more power" as a question that makes any sense.... They go to KTM website and see all the adventure bikes and they choose the 390cc? if that was a question why go with the smallest displacement one available in the US or EU.
I didn’t have it for long enough to comment on reliability so your best bet is searching forums or looking for long term owners reviews. The owners section at the bottom of the MCN reviews can be useful too
Great video as usual man. Would be interested to know your take on the svartpillen/vitpillen 401 based on this bike too as it looks like a pretty good option for "fixing" the looks of this bike? It's basically what this is to the 690 Duke, but to the 701
im really thinking of buying one, only draw back for me is comfort, i'm worried about the vibration over an 1.5 hour commute? should i worry about this or just go for it...thanks Mike
Great review Bob. I'm considering the 390 Adv as my first bike (yeah, I'm 47 now) for short commuting and forest trails around home. BTW, what's your height? The only thing that worries me is the seat 855 mm. I'm 1,72 cm. Friends say I'll be fine as my mountain bike saddle is much higher.
Hi Michele! I'm in the same age and experience situation right now. Did you finally buy it? I have to say that I'm quite taller (1,86) than you. Thanks!
