[VijayAnand1]

Originally Posted by bsenroy

Journalist Abhinav Bhatt has shared this image of the 390 ADV being tested in India.
But the version he snapped has a 19" front wheel.

Attachment 2554503

In my experience with riding both 21-inchers and 19-inchers, 19 inch seems to be a sweet spot with respect to both handling and dodging obstacles. 21" is excellent for hopping over rocks and what not, but is a ergonomical nightmare when it comes to slow speed riding and flickability. This is where 19"-chers come to play. They offer the rider best of both worlds, reduce the gyroscopic effect on the wheels, which translates to easier maneuverability. Handling isn't woody as any typical 21" would feel like.

Moreover for such a responsive chassis that KTM has, the 19-inch would complement the overall flickablity and handling nature of the bike. Dakar-ish and besoke design, butch looking. Simply loved how it looks even in this test mule avatar. If KTM gets the livery right, this thing can simply be unlike no other on the Indian roads. Would simply be the anthem for ADVs out there in the Indian scene. Fantastic show KTM, bring it on, RE450 you sincerely have to worry now.

Cheers!
VJ

[Dhruv Shetty]

Hopefully the 2 Pot caliper performs as good as the 4 pot caliper , or maybe it is a prototype version , KTM waited for everyone to release their ADVs.

[Moose]

Hope KTM launches Adv 390X with alloy 19/17 combo and a hard-core 21/18 Adv 390 loaded with tech.

[Pythonic]

Wow. Looks exactly like the Tenere 700 from Yamaha, so a tick from me looks-wise except for the headlight. Another bike added to the wishlist. I’m excited.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by DustyWanderer

19 inch wheel size might be the right choice considering the Indian people's average height.

Looks a whole lot better than the gangly 21's too.

Yes, how a bike looks is very important to me. And this one looks the business.

Cheers, Doc

[masterChief007]

I hope they price it right and if not then at least an affordable x version be provided from the beginning. As Much as I am craving to buy a new adv h450 or the 390adv I am ready to wait for a few more months for this 💗

[RenuKumar]

For the first time I liked a bike from RE, the Himalayan. Every review is positive and my ride experience was extremely positive. But, being used to extremely reliable Yamaha, it is very difficult to switch to RE or Bajaj backed KTMs and Triumph! Looks like Yamaha has no launch news for the adventure category. Fingers crossed and I have high expectations on the Hero Xpulse 400. Having used a Karizma and an Impulse for several years, I am satisfied with the quality and reliability

[RD410]

Originally Posted by VijayAnand1

IThis is where 19"-chers come to play. They offer the rider best of both worlds, reduce the gyroscopic effect on the wheels, which translates to easier maneuverability. Handling isn't woody as any typical 21" would feel like.

I think handling and dynamics depend a lot more on the type of chassis used, weight distribution, center of gravity, suspension tuning, riding position, rider ergonomics and other such stuff. I am not an off roader, but I have used both Impulse and Xpulse 4v on tramac extensively. So my views are mainly from a on road handling point of view.

As you may know, Hero Impulse is Honda XR150, which belongs to the Honda dualsport family of XR150, XR190, XR300, etc. It had cradle type chassis like any other Honda dualsport, in which the engine is not a stressed member. Despite being light weight and having 19 inch front wheel, it didn't really like to corner. Everytime, I had to put my leg out and muscle it into a corner, as it would not lean naturally. It's off road focussed cradle chassis + supermoto-ish riding position made it incredible fun off road. But the same hampered on road fun.

Whereas the Xpulse falls into corners so naturally! It leans like any other street bike. Flicking it left and right in the city also feels natural. It made me doubt whether the front wheel really is 21 inch or not. Because I didn't expect such good handling from a bike of this category. That's when I truly started appreciating Hero Motocorop's R&D efforts. Xpulse has got a chassis similar to Honda Unicorn or HH Karizma, a diamond chassis where the engine is a stressed member of the frame. It's riding position and ergonomics are also similar to other street bikes. Seat height is also lower, which contributes to center of gravity. And it's suspension is also medium stiff, which does provide some feedback while leaning. So in essence, Xpulse is a street bike with good off roading capability, making it fun both on and off road.

My point is just like Xpulse, KTM ADV series are also street bikes imbued with off road capability. Their chassis are directly lifted from the corresponding Dukes, and Dukes are the best handling bikes out there. Even their shocks are tuned to be stiff like street bikes. So they will handle good, whether the front wheel is 19 inch or 21 inch.

[kedar3223]

What kind of ground clearance, suspension travel figures can be expected from this 19" configuration considering that the gen3 Duke 390 already has a generous 183mm gc and 150/150 travel figures, all while maintaining a seat height of 800mm. What would be the realistic seat height limiting factor?

The new Duke is already a much better highway machine than the existing adv in terms of suspension and engine, while providing enough clearance and suspension travel for light trails encountered while touring. Wonder what kind of improvement this generation update will bring to the table and the kind of incremental improvement it has over the Duke for the touring crowd.

[iron.head]

This looks like the dreamy DR650 for India!

As Suzuki has not yet replaced the DR650 with an upgraded emmissions rating model and is sorely missed in some parts of the world, this KTM might fill its shoes to quite some extent!

Massive kudos to KTM for getting the "formula" right!

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by iron.head

This looks like the dreamy DR650 for India!

I completely agree!

But the Suzuki is a ridiculously light bike. 2023 is 166 kilo kerb weight.

And the KTMs have been getting porkier.

It will be a huge task fir them to match the DR or even come close to it in the lightweight stakes. Even though it does carry a bit more fuel ti the DR's measly 13 liters.

Admittedly the DR is a thoroughbred dual purpose bike and the KTM Adventure is more a touring softroader.

Looking forward. Keeping my fingers crossed that they make it more dual purpose than the current avatars. The photos look promising.

Cheers, Doc

[kedar3223]

https://youtube.com/watch?v=cSuDoYIG...LjrTSvasjQywS-

Saw this short on YouTube. Fuel tank seems bigger than the 15L on the Dukes. Close to launch?

Edit: noticed that it has a center stand, different swingarm design for longer wheelbase, the panel gap to the tank might suggest an adjustable seat. The rider seems to be on an avg Indian height.

[amyntor]

This is shaping up nicely. I'd love to have this as a companion to my CB350. I just wish that they would launch a variant with slightly disengaged foot peg position.

[b16h22]

The clearest scoop video yet.

https://youtu.be/97ky8GXuFIA?si=e9Tr-CgZbhENls8S

And the most exciting bit is the full on 390 Enduro getting tested alongside the ADV variant in India . This opens up a segment that's not yet explored by other manufacturers. You can spot a saree guard on both variants.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by b16h22

And the most exciting bit is the full on 390 Enduro getting tested alongside the ADV variant in India . This opens up a segment that's not yet explored by other manufacturers. You can spot a saree guard on both variants.

Difficult to imagine saying this about a KTM, but the Enduro is making the Adventure look portly and bulbous.

I just pray they give us a barely street legal 400 cc dirt bike with a decent tank and dirt bike suspension and dimensions and weight.

Cheers, Doc