[JSaarinen]

Originally Posted by offroad

Are those Metzeler Karoo tyres? If yes do we also get them for Indian version?

Mitas Moto off road tyres I believe

[MileCruncher]

Just received the below message on my Shaman Triumph WA group

Dear All,

Bookings have opened for the new adventure 390. Deliveries to commence by month end.

Also, we are exclusive dealer for upcoming KTM Big Bikes in Mumbai.

2024 Duke 890R, 2024 Adventure 890R, 2024 Super Adventure 1290R and Super Duke 1390R will be launched on the 14th of November and deliveries from December.

Bookings are open! Call on 9819119767 for details

Price to be revealed on 14 Nov.

Very nice that KTM is bringing in the whole army.

[Sensible_Speed]

Duke 890 R? Isn't that last gen? Why not the 990 R?

[rishi.roger]

I wish KTM Advs came with a more approachable saddle height, it would have obliterated the competition in India. This was my only reason for not ending up in the Orange lot this year when searching for a 400cc machine. 855mm is a bit too tall for avg Indian Riders when they're in search for an Adv that is also manageable in City and places where you frequently need to get both your feet down (with ease).

This is what I feel -> The current ADV situation is like choosing between an elephant and a girrafe. Many would say that ADVs are always going to be tall, but if an exception like RE Himalayan can exist - why not KTM could do it. :/

Lets hope they offer a variant with more manageable seat height that doesn't come at the cost of entirely suspension travel/ground clearance but rather seat design/frame.

[Nilesh5417]

Originally Posted by Sensible_Speed

Duke 890 R? Isn't that last gen? Why not the 990 R?

+1 such plans from Bajaj-KTM always make me think if it's going to be same fate as the 790 met. But let's see how it pans out.

890 by itself is a solid bike and hopefully those who get one find the a.s.s. situation better or at least at par with other brands.

[anilp]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Just received the below message on my
Price to be revealed on 14 Nov.

Very nice that KTM is bringing in the whole army.

This is great news.Since these are most likely to be CBUs, it's safe to assume that the 890 Duke/Adv prices will be north of 15 lakh.

[vishal.jayakuma]

Originally Posted by amyntor

Hey, that's me! I just got back from doing the Zanskar circuit on my Gen-3 Duke. I loved every bit of the ride but comfort is where it lacked. With the riding position and the seat, it wasn't exactly a piece of cake. And I'm also thinking about doing two up touring this time, so I hope KTM has something in store for me. If they do, I'm definitely selling my Duke and buying an Adventure. Although, my heart wants the Enduro

Originally Posted by scarn

This looks perfect for me as someone who currently owns a Gen-3 Duke and is thinking about switching to an adventure bike for more comfort on longer tours and rougher roads. I love the engine on my Duke, so this would be my choice. A lot of people talk about tubeless spokes, but to me, they don’t make much sense for a hardcore off-road bike like the 390 Adventure R in the pics which looks more offroad biased. One hard hit on the rim, and you could start losing air with no easy fix. Personally, I prefer regular rims on a bike that’s focused on off-road performance. Fixing punctures are comparitively easier than fixing a bent rim.

+1
As someone who owns the gen-3 Duke 390, I will be going down this same path!

First let me go on a tiny monologue about the Duke, just in case some people who wanted to get the Adventure feel that it might be a bit too tall; and this opinion might help them pick the Duke.

The new Duke is fantastic and in a lot of ways, reminds me of the gen 1 Duke 390, sans the handlebar positioning.

PROS:

1. It is extremely light - at 169 kg kerb weight.
2. Extremely powerful for its class, and easy to maneuver even with one hand (I do not recommend this)
3. The engine gets smoother over time and the vibrations have reduced after the second service.
4. The brakes are absolutely sublime, although I would've preferred a bit more initial bite.
5. Honestly extremely joysome to ride and the acceleration is exhilarating and addictive.
6. Due to short gearing and the torque coming in at an early 3.5K rpm, it is quite simple to ride it smoothly. My personal favourite cruising speed at city/low highway speeds is 70 km/h in 4th gear, or 115 km/h in 6th gear.
7. When you rev it past 7K rpm till redline, it transforms into a wild beast

There are a lot more pros that I haven't listed, but I will move on to the cons.

CONS:

1. There are noticeable vibrations between 4.5 and 6K rpm and gets smoothened out after that.
2. Ride quality. Although the suspension is really fantastic for the most bit, it is quite stiff at almost all speeds even after adjusting the shocks and the forks.
3. Highway patches and lateral wind blast, combined with the overall light weight of the bike, tosses it a bit at high highway speeds, especially while touring.
4. It is a small bike, dimension-wise. I am 5'8 at 72kg and I still feel quite cosy on the bike. I wish it was a bit larger.
5. The riding position is quite committed, unlike the previous generations of the Duke.
6. Due to ride-by-wire throttle, bad patches of road can unsettle your throttle hand, which causes jerky acceleration.
7. I have had issues with fuelling that have not completely been fixed, although there has been a 75% improvement after the second service. I only expect this to get better over time, as you can always stay in touch with your SA and discuss these issues.
8. The seats - biggest disappointment so far. It hurts even on longer city rides. Please upgrade with some cushioning or get a gel seat for highway travels. I know some experienced members of this forum have advised against adding gel cushioning to the stock seat, but I vehemently disagree. I'm sure the manufacturer had some plan with the stock seat, but I am sorry to say that they have failed miserably. After a 1000km Bangalore trip before first service, I did not even have back pain after getting back to riding post 10 years, but I had saddle sores for a few days after that. Several times during the journey, I had to stop so that my backside could get some blood circulation.

Some more notable points:

1. I have always ensured to fill only 95 octane petrol on this bike, and it has paid off.
2. Slightly off-topic and quite baffling to me, Shell is the worst-performing fuel on this bike. I have tracked every single fuel expense on this bike, along with the fuel economy (thanks to an app called Drivvo), and Shell has really been a disappointment with fuelling and fuel economy. Quite strange, because I had topped up at 3 different Shell stations - thrice so far, at INR 127/litre.
3. You can saddle well on this bike if you're about my height, albeit leaning over quite a bit. Another point to note is that because this is a sensitive throttle, you should be a bit more careful while standing up and modulate it gently.
4. Couple of rules I follow on the bike. I let it warm up to atleast 35C before taking it out of the garage. And I always wait for the radiator fan to shut off at 89C before turning off the bike.

With all this being said, it is quite obvious why I want to move on to the Adventure 390 R. My plan is to travel long distance over the next couple of years and start writing travelogues.

If anyone is interested in purchasing my 2024 Duke 390 to facilitate my upgrade to the Adventure, please do DM me or wait for my post on Team-BHP classifieds.

[nasirkaka]

I wish KTM Advs came with a more approachable saddle height, it would have obliterated the competition in India. This was my only reason for not ending up in the Orange lot this year when searching for a 400cc machine. 855mm is a bit too tall for avg Indian Riders when they're in search for an Adv that is also manageable in City and places where you frequently need to get both your feet down (with ease).

Isn't there an X version with 19"F - 17"R setup for those seat height conscious? Seat height of 885 is just too much for most and would scare a lot of potential buyers.

But I am hoping they retain the R version with 21"F - 18"R and not dilute it for those enthuiasts. Seat height is also a matter of getting used to and is addictive too once gotton used to. Enthu-cutlets taking the tall bike off the road may drop it more frequently, but thats what these bikes are made built for.

[Boringrider]

Members here are surprisingly quiet about the excitement of the big bike launches from ktm. If you see their Instagram account, they've basically given away most of the clues. Even if it's a CBU at first, I hope it finds buyers so it stays. This will be the expansion of choices for people who could be able to afford such machines years down the line.

[HTC]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Just received the below message on my Shaman Triumph WA group


Price to be revealed on 14 Nov.

Very nice that KTM is bringing in the whole army.

Any update on the pricing?

Will there be just the Adv 390 sans 'R'?

[b16h22]

The first real action shots of the R in the wild. I can't help but notice the sheer height of it. The companion is an 890 Rally (not R) and it looks basically the same height from the side by side shots. 890 Rally is a taall ADV (seat height 910mm). Yes, the rally style front end makes it looker than it is. It does look incredibly purposeful but at the same time, happy that KTM is providing a lower seat height variant. Ideally, the alloy wheeled X should have adjustable shocks (with the lower 200mm travel) as well, imo. I hope they stop teasing and launch the actual thing here soon. Hate the modern staged marketing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-huEHfE9fGk

[MileCruncher]

Any clues on when the new 390 Adventure is launching. My understanding as per the earlier message was 390 Adventure will also launch with big bikes. But obviously that hasn't happened.

So what is the timeline? Any clues?

[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

So what is the timeline? Any clues?

IBW Goa? That could be a good platform to launch the bikes meant for the Indian riders.

Worst case, in the Auto Expo '25 but Rajiv Bajaj doesn't like to participate in the Expo,

Bajaj Auto MD Rajiv Bajaj said that it is too expensive to participate in the biennial show and wasteful to create expensive concepts.

circa 2016.

The 390 Adventure will get a proper launch followed by media rides, probably in a more media-ride friendly venue this time!

They were never to be clubbed with the KTM big bikes, they'll have their own limelight. Timeline wise, 2025 is when the bikes will hit the showrooms! Am I being too optimistic?

Happy riding,
surjaonwheelz

[MadTitan47]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Just received the below message on my Shaman Triumph WA group

Any latest update regarding adventure 390. I was eagerly waiting for the launch, but it seems the 390 has been omitted from the league KTM big bikes.

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

IBW Goa? That could be a good platform to launch the bikes meant for the Indian riders.

They were never to be clubbed with the KTM big bikes, they'll have their own limelight. Timeline wise, 2025 is when the bikes will hit the showrooms! Am I being too optimistic?

Happy riding,
surjaonwheelz

Last gen was initially unveiled at EICMA 2019 and officially launched at IBW 2019. The pattern is similar this time. Hopefully that's the case.