KTM 390 Adventure Test Ride

Test rode the 2025 KTM 390 Adventure today. Here are my thoughts:

Power: More than enough for Indian highways. Delivery is linear and the KTM Duke type madness is missing. Thankfully.

Weight: Feels much lighter than it is. Advertised kerb weight is 183 kgs. But it feels like 160 kgs. This is quite noticeable at 120 kmph as the bike feels shaky like a dual sport at that speed. 90 to 110 kmph is the sweet spot, which is relatively safe for Indian highways.

Brakes: Awesome. The ABS on the rear kicks in late, which is good. The front brakes are pretty sharp, as they should be.

Suspension: Works just fine. Soaks in potholes well. Its fully adjustable. But I didn’t have the time to fiddle around with it.

Clutch: Surprisingly soft.

Riding Posture: A six footer like me will need risers while standing. Otherwise when seated the posture is upright.

Seat: Quite narrow and a little stiff. Will need an air seat for long distance. Pillion seat is quite narrow and won’t be enjoyable.

Seat height: Low. Perfect for inexperienced off road riders. The narrow seat adds extra benefit.

Gearing: Perfect. No weird gaps in the ratios. Quickshifter works well. Gear shifts are smooth.

Tyres: Tubeless spoked tyres. A must have for tension free advenure touring. Spokes go though the centre of the rim, not the sides, making them stronger. Some KTM patented stuff.

Console: 5 inch TFT. Well lit and laid out. Raised so you don’t need to look down all the time.

Windscreen: Tall and very effective. The overall design style of the motorcycle is inspired by a rally bike and the tall windscreen does give the motorcycle an awesome road presence.

Cruise Control: Amazing to see this feature on a motorcycle in this category. Will be awesome for long distance touring. Works well.

Crawl Feature: This really surprised me. On a flat surface its impossible to stall the motorcycle in first and second gear. The onboard computer automatically feeds fuel to keep the motorcycle and engine running. Even at standstill. I mean if you stop the motorcycle in first gear with the clutch pulled in and then slowly release the clutch without touching the accelerator, the engine will rev up automatically and the motorcycle will move ahead. Then if you shift to second gear and again without touching the throttle, the engine will automatically rev up again to keep the motrocycle from stalling. From thrid gear onwards this behaviour stops. People new to geared motorycycles will basically just need to learn to balance and release the clutch. The engine will do the rest automatically.

Off-road manners: I didn’t get a chance to take the motorcycle off-road. I just smashed through a road under construction. I see no reason why the motorcycle won’t be great off-road. I mean, its a KTM after all. The crawl feature works well off the tarmac as well. I wonder if this will make off-roading easier for newbies.

Luggage: Tail rack doesn’t exist, which is weird given that this is an adventure motorcycle. So after market accessories will be needed.

Summary: I just booked one. I think that’s a good enough summary. 🙂