Plus a 390 Duke and a couple of Fantics….
Having had a second generation 390 Duke on the squad for the last couple of years, the prospect of riding the 390 Adventure was a tantalising one. The gestation period was lengthy, before the eventual European launch coincided with the flowering of Covid 19… There was a further delay at final assembly time, as some bikes were shipped with incorrect caliper bolts; any dealer will tell you that manufacturers calling a halt to PDI proceedings in order to resolve an issue is not exactly unheard of. The wait finally ended earlier this month.
Meanwhile, the 390 Duke remained a fantastically engaging ride, but the combination of sharp geometry and light weight made it a twitchy customer at faster speeds on variable surfaces. There’s a reason people like big heavy bikes with lazier handling: input errors are marginalised. Everything is deliberate. But light bikes really teach you how to ride. On the little Duke simply taking a hand off on a bit of overbanding can administer an involuntary shot of adrenalin. (The Bikerglory version is lighter than standard courtesy of a MIVV decat system, which also seems to liberate more power from around 7k revs.)
The attraction of the Adventure lay in the combination of the same lively motor with more expansive geometry: the Duke’s truly minimalist trail and wheelbase figures (95 and 1357mm respectively) haven’t been inherited by the new bike, meaning a more predictable on road experience and a tenable one off it. But not at the expense of fun. The Adventure (full spec) is less manic but more assured than its naked bro, which still means rapid cornering, but more of the swoop and carve variety than the turn on a sixpence, no brakes needed cornering ability of the Duke.
As you’d expect, the Adventure’s suspension has more travel and more adjustability than the Duke, courtesy of WP Apex units fore and aft. In the best KTM tradition, the firmish base set up turns out to be pretty decent, and nicely controlled off tarmac. You will still bottom out when things get ugly, and in the UK these days that seems as likely to be on the road as off it. Available travel is around 175mm which would be limited for a dedicated off roader, but is fine for fire tracks and grass. In the right hands (ie someone with a modicum of ability) the bike could cope with more challenging terrain. A different wheels / rubber combi would assist: the 17 / 19 inch alloy wheel set up is a road biased compromise, as are the Conti TK70 tyres. This shouldn’t be a surprise – all adventure bikes are compromises by definition. But the A3 licence compliant Adventure has to go further, to accommodate the inexperienced riders it targets. Seat height is 855mm (towards the lower end of the Adventure bike scale): make it any taller and newer riders will have confidence issues. Suffice to say I took it down a green lane, around a large (and empty) gravel car park and across a grass field, and the bike seemed completely at home throughout.
Unfortunately, the same could not be said of the rider. I found the standing position pretty tortured, having to bend knees, back and neck in order to accommodate the ergonomics, and in this respect I have not been alone. Many other (but not all) reviewers have ended up struggling, and at bang on 6ft with longish limbs I’m normally well suited to adventure bike ergos. I reckon the problem here is that the bars are too low and too near the rider. Another possibility is that the pegs are too far forward. Perhaps KTM’s power parts catalogue will eventually provide a bespoke riser / rear set solution. Clearly though, if excursions off the beaten track are a rare exception for prospective owners rather than a rule, the issue becomes hypothetical.
When Bikerglory reviewed the Fantic Cabellero 500 scrambler, I had the feeling that the 390 Adventure would in some ways be a comparable experience. Power and weight are very closely matched and the reality is that both can hack it on and off road despite the different design ethos. In fact, the Cabellero in its taller Rally guise more closely mirrors the KTM, but there was something about riding the scrambler version that had me looking down every track and across every green for a chance to get off the tarmac and generally piss about, which raised an interesting thought. Did KTM ever consider using the 390 as the basis for their own scrambler? Have they actually missed a trick in formatting this incarnation as an Adventure bike? A scrambler would have made the whole question of compromise hypothetical: scramblers are fun bikes, end of. An Adventure label stuck on an orange machine with the letters KTM attached has more serious connotations which are harder to live up to. The 690 was never produced in the Adventure format – or for that matter as a scrambler – and perhaps the lack of a smaller Adventure bike anywhere in the range turned the company’s attention to the newly developed 390.
Off road, the Caballero Rally edges the 390 Adventure, as is entitled to do courtesy of wire wheels, longer travel suspension, and lighter weight. On road though, the KTM is far more assured. The slipper clutch is a welcome plus, and an optional quick shifter is available. Quite apart from spinning up faster, wind protection is superior and the KTM has a suite of electronics which are simply class leading. Lean angle sensitive traction control (which can be disabled), cornering ABS on and off road modes (= rear ABS disabled), and the mobile tethering app My Ride (which facilitates KTMs sat nav app display on the dash). There’s also an optional phone cradle and charging port. Bikerglory’s resident pillion gave the bike the thumbs up, but then we’re talking about someone who has mastered the art of cross country blasts on the back of a 390 Duke: ie hardcore.
Any bike with at least some off road credentials should have you eyeing up the passing scenery for possibilities, prompting you like an experienced pimp with a bevvy of hookers to hand. The Adventure to some extent fills that role, but it is quietly suggestive rather than insistent. The insistent bit is that unchanged 390 motor, especially on tarmac. Bikes tell you how they want to be ridden, and like its sibling, the Adventure demands aggression: it feels flat without it. I’m not sure whether this combination of qualities is the ideal template for an adventure bike. However, since most adventures take place relatively close to home, I can see a market for the new 390. Especially when we talk money. With no add ons you’re looking at around £5.5k to pick one up new, and considering everything you’re getting for that, it has to be a result.
Quality review as always.