Strange title I agree, but is it? Is this 390 half the motorbike compared to their 790 Adventure? I mean, it’s basically half the price, half the horsepower and half the capacity. Thankfully this conundrum took my mind off sneaking around and trying to attain ‘illegal rolling papers’, well sort of.
Now I’ve always been the biggest fan of KTM's 390 Duke, seeing as it wins every comparison test we’ve ever attempted. Praise indeed for the Indian made liquid-cooled, single-cylinder, DOHC feisty motor, oh, and the rest of the bike is made in India as well, clearly. Nothing wrong with that because the Duke, and now this variation, are beautifully put together motorcycles on all counts.
This was the first thing that tickled my antenna as I walked up to the new 390 Adventure. It mimics their 790 so well you’d think it is one, especially if I’d found aforementioned rolling papers. Red eyes aside, this matt orange and black is a worthy addition to KTM’s ever expanding adventure range, even though this bike is labelled a ‘travel-enduro’ by the yodelling Austrians, yo dleee hoo and all of that…
Warbling throats aside I see where they’re coming from. The 390 Adventure is the first, I believe, of a relatively small capacity adventure bike that actually does what it says on the tin. The main reason for my accolade is the WP Apex suspension package, an area where all of its competitors tend to fall short. In fact, the forks and shock fitted to the 390 felt better than KTM’s 790 Adventure, obviously not the ‘R’ version with its posh springy bits. I have ridden both so if you don’t agree, be concerned!
However, with this sweet suspension, which swings towards off-road antics, comes a slight problem, well for some. It does make the 390 quite tall with a seat height of 855mm, so no Hobbit will be able to take his Halfling chick on a tour through Middle - earth without using her/his back as a mounting stool, shame. But once up in the saddle they will revel in the colourful TFT dash poached from the previous Duke model, and maybe watch a film with themselves in it?
What he/she will enjoy, seeing as they have zero income besides selling plants of a dubious nature, is the fuel consumption. This 390 engine has always been frugal and KTM claim a mere 3.3 litres/100km, which should take the little Hobbit and friends many kilometres around the Shire with its 14-litre tank.
Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, and their mate, Sam Gamgee, did ask me if the engine makes the same power as the Duke, or did I find those evasive ‘papers’? Either way a run to the dyno was in order and from the graph you can see the results. I was a bit surprised to see how ‘erratic’ the power delivery was compared to the Duke, with a three horsepower loss. Not that you feel it because the 390 Adventure is smooth and has a noticeable power rise towards the top-end of the rev-range. Bilbo and myself were a little confused why, until we discovered the 390 Adventure has two, yes two, catalytic converters strangling the engine due to Euro 4 emission garbage. KTM do offer an Akrapovic exhaust to possibly remove that ‘stutter’, which Frodo likes but can’t afford just yet, shame.
Another device you might be keen to add is the quick-shifter fitted to this model. Not sure it’s necessary but it is fun with its semi-automatic feel both up and down the six-speed gearbox. I never managed to get the 390 Adventure flat out in sixth but I did see 136km/h in fourth on the rev-limiter, and 148km/h in fifth, again on the limiter, just for scientific reasons. So 160km/h plus is on the cards and it’ll sit all day long at the legal speeds as you venture out on your travel-enduro escapades.
So back to my first question, is it half the bike the 790 is? Err, NO! In some cases it’s better for the rider who wants a short-ish adventure ride through the hills, and in most cases they’ll prefer the less intimidating 158kg (dry) weight, especially if you fall and have to pick it up without a Hobbit to help. It’s half the price, nearly, at R93,999 and offers KTM style adventure riding for old/new riders who prefer a less intimidating platform than some of their more powerful machines. Me, I like it a lot, but I’m still on a quest to find those fookin elusive ‘papers’…
Go to www.ktm.com to find your local dealer and view the exciting 2020 range.
Also ask our friends at www.radmoto.co.za who have a demo for you try.
Pics: Jay Groat.
