Got me a KTM 390 Adventure

[MD]

You might have seen me writing in the 'what mid sized adventure bike' thread that I was thinking of waiting for the KTM 390 Adv. to arrive. I did and it did. TSS Red baron rung me yesterday (24/03/20) on their last day open before lockdown to say the truck has pulled up and if I can get to the shop this arvo they will set one up to go. Talk about last minute shopping.
Even better I could get today off work and it was a sunny perfect bike day.

Got 500kms under it's belt today. It's a sweet bike. The smallest, weakest bike I've owned in 40 years. Fortunately 43hp is still entertaining though. Until it's run in and we re allowed out to play again I will stick to seal. Just two small plays on some gravel roads today and it seemed easy as.

I sat on the 790 Adventure yesterday and immediately knew I didn't want anything that tall and heavy.
So my first ride impressions are road based. It loves corners. Those Conti whatever dual purpose tyres surprised the hell out of me for lean grip. Talk about smiling ear to ear. The brakes are fantastic. To be honest I couldn't tell if the cornering ABS was kicking in or not but I sure had no worries grabbing some brakes mid corners- just for fun and the fact it doesn't upset the bike at all. Through tight twisties it was damn quick but of course exiting a corner you aren't exactly laying black lines or floating the front wheel in the air (I miss that).

The up quickshifter didn't always work but it's not run in so give it a chance. When it did it was smooth. The downshift worked every time but now I wonder why I need either. The gearbox and clutch are supper light and sweet to use anyway.

The specs if you don't know. 373cc single. 43 hp, 37nm, 158kg dry. 14.5 l tank. traction control (switchable on or off). Cornering ABS with an off road ABS setting.
The rev shift light is set at 6,500rpm for the first 1,000km which became annoying as it starts flashing (very pretty though) at 118kpm. Once I've done the 1,000 I can set it higher. In saying that it cruises really nicely at 105-115 which is where I can see me riding most of the boring straights. Far more legal and stress free than my previous bikes that seem to want to cruise at warp factor xxx.
So for now I am extremely happy with my choice. I even drew up a map (over a beer so obviously not to scale) of gravel roads to explore in the Rapa. This should keep me busy for many weekends.

[reasonable]

Great post MD

400 kms is good mileage , nice & lite , abs cornering brakes on a 390 well thats pretty cool

[Navy Boy]

Nice machine there. I read the launch report on it the other day and it was very complimentary. The small (Read under 500cc) adventure bike class will see an upturn in contenders over the next year or two I reckon. For many of us they represent the ideal recipe for Adventure riding. Just look at the R-E Himalayan to see that there's a market for that sort of thing.

Enjoy and keep the photos coming. I'll be curious to see what sort of fuel consumption figures you get out of it too. The UK report mentioned 84Mpg which would suggest something close to 30Km/litre.

[sugilite]

A sweet Ride MD :yes:

[Bonez]

Good stuff. Look foward to more updates,

[nzspokes]

Considering adding one to the home fleet but I suspect the seat height may be too tall for the intended rider.

[MD]

Considering adding one to the home fleet but I suspect the seat height may be too tall for the intended rider.

I'm certainly no tall black but it's not as bad as some reviewers moaned about. It's nothing as stupid as the bigger adventure bikes. I test rode the BMW850GS, have been on the exon Vaduz 1250 GS version, the Tiger 800, KTM790 and Honda AT- no way was I going to buy anything that ridiculously high as those bikes.

I was talked out of the Versys 300X by a KTM/Kawasaki Dealer who said the Versys motor will pale next to the KTM. Think he's right. The 390 rips along at a great pace, just remember to use the gearbox frequently and down change when reducing speed or get caught out in the weak zone below 4,000rpm.

[Kickaha]

just remember to use the gearbox frequently and down change when reducing speed or get caught out in the weak zone below 4,000rpm.

I don't want a weak zone below 4000rpm on an adventure bike and I want wire wheels, apart from that I'd have one

[nzspokes]

I'm certainly no tall black but it's not as bad as some reviewers moaned about. It's nothing as stupid as the bigger adventure bikes. I test rode the BMW850GS, have been on the exon Vaduz 1250 GS version, the Tiger 800, KTM790 and Honda AT- no way was I going to buy anything that ridiculously high as those bikes.

I was talked out of the Versys 300X by a KTM/Kawasaki Dealer who said the Versys motor will pale next to the KTM. Think he's right. The 390 rips along at a great pace, just remember to use the gearbox frequently and down change when reducing speed or get caught out in the weak zone below 4,000rpm.

It needs to be under 800mm. She is good on her xt225 but its no much fun on the open road.

[MD]

I'll be curious to see what sort of fuel consumption figures you get out of it too. The UK report mentioned 84Mpg which would suggest something close to 30Km/litre.

Around town (sub 70kph zones) it was doing 3.3 l/100km = 30km/l = 83mpg. I did see 3.1 at one point.
thrashing it to Ngawi (still within the running in revs) 3.9l/100 = 25 km/l = 71mpg
So tank range at say average of 3.7l/100 would be 391km. Enough to explore most on NZ

The dash is a beauty. Can't say I've had a coloured dash before. Maybe too distracting. Easy to follow menu and for techno addicts you can pair it to your phone for GPS and other stuff I don't care for.

I have to say I'm bloody impressed with the brakes, suspenders and handling. Can't see me bothering to tweak any settings although it looks so easy. They have a quick reference under the seat on how many clicks for common settings. Nice touch that.

Might put the Akropovic pipe on if I hear reports that it does give a hp increase.

[Navy Boy]

Around town (sub 70kph zones) it was doing 3.3 l/100km = 30km/l = 83mpg. I did see 3.1 at one point.
thrashing it to Ngawi (still within the running in revs) 3.9l/100 = 25 km/l = 71mpg
So tank range at say average of 3.7l/100 would be 391km. Enough to explore most on NZ

The dash is a beauty. Can't say I've had a coloured dash before. Maybe too distracting. Easy to follow menu and for techno addicts you can pair it to your phone for GPS and other stuff I don't care for.

I have to say I'm bloody impressed with the brakes, suspenders and handling. Can't see me bothering to tweak any settings although it looks so easy. They have a quick reference under the seat on how many clicks for common settings. Nice touch that.

Might put the Akropovic pipe on if I hear reports that it does give a hp increase.

Yep - That sounds pretty good. Nice range too.

The under seat sticker with the suspension settings is a nice touch too. Triumph have suggested suspension settings in their handbooks but under seat sounds like an even better idea.

[merv]

I'm certainly no tall black but it's not as bad as some reviewers moaned about. It's nothing as stupid as the bigger adventure bikes. I test rode the BMW850GS, have been on the exon Vaduz 1250 GS version, the Tiger 800, KTM790 and Honda AT- no way was I going to buy anything that ridiculously high as those bikes

Yeah, and I'm shorter than you so have always faced that same problem, the seat height. All up weight is also a bug-bear of mine, I can't see any point in riding on a gravel road or anywhere more adventurous on a behemouth of 200kg+. I've spent too many years on lightweight trail bikes to even feel right looking at something too big for the job. I keep looking but so far not buying as they just wouldn't make me happy.

Your 390 is starting to sound more like ideal. I see the dry weight is just above that of a DR650 but is the 390 engine a whole lot less in the vibration department?

That is the killer I find with our DR650, is the droning along on highway parts of a ride with vibration getting to my backside, it is way more comfortable to take my XR250L as it is much smoother though shorter in the power department, and better on the gravel roads anyway than the DR650.

[Bonez]

Just get the set repadded Merv. My FX650 basicly has the same engine as the DR650 and is 350lbs dry. No issues at all on the open roads. Did 100kms of gravel on it a week or so ago with no prpblems at all. First big single I've ever owned as well. Does have a 19" front wheel as opposed to a 21" one though. Wish I'd gone this route 15 years ago.

[MD]

Hi Merv. I'm happy to report no vibes in the range I'm using, up to 7,500 rpm. Very smooth little machine. Once I had clocked up 400km running in I started taking it gently higher to see what it's like a few times. No top end power rush that's for sure, just pulls steady from 4k upwards, but like most motors at the very top end the vibes do appear but nothing to complain about and that would be cruising above 140kpm, so not really a problem. Redline is 10k

I see some youtubers have been topping the 390 out at 174kph! Slow by most road bike standards but amazing for a 373cc single cylinder.

Would be good to have a chat with you sometime when this virus is behind us about the local journeys worth exploring.

[merv]

Hi Merv. I'm happy to report no vibes in the range I'm using, up to 7,500 rpm. Very smooth little machine. Once I had clocked up 400km running in I started taking it gently higher to see what it's like a few times. No top end power rush that's for sure, just pulls steady from 4k upwards, but like most motors at the very top end the vibes do appear but nothing to complain about and that would be cruising above 140kpm, so not really a problem. Redline is 10k

I see some youtubers have been topping the 390 out at 174kph! Slow by most road bike standards but amazing for a 373cc single cylinder.

Would be good to have a chat with you sometime when this virus is behind us about the local journeys worth exploring.

Yeah will do, and there are alot of good places to ride in the Wairarapa though the seal has been pushing ever further slowly to the coast over the years.

Looking at your pics there seems to be quite a gap between the top of the forks and the handlebars so could a short arse like me drop a bit of seat height by slipping the fork tubes up in the triple clamps or are they tapered as that detail couldn't be seen? Even if you can take 25mm out of the height it makes a huge difference.

[MD]

Yeah will do, and there are alot of good places to ride in the Wairarapa though the seal has been pushing ever further slowly to the coast over the years.

Looking at your pics there seems to be quite a gap between the top of the forks and the handlebars so could a short arse like me drop a bit of seat height by slipping the fork tubes up in the triple clamps or are they tapered as that detail couldn't be seen? Even if you can take 25mm out of the height it makes a huge difference.
Yeah it looks like you could drop the triple clamps down a bit. Not tapered forks. Ride without tyres and you have saved another 25mm! Those caste wheels will feel fine over rocks but may struggle for grip.

[Daffyd]

"The small (Read under 500cc) adventure bike class will see an upturn in contenders over the next year or two I reckon. For many of us they represent the ideal recipe for Adventure riding."

I'm picking there'll be a Tenere of about 400cc out in the not too distant future. You read it first here...

[MD]

Thought I'd throw up another picture. I like this dash. Although with my aging eyesight the smaller character font could be a bit bolder.

The fuel readouts seem to be accurate. I checked it using the old school consumption gauge i.e. fill tank & zero trip-ride-refill and check litres used to kms ridden. So in this view it is showing range expected to be 450km!:woohoo: Yeah but as you see I have been a good boy averaging 53kph in the burbs staying close to home. Even just cruising slowly along smelling the roses it is a joy.

The screen has two height settings. I've lowered it which seems more comfy to me when riding now.

Rumours on the web some months ago were that KTM planned to follow up with a 490 and/or 590 in a couple of years. I would trade up in a heartbeat for a few more horses, but I doubt now with the crisis any car or bike manufacturer will be spending a cent on R&D or new model developments for some years until they recover from the covid sales hit.
ps- I can't see the point of having TC on with 43hp? So I tend to switch it off.

[Navy Boy]

As you say - Nice dash. TFT dashes are one of the areas that have really come on in leaps and bounds in the past 5 years or so and the latest are really good. The one on my V85 is similar, a little small but lots of info and easy to use. It looks like the KTM version is that bit bigger and easier to read. :msn-wink:

[Oscar]

Thought I'd throw up another picture. I like this dash. Although with my aging eyesight the smaller character font could be a bit bolder.

The fuel readouts seem to be accurate. I checked it using the old school consumption gauge i.e. fill tank & zero trip-ride-refill and check litres used to kms ridden. So in this view it is showing range expected to be 450km!:woohoo: Yeah but as you see I have been a good boy averaging 53kph in the burbs staying close to home. Even just cruising slowly along smelling the roses it is a joy.

The screen has two height settings. I've lowered it which seems more comfy to me when riding now.

Rumours on the web some months ago were that KTM planned to follow up with a 490 and/or 590 in a couple of years. I would trade up in a heartbeat for a few more horses, but I doubt now with the crisis any car or bike manufacturer will be spending a cent on R&D or new model developments for some years until they recover from the covid sales hit.
ps- I can't see the point of having TC on with 43hp? So I tend to switch it off.

Do yourself a favour, get some protection for that screen.
If it's anything like my 790, if it gets dusty and you touch it, it will scratch.

The TC will be useful on gravel, albeit making the ride a bit boring.

Also I understand that KTM is building a smaller 790 Adv, so your 490/590 might be a twin.
I would love them to make a proper large single Adv, based on a 690, but they don't seem to want too...

[MD]

Do yourself a favour, get some protection for that screen.
If it's anything like my 790, if it gets dusty and you touch it, it will scratch.

The TC will be useful on gravel, albeit making the ride a bit boring.

Also I understand that KTM is building a smaller 790 Adv, so your 490/590 might be a twin.
I would love them to make a proper large single Adv, based on a 690, but they don't seem to want too...

Cheers Oscar I was wondering about that soft looking glassy finish. yeah I would have much preferred a twin and more power but the price jump from $10k for this to $24k and the weight jump for the 800cc offerings was OTT for me. I made the decision that the purpose of my adventure purchase was NOT to get kicks from road riding. Therefore the big/heavy/powerful adventure bikes were quickly ruled out.

I won't be surprised if I end up with the KTM890R Duke in about 2 years anyway to scratch that itch.

[MD]

So I clocked up the first 1,000km and gave it an oil & filter change - in the absence of shops being open for service during lockdown. Today I went up the Otaki Forks gorge. A short ride for sure but that's pretty much all we are allowed in alert level 3 and it was pleasant twisty up and down, cross a [tiny] ford and rough in places-just what I wanted to test out.

Considering I learnt to ride on dirt bikes first it has been decades since I rode a dirt bike on gravel. Sure I've taken road bikes cautiously on gravel many times but that's still a different riding style. I was surprised how much I felt like a fish out of water so to speak, re-learning how a dirt bike squirms/wiggles/slides around bends. It's certainly a different approach from years of chasing the maximum lean angle you can achieve from a sealed road bend, to having to remind myself that leaning on gravel results in traction loss almost instantly and you have to go with the flow and let it drift or stick your inside foot out- something I've spent the last 40 years training out of my instinctive reaction.

The little KTM proved itself the right choice for my purpose, light, agile and more than enough power. The offroad ABS was spot on and gave excellent stopping power. Mind you I got the same result some years ago doing the Catlins on the Z1000SX. I had a blast that day deliberately accelerating hard to test the traction control [bloody fast acceleration] then slam the brakes full on to see how it reacted - the Z impressed me big time.

Switching TC on and off is too many steps on the KTM and will soon get annoying. At least the ABS setting stays, whereas the TC resets whenever the engine is turned off.

More importantly I'm relieved I went with the smaller, lighter and cheaper 390. The thought of blasting along a twisty gravel road on a $23,000+ machine just itching to fall over and wreck $5,000 worth of parts would have taken all the fun out of riding it.

I am missing the rush of horsepower acceleration at times on the road, but there's the beauty of buying the cheaper option. When the time comes I can buy a second bike for the road. After a year or so I will know if I'm hooked on exploring off seal, in which case I keep the 390 and buy a road bike. The KTM790 or 890 Duke would be my pick at present. Maybe I should have kept the MT09. Although it had clocked up 40,000km, was overdue for a full service, rego, tyre due so it would have been a cost just sitting idle in the garage for the next year.

Really happy with my choice. Tasty little rocket the 390. Bring on level 2 or 1 when I can get over to the Rapa

[nzspokes]

Can you get a dongle for them to hold the turn off settings?

[tri boy]

Do yourself a favour, get some protection for that screen.
If it's anything like my 790, if it gets dusty and you touch it,

Used clear stick on paint protection film that sprot bike riders use. (the svartpillen cluster has a similar plastic on its face).
Also I will use a headlight protector ($1000 to replace:crazy:). and the usual r+g radiator guard.

A dongle is a good idea for holding settings, but I don't think KTm does one for the 390settings and making one may throw up heaps of issues.

[Oscar]

The 790 holds its settings without a dongle.

[10bikekid]

390ADV, Cool bike, we have been talking about these in other places.

[nzspokes]

With some better rubber on it, TKC80s or whatever you may find it more than fast enough. Once it can hook up and drive.

Certainly makes the old KLRs etc look very old.

[del-solider]

Is the quickshifter and optional extra or standard? Nice feature on this bike, hopefully if extra they aren't asking stupid money for it.

[MD]

Is the quickshifter and optional extra or standard? Nice feature on this bike, hopefully if extra they aren't asking stupid money for it.
It was $300 extra from memory. Now that I've clocked up some miles and experienced one of the sweetest, smoothest gearbox-clutch setups ever, I doubt I would have bothered getting the QS with hindsight. It does shave a split second off when on the gas and can be fun to downshift instantly but lets not kid ourselves, this is no MotoGP racer.

I am still shocked how fast this little bike on dual purpose tyres can zip through twisties. If they upsize it to 490 or 590 I can see me at the front of the queue.

[MD]

This bike is bloody awesome. 30km/l, cheap rego, nimble as hell in twisties. Best on down hill though. Went over to the Wairarapa today, down east side of Lake to Ocean road and as far as the beach road would take me- a big ROAD CLOSED sign stopped me and the track was rough, some fun fords to cross (ok they were small ones but still fun). Crazy suicidal surfies in 4wds riding waves on a beach that scared the shit out of me. Drill in on second pic and two are out of shot in the picture surfing, while their buddies and dogs warm up around a fire. These guys are certifiable mad.

I would not do this but a keen Owner would discover it tops out at 174kpm. From 373.2cc single is amazing.

Rumour has it KTM have a 500 twin upgrade in the pipeline- YES PLEASE, sign me up.

[Bonez]

Spoke to AFC motorcycles manager on Friday. He said the small capacity KTMs are going gangbusters and can't get enough in. Who would imagin them having enough puff to go outside city limits eh :)

[MD]

Spoke to AFC motorcycles manager on Friday. He said the small capacity KTMs are going gangbusters and can't get enough in. Who would imagin them having enough puff to go outside city limits eh :)

Yeah if you get a chance to take a spin try one out. I think you have been riding for many years like me so you will remember 70s small singles were ..feeble to be honest. I enjoyed my SL125, XL175 and XL250 in the dirt but they had nothing to offer on the road. KTM deserve to sell bucket loads of 390s for making a stonking little motor and providing a cheaper 50:50 road : adventure alternative to these stupid overpriced heavy 800cc to 1200cc bikes going for $22,00 to $35,000. How many people in these tough times have that sort of cash to splash out on a toy.

The 390 can handle long spells on open roads and motorways no problem and leave the tin tops behind putting a smile on your face. Top gear roll on is pleasant from 100kph overtaking or even at 120 it still has some surprising pulling power. Full tit from traffic lights using the QS is a blast.

I was hoping they would keep it simple, stick with the 390 Adv. formula and go with a slightly bigger single (450 to 575 max) rather than the extra weight and width for a twin. Before you know it it will creep out to an overweight overpriced 700cc or more . Oh wait, they already have that and it's over twice the price.

[Odakyu-sen]

MD, it has been a while since the last post in this thread. Have you still got your KTM 390 Adventure? How has the last year or so been? Any servicing issues?

I'm considering a KTM 390 Adventure. Is there LAMS and non-LAMS versions? (I suspect that they will ALL be LAMS).

I heard the valve clearances should be checked every 15,000 km. If you buy a new KTM 390 Adventure, at what point does the shop do the first valve clearance check?

I plan to take one for a test ride later this week.

[MD]

MD, it has been a while since the last post in this thread. Have you still got your KTM 390 Adventure? How has the last year or so been? Any servicing issues?

I'm considering a KTM 390 Adventure. Is there LAMS and non-LAMS versions? (I suspect that they will ALL be LAMS).

I heard the valve clearances should be checked every 15,000 km. If you buy a new KTM 390 Adventure, at what point does the shop do the first valve clearance check?

I plan to take one for a test ride later this week.
Hi. See my pm. I sold it recently because I couldn't justify two bikes in the garage and I had done the Molesworth and explored all the Rapa backroads I set out to experience from Wgtn to near Dannevirke. Here a pic from the Molesworth. We entered from Blenheim at 28 degrees blistering clear sky. Half way in it dropped to 5 degrees and biblical downpouring. The KTM was perfect for the challenge. No so my decision to pack light summer clothing only and no rain suit.

[Odakyu-sen]

Hi. See my pm. I sold it recently because I couldn't justify two bikes in the garage and I had done the Molesworth and explored all the Rapa backroads I set out to experience from Wgtn to near Dannevirke. Here a pic from the Molesworth. We entered from Blenheim at 28 degrees blistering clear sky. Half way in it dropped to 5 degrees and biblical downpouring. The KTM was perfect for the challenge. No so my decision to pack light summer clothing only and no rain suit.

Hello MD,

Thanks for your private e-mail. My next step is to test-ride one.

I have my 2001 R6 that I bought new from Red Baron. It has 165,000 km and I love it. I believe that less is more. (Ohlins suspension (rear), front fork emulators and an Ohlins steering dampener.) A great sports-tourer! It just doesn't like unsealed roads. Back in 2013 I bought a KLR650 new. Great bike straight out of the box. Handled really well on wet, greasy roads below 90 km/h. What I didn't like about it was its thirst for oil once pushed over 4,500 rpm. It's maximum happy open-road speed was 100 km/h (although it had the punch for overtaking). It needed a 6th gear. It was rather heavy, too.

The CB500X gave me a good first impression, but is heavy. It is more road-oriented and will compete with my R6 as a road bike. The Versys-X 300 is an odd beast. On one hand, breathlessly revvy up through the gears, and yet you can drop the speed in 6th gear down to 70 km/h and it will accelerate away with smoothness. I think the KTM 390 Adventure will be better separated from the R6, but is not as far "off-road" as the Honda CRF300 Rally. I do not intend to ride off-road at all. Just unsealed road touring on all those untravelled, traffic-free roads throughout New Zealand.

I want a bike that is "fun to ride." (I rode a mate's DL650 and found it too heavy and bland -- although a really practical and competent machine.)

The KTM dealer opens tomorrow, so I see about a test rie.

[Odakyu-sen]

Just couple of questions about the KTM 390 Adventure (for MD or any other owners)

1. What are the oil change intervals? (7,500 km I think...).
2. Did you need to add oil between oil changes? If so, roughly how many ml of oil per 1,000 km?
3. Did the shop ever check the valve clearances? Did they need to adjust the valve clearances? (As a reference, Red Baron checked my R6 valve clearances at 40,000 / 80,000 and 120,000 km but never needed to change any of the shims.)

[MD]

Just couple of questions about the KTM 390 Adventure (for MD or any other owners)

1. What are the oil change intervals? (7,500 km I think...).
2. Did you need to add oil between oil changes? If so, roughly how many ml of oil per 1,000 km?
3. Did the shop ever check the valve clearances? Did they need to adjust the valve clearances? (As a reference, Red Baron checked my R6 valve clearances at 40,000 / 80,000 and 120,000 km but never needed to change any of the shims.)

Hi
It didn't need any oil top up. Yes the service interval is 7,500km. Mine had the 7,500km service at a reasonable cost of about $230 I think. I haven't got the manual anymore so no idea if that service included valves. I sold it just before the next 15,000km service was due. Never wore out the tyres either.