When the Yamaha Tenere 700 came out a few years ago, it proved to be a real game-changer. After years of adventure bikes getting bigger, heavier and more complex, Yamaha showed everyone what could be achieved with a lighter, more simplistic ADV. It proved to be a piece of pure genius as demand for the Ténéré 700 rapidly outstripped production.
The rest of the motorcycle industry took notice, and in the years that followed, we’ve seen one middleweight ADV launch one after another. Just as riders found the limits of the larger full-size adventure bikes that came before the Ténéré, they also found the limits of what’s possible at middleweight. Rather than go to the extreme of building more dual-sport bikes, manufacturers have answered the call with a crop of smaller, more capable ADVs.
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What was once called the “entry-level” adventure bike class has now become the busiest, most competitive niche in the entire motorcycle industry. The formula is simple: 400ish engine + strong frame + off-road suspension = a capable ADV that offers dual-sport agility, big bike features, and enough wind protection to be tolerable on the highway. CFMoto came out with the Ibex 450, which offers a number of great comfort features, fully adjustable suspension and a powerful parallel-twin engine that looks a lot like Yamaha’s CP2.
Sadly, it is not proving to be as reliable as the Yamaha powertrain, with some reliability issues being reported in other markets. If you want something more reliable, Kawasaki has just released the KLE500. Its 451cc lump is also quite a known volume. It is more capable on the road to an extent due to its sporty steel trellis chassis, but with limited ground clearance, it is not as capable off-road. For a little more money, the bike in question offers the best of both worlds.
The KTM 390 Adventure R is an affordable adventure bike that challenges the Ténéré 700
MSRP: $7,699
The 390 Adventure R recently received a comprehensive update and it comes with a very attractive price tag. Unfortunately, due to the bike being made exclusively in India, the price went up almost immediately. Although you definitely get what you pay for, it is now the most expensive bike in its class, which puts it at a pretty serious disadvantage. “The package is undeniable,” he said.
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Powered by a proven single-cylinder engine
Power: 44 hp
The KTM 390 had a somewhat inauspicious start to life. The first generation bikes suffered from a variety of problems, all of which were resolved by the time the first generation Duke and RC went out of production in 2016. Since then, the single has proven completely reliable. The recent update saw an increase in engine displacement from 373 cc to 399 cc. The performance figures remained the same as it had more to do with Euro5+ emissions than anything else.
A free-raving single
Road singles of this size are generally quite lumpy and slow to rotate. However, it is a KTM engine. It feels more like a dirt-bike engine than a street bike engine. So, it’s free-ranging, punchy and a lot more fun than you might expect. However, it’s still a single, and you definitely won’t feel all the nice vibrations at highway speeds. From the moment this powertrain debuted, everyone wanted to see it used for a more dirt-worthy platform. While the previous generation 390 Adventure certainly did it justice, the latest Adventure R has taken it up a notch.
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The 390 Adventure R has more features than the base model Ténéré
Yamaha has recently released the Ténéré 700 World Red and it only matches the KTM in terms of features. A bike that’s about $5k more expensive. The base model Ténéré is actually a step ahead of this little bike, thanks to the fact that it comes with an IMU. With this, it gets things like off-road ABS, lean-sensitive and traction control. Cruise control and a large TFT dash with smartphone connectivity are also standard features.
KTM’s off-road electronics are absolutely the best in the business, and even though you can turn off both traction control and ABS, you’ll never need to. You will almost certainly find a setting that suits your level and riding style. The fully adjustable WP Apex suspension is also best-in-class, and the 390 will shimmy more than you’d expect on nice winding tarmac thanks to its sporty street-bike-derived steel trellis chassis. Even with all these features, the bike still weighs only 388 pounds, or 70 pounds less than the Ténère for those counting.
It’s definitely not pretty
Any bike that comes with a “bold new design” in the marketing is usually a nice way of saying “this bike we designed is ugly.” To say that the 390 Adventure R has a “bold new design” is a kindness it doesn’t deserve. This is arguably one of the few things holding the bike back. However, this is not a simple plastic problem; Its proportions seem a bit low compared to other bikes in this class. But the proof of the pudding is in the tasting, and by all accounts, this is one great off-road tasting pudding.
Design isn’t the only thing holding back an objectively great little bike. Bajaj needed to build these new 390s on a budget, and looking at any of the new bikes next to the previous generation bike is telling. The change was made not to improve the frame, but to save money. These bikes are cheap in terms of performance – other bikes in their class are nowhere near them – but they look cheap too. The build quality doesn’t quite live up to the high standards set by other manufacturers in the field, and it’s hard to say whether they’ll be able to withstand the punishment that adventure riders will throw at them over long periods of time.
