KTM 390 Adventure has to be one of the most anticipated bikes of the EICMA 2019. KTM has been testing it for years and we have seen its various spy shots in the past. It seemed that the testing procedure would never end but thankfully it has, and the 390 Adventure was put on the display at the EICMA 2019.
We thought the 390 Adventure would be similar to the 390 Duke but in an adventure-tourer format. Well, after seeing the bike in flesh, now it is clear that it is, in fact, more like a toned-down variant of the 790 Adventure.
So it gets a similar front end with an awkward-looking beak which we don’t really like. However, the rest of the bike looks neat. There’s a small windscreen at the front, we don’t know whether it is adjustable or not. There’s also the single-piece tubular handlebar with knuckle guards.
The seating arrangement remains split but now there is much more space to move around and also to carry more luggage. Talking about the seats, the saddle height has been increased to 855 mm and so has been the ground clearance which now is 200 mm. KTM also bolted a bash plate to protect the engine.
One of the biggest changes in the 390 Adventure has to be the suspension setup. The front gets WP APEX 43 mm adjustable forks with a travel of 170 mm whereas the rear has a WP APREX shock absorber that can be adjusted for rebound and spring preload and has a travel of 177 mm.
To make the 390 Adventure more capable, KTM has given it the 19/17-in front/rear wheel setup with dual-purpose tyres. The fuel tank capacity is also larger at 14.5 litres and it also has traction control.
The engine powering the 390 Adventure is exactly the same as the one in the 390 Duke – a 373cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled unit with 44 bhp of max power and 37 Nm of torque.
KTM is going to launch the 390 Adventure in India next month and we are hoping to see a global launch soon after. There is also a more affordable and less-loaded 250 Adventure that we think will be unveiled and launched directly along with the 390 Adventure in India.
