2025 KTM 390 Adventure first ride review | A new era of adventure motorcycling?

Back in 2020, KTM joined the ADV bandwagon in India with the launch of the 390 Adventure. While the bike worked very well as a tourer and a sporty Duke that was better adept at handling bad roads without compromising too much on the dynamics, it fell severely short when it came to the off-road ability. The high-compression engine with peaky power delivery and road-focussed ergonomics made for a bike that was quite challenging to ride off the tarmac and that is exactly what KTM has attempted to rectify with the all-new 390 Adventure. ‘99 per cent new’, that’s the how new the 2025 390 Adventure is and this time around the core focus has been to make an ADV that is as capable an off-roader as it is a tourer. Has KTM achieved this?

KTM 390 Adventure design

The new KTM 390 has radical new styling and it looks properly inspired by KTM’s Dakar Rally bike. The proportions are spot on with a tall front beak that sits on a 21-inch front wheel that is suspended off of a long travel USD fork. The headlight unit, inspired by the rally bike, is a vertically stacked unit with a pilot and projector lamp and is surrounded by two strip LED DRLs, similar to those on the Austrian marque’s larger ADV motorcycles. The headlight is encased in a tall windshield behind which sits the 5-inch, bonded glass, colour-TFT screen placed on what seems like a rally-tower. Then you have the wide single-piece handlebar which leads to a new tank that is leaner and better suited to a standing-up riding position. The capacity of the tank remains the same at 14.5 litres. Then you have the single-piece seat that is long and accommodating even for a pillion rider. 

The rear section of the motorcycle is narrow and sharp, like the rally motorcycle and ends in a traditional KTM LED tail-light. The body panels are also all-new and can be optioned in a white-orange or an orange-white colourway. The interesting thing about the plastic panels is that KTM is implementing a new pigmentation technology where what would ideally be the stickers are bonded in the panel itself and go all the way through. So, in the case of a fall or the panels getting scratched, the graphics and text won’t peel off, because of the nature of the pigmentation process. The panels themselves, KTM tells us, are more durable than before. The new engine is exposed and also reveals the tweaked frame. The whole look of the more hardcore ADV is tied up perfectly with the tubeless-spoked wheels, which are 21-inch at the front and 17-inch at the rear. In terms of styling, KTM has done a stellar job of endowing the bike with great proportions and the road presence of a proper off-roader and a KTM at that.

KTM 390 Adventure engine and performance 

Powering the 2025 KTM 390 Adventure is the same beating heart that propels the third-generation 390 Duke into naughty land. On the Adventure, the engine makes the same power and torque figures at the same RPMs, i.e. 45.3bhp at 8500rpm and 39Nm at 6500rpm. But where the differences lie are in the way the motorcycle is geared. On the ADV, the engine is running a 14-tooth front and a 46-tooth rear sprocket, which is one tooth down and one tooth up, respectively. This along with the fact that it makes peak power and torque nearly 1000rpm earlier compared to the previous-generation 390 Adventure means that the new bike is a whole lot more tractable than before. This was one of the biggest drawbacks of the last motorcycle. The power delivery was very peaky and you had to be at least above 4000rpm to get going, this meant unnecessary abuse of the clutch in slow-speed or technical trails. The new 390 Duke had a lot more grunt in the low and mid-range and that is exactly what you find here as well. Plus the sprocketing makes things that much nicer. To sweeten the deal, KTM has also introduced a crawl feature which means that if you gently let out the clutch in the lower gears, the bike will chug along like a tractor at slow speeds. Very similar to TVS’s GTT (Glide Through Technology) this is an invaluable feature while riding slowly off-road or when dealing with start-stop traffic. 

The power delivery is linear and there’s a lot more oomph across the rev-range making the engine a lot more versatile than it has ever been. Everything that the previous bike lacked in, this engine addresses while retaining most of the qualities that made the previous bike special. 

The ride-by-wire system now comes with three riding modes – Street, Rain and Off-road. Each has a different map and delivers performance in a more linear or aggressive manner. Rain has the softest map, Street makes use of a slightly more aggressive map while the Off-road throttle map is the most snappy and dynamic. To give you that last bit of control, the Off-road riding mode can be set up to make use of all three maps based on your level of skill, or the terrain you’re riding on. It also goes without saying that all the electronic rider aids like ABS and traction control alter the level of intervention based on the riding mode. 

In terms of performance, the shorter final gearing makes for a motorcycle that is quick off the line and the oodles of horsepower ensure a strong top-end as well. Triple digit speeds creep up on you in the blink of an eye and sustaining between 100-120kmph is light work for the 399cc engine. These speeds in sixth gear come in between 6000-7000rpm. In terms of refinement, this isn’t the smoothest engine out there with a bit of buzz creeping in below 3000rpm and some mild buzzing in the footpegs around 100kmph in sixth. That being said, the vibrations stand more as reminders of the high-compression engine between your legs rather than an annoyance. The six-speed gearbox works very well and the light action from the slip and assist clutch make changing gears an effortless task. You can also always rely on the updated ‘Quickshifter+’ which works well for the most part. In my experience, it’s best used when the revs are above 5500rpm. KTM also tells us that irrespective of which mode you are riding on, if you are being aggressive with the throttle. Above 5500rpm, the response from the throttle will be the same.

A lot of people had concerns about the bike’s water wading ability, considering it gets an underbelly exhaust. KTM promises us that the bike is rated for up to 400mm of water wading ability. And it has been tested in water as deep as the engine guard which is just below the fuel tank. This has been achieved with specially designed baffles and outlets that ensures that only exhaust gases are let out and no water enters in.  All-in-all, as far as the engine is concerned, the new 390 Adventure feels like a massive step in the right direction.

KTM 390 Adventure chassis, ride and handling 

Underpinning the new 390 Adventure is the same basic main-frame as the updated 390 Duke. The sub-frame however is now a steel-trellis unit instead of the aluminum unit found on the roadster. The new frame is suspended off of WP Apex 41mm USDs at the front and a WP monoshock at the rear. In terms of travel, the front is good for 200mm and the rear is good for 205mm – up from the 170mm and 177mm of the previous Adventure, respectively. In terms of adjustability, the open-cartridge forks are adjustable for 30 steps of rebound and compression damping while the monoshock offers 20-clicks of rebound damping and 10 clicks of preload adjustment. Courtesy of the new frame, the seat height has gone down from a daunting 855mm to a more accessible 830mm. Along with that, the section of the bike that you sit over is also now narrower, allowing you to better get your feet down without splaying your legs too much. Despite the reduction in the saddle height, the ground clearance has gone up from 200mm to 237mm. The wheels are also now a tubeless spoked 21-17-inch setup replacing the road-biased 19-17 inchers that did duties in the previous bike. All these changes suggest significantly enhanced off-road ability and riding the bike confirmed exactly that. 

Swing your leg over and the low seat height and narrower inseam inspire a lot more confidence. In terms of ergonomics, it seems a lot more comfortable now, with a less cramped reach to the mid-mounted footpegs. The upper body naturally reaches for the wide handlebar. I’ll quickly talk about the bike’s road manners before we get to the rough stuff. Our time with the bike was fairly short and I chose to prioritise off-road riding as much as possible. On the road section, I got to ride on some fast highways and in the narrow bylanes of Goa. Here, the 390 Adventure proved to be as effective a tourer as it always has been. Planted, stable and seriously quick. Even at speeds north of 120kmph, the bike felt planted and well-behaved. The inherent nature of the suspension setup is on the stiffer side and the adjusters on the forks and monoshock help dial things in further. Though slightly stiff, the ADV soaked up most of the undulations very well, albeit not with the same level of sophistication as the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, but still solid nonetheless. Maybe spending more time with a suspension tech will help us yield similar results but that test is for later. The shorter saddle and kerb weight of 182kg makes the bike very easy to manage in traffic as well. I didn’t really stumble across any corners in my time with the bike but the fast sweeping turns on the highway were handled with poise. The 21-inch front does require a bit of effort to turn it but it still feels stable when cranked over at speed. My guess is that in the twisties it won’t be as sporty as the previous Adventure, but it will still be fun nonetheless. 

Braking comes courtesy of a 320mm disc at the front, this time with axially mounted twin-piston callipers instead of the four-pot radially mounted callipers on the previous bike. Braking performance is not as sharp as before and this is something I can totally get on board with because what you get in return is a lot more control and linearity with the application of the brakes when riding off-road, which is always beneficial. That being said, it isn’t weak or inadequate, it’s just that you will have to recalibrate the way you brake if you’re coming from any other KTM. 

Road done, traction control off and off-road ABS engaged, let’s talk about this Katoomer is like to ride off the beaten path. Immediately, the bike feels leagues ahead of the model it replaces. The 21-inch front wheel, the longer travel suspension, the new-found low and mid-range grunt from the engine and the extra ground clearance all contribute to a much more focussed and capable off-roader. The stand up riding position feels very natural, barring the fact that I would have preferred a slightly taller handlebar. This is a quick and cheap fix with a set of handlebar risers. The front end feels very communicative and the rear feels nice and loose and goes where you want it to. The Apollo Tramplr XR tyres offer plenty of grip and confidence off road. The suspension setup allows you to carry some serious pace and the rest of the chassis which is now 10 per cent more rigid than before, happily complies. Power slides happen on demand and it is very easy to carry them for a very long time. Taking big jumps is child's play and even with my heavier frame, I had no problems with nothing bottoming out. When I wanted a little more support when landing the bike after a jump, all I had to do was bump up the compression damping a bit and things immediately felt better. Here, the lack of sharpness from the brakes was really appreciated and finally, we have a KTM that can go off-road, without any compromises. The new characteristics of the engine also go a long way in making the bike a lot easier to ride in slow and high speed situations. The bike also demands a lot less in terms of skill from the rider to get going and that is something many people will appreciate a lot.

KTM 390 Adventure electronics

The 2025 390 Adventure comes packed to the brim with electronic rider aids at the centre of which is the new screen. Picked off of the 390 Duke, the bonded glass screen makes for much better viewing even under really harsh sunlight and KTM tells us that it is also less susceptible to fogging up, a problem that plagued the previous generation. I’ve already spoken about the riding modes and how well they work, apart from that the bike is also the first in the segment to feature cruise control. This is a welcome addition to a motorcycle that is likely to spend a lot of time on the highways. The 390 Duke swithcube has been updated with four extra buttons on the left side – one toggles cruise control on or off, two can be used to set, resume and adjust the speed of the cruise and the fourth button, dubbed ‘C’ is a custom button. This can be mapped to toggle whatever parameter you want. It could be a quick-access to the riding modes, cornering traction control or ABS, display layout, phone connection. Essentially whatever you want. It works well and ties in nicely with the already intuitive UI of the rest of the electronics. Finally, in terms of connectivity, the bike features everything that the 390 Duke gets, plus the ability for the screen to communicate back to the phone. Meaning you can not only receive calls or change music settings but you can also make calls and control other parameters of your phone right from the bike. All of these make the new 390 Adventure a very well kitted out motorcycle in the electronics regard as well. 

KTM 390 Adventure verdict

The all-new KTM 390 Adventure is priced at ₹3.68 lakh, ex-showroom, making it only marginally more expensive than the model it replaces. At this cost, you get a lot more kit than before, a significantly more potent chassis and engine combination and a more capable machine on the whole. The bike feels better in every tangible way and it finally feels like a bike that was developed from the ground up as an off-road adventure tourer. Unlike the previous 390 Adventure that felt like a 390 Duke on stilts, where off-roading seemed like an afterthought in the development process. So for all intents and purposes, the 2025 390 Adventure is a much better bike than ever before and it finally gives the people a truly marvellous off-roader. If you aren’t too keen on going off-road and want something like the older bike, you can always opt for the 390 Adventure X which also benefits from the new engine, more travel from the suspension and the gorgeous new styling. So, is it then a new era of adventure travel? Well for KTM, absolutely. Against the significantly more affordable Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, a comparison test will give you the answer very soon. But I end this by saying that the fight is going to be very intense.