KTM 390 Enduro R first ride review: Perfect for the hardcore off-roader?

The onslaught of fantastic purpose-built machines launching in 2025 continues and this time around we got our first taste of the all-new KTM 390 Enduro R. First unveiled at the 2024 EICMA show in Milan, the 390 Enduro R is the third bike based on the 399cc, LC4C platform but the intent this time around is to make a motorcycle with a singular focus – to decimate trails. Has KTM managed to make a motorcycle that can do that without alienating the rider base that doesn’t necessarily possess all the skill required to master the dirt? We spent a day riding the KTM 390 Enduro R to find out just that.

KTM 390 Enduro R design

The 390 Enduro R is a stunning looking machine that deploys styling in line with it’s elder sibling, the 690 Enduro R. Everything that’s on the bike is there with a very specific intention to help the rider have a blast while riding off-road. To that end, out goes the fairing from the 390 Adventure and in comes the small LED headlight and cover similar to that of the 690. The body panels, while smaller, incorporate the same graphic-in-mold technology that the Adventure uses, meaning that the falls or brushes against sharp objects won’t take the graphics off the panels. Speaking of the panels, the ones on the side encompasses a much smaller 9-litre fuel tank now, in order to make the bike as slim as possible while retaining enough space for the rider to move around and grip the bike. The seat also plays a pivotal role in this with a firm and narrow single piece seat. Coming to the rider’s cockpit, the handlebar is slightly narrower than the one on the Adventure and has also been rolled forward to make the stand up riding position feel more natural. The riser is also slightly taller and the handlebar stem can be adjusted to be moved forward or backward with two extra mounting points. There’s also a new sleeker 4.2-inch colour TFT screen that goes well with the rest of the minimal design.

The main frame and the subframe of the bike are identical to that of the 390 Adventure, so from the middle-section to the end, the bike looks more or less the same. The eagle eyed among you would have noticed the larger 18-inch rear wheel and the more aggressive Mitas Enduro Trail E07+ tyres. In typical off-road fashion, The bike makes use of tube type tyres to ensure that a deformed rim shouldn’t mean the end of your adventure. The bike has also been raised, which means that the ground clearance has gone up from the Adventure’s 237mm figure to 253mm on the Enduro R. In terms of adjustability, like the handlebar, the footpegs can also be raised or lowered courtesy of two different mounting points. All-in-all, the styling of the 390 Enduro R is great and the function over form approach is something that the riders will appreciate.

KTM 390 Enduro R engine and performance

Powering the 390 Enduro R is the same 399.03cc LC4C engine that does duties on the third-generation 390 Duke and the new 390 Adventure. Power figures stay the same at 45.3bhp at 8500rpm and 39Nm of torque at 6500rpm. The maps and the overall tune of the engine remain the same as the 390 Adventure as well. What’s different however is the final drive. The front 14-tooth sprocket remains untouched but the rear sprocket has gained two teeth with a 48-tooth unit doing duties in the 390 Enduro R. What this translates to, for lack of a better word, is a much ‘braapier’ throttle response. The low-end and mid-range feels a lot stronger than on the adventure. Translating to a feeling that the bike almost has an aversion to keeping the front wheel down in the hard stuff and in the loose stuff the rear loves sliding around. This combined with the new crawl feature that was first introduced with the 390 Adventure, reduces the effort required from the rider to keep the bike going when navigating slow-speed technical trails. The Enduro R gets two riding modes – Street and Off-road. Street has a much softer, easy-going throttle map while off-road makes use of a sharper more aggressive map. With the larger sprocket, the 390 Enduro R feels like a proper hooligan, as a KTM should. It feels more naughty than the 390 Adventure and I mean this in the best way possible.

KTM 390 Enduro R chassis, ride and handling

Underpinning the 390 Enduro R is the same main frame and subframe as the 390 Adventure. But that’s about where the similarities end. The handlebar has been rotated forward and is a little narrower to enable a more natural off-road attack riding stance. The footpegs are mid mounted and can be raised or lowered. The fuel tank is smaller and narrower and so is the seat all of which makes interacting with the bike feel very different than the 390 Adventure. Before we proceed, let’s address the elephant in the room. The suspension setup. The 390 Enduro makes use of the WP Apex open cartridge suspension setup, offering 200mm of travel at the front and 205mm of travel at the rear. This came as a bit of a shock considering the model that will be sold abroad gets 230mm of travel at both ends. Not many people are too happy with this but Bajaj tells us that this decision has been made after extensive market research. To try and keep the seat height accessible without compromising on ability. To that end this bike has a 860mm seat height and 253mm of ground clearance rather than an 890mm saddle and 272mm of ground clearance. It is understandable to get bogged down by this and to feel short-changed that India is not getting the full spec of the suspension with all the travel but I feel like this is a matter of spec-sheet versus real life. 

KTM promises us that the tune on the suspension is bespoke to the Enduro R and that it is not the same as on the 390 Adventure. Riding it confirms exactly that. The suspension tune on the Enduro R is a lot more supportive to harder more focussed off-road riding and rarely did it bottom out even after jumping the more than I did the 390 Adventure. Bear in mind, I’m a lot heavier than the average rider and this was with the suspension in its stock setting, without even bumping up preload. While having the 230mm suspension would have been stellar, you would really need a lot of skill and pace to really use all of the 200-205mm travel that you get here. The bike is very narrow which means that despite the 860mm seat height, I could get my feet down comfortably, and so will many other riders, of various shapes and sizes. The Enduro R is an enthusiast bike through and through and it isn’t something that someone will be looking to get for the sake of practicality. So should the 230mm suspension have been made available in India. Yes it should have. But does the lack of it make it an inferior bike? Not one bit. KTM tells us that if there is enough demand, they will make the 230mm suspension available and that it will fit directly into the Enduro R without any other modifications required. What I’m trying to say is that while the disappointment is understandable, don’t let the 30mm deficit in travel be the deciding factor, because even with 200mm travel the bike is mighty capable and a lot more than I could ever fully make use of.

In terms of the way the bike handles, it is friendly to ride for the beginners and just as engaging for professionals. Johnny Aubert, multiple time Enduro world champion showcased exactly that. The Mitas Enduro Trail E07+ tyres offered phenomenal grip on the various surfaces that we were riding on and always inspired confidence. Braking is taken care of by a 285mm disc at the front with a twin-piston calliper that uses sintered pads. At the rear there is a 240mm disc with a single-piston calliper and an organic pad. Braking performance is stellar without being too sharp for off-road riding. It is very linear and you can modulate it plenty, keeping you in control through. Speaking of keeping you in control, the dual-channel ABS also has three modes – on at both ends, off at the rear, and off at both ends. This is something that the ‘skilled’ riders will appreciate a lot. At 177kg, the bike is heavier than we anticipated and that's primarily because of Indian regulations mandating the use of grab rails, a saree guard and engine guards all of which are not on the international model. Yes, 177kg does feel like a lot for an enduro machine, but considering the platform and the amount of power available on tap, this is something I can look past. Overall, the Enduro R does a good job of differentiating itself from the 390 Adventure by being a much more focused off-roader, one that is a lot more capable, has a singular focus and does what it intends to very well. The 390 Adventure is no slouch, but that is more of a jack of all trades while this is more master of one.

KTM 390 Enduro R features

The 390 Enduro R makes use of a new 4.2-inch colour TFT screen that is operated by a new joystick on the left switch cube. The system is very intuitive and everything is just a button click away. Despite its diminutive nature, the screen packs in all the information you need, including phone connectivity and turn-by-turn navigation. Other features include LED lighting, switchable traction control, switchable dual-channel ABS and ride-by-wire.

KTM 390 Enduro R verdict

The KTM 390 Enduro R is an extremely loveable motorcycle that excels in what it is supposed to. It offers exactly what its appearance suggests and has no intention of being anything else. It is a road-legal dual-sport machine that can take you to your trail, make you have a blast at the trail and get you back home all in a day's work. In terms of buying one, prices for the KTM 390 Enduro start at ₹3.36 lakh ex-showroom making it a little more expensive than we would have hoped for it but it still stands as a good platform for people who have outgrown the Xpulse 200’s performance and want something similarly no-nonsense. As far as the suspension dilemma is concerned following the days of the media rides, KTM has officially announced that the 230mm travel suspension variant will be available as a variant a little later on. That being said, even as it is, I highly recommend that you try it once, because there’s a good chance that you might just love it just the way it is.