[Rman88]

Thanks for the neat review of the Adv390 which I will be taking delivery by next week. I feel better now after reading the T-bhp review, post being exposed to a thousand reviews and opinions from media houses and social-media influencers. Nothing soothes the mind of a potential buyer as much as reading the review of the motorcycle or a car here.
Also, looks like I need to be prepared for the side stand sensor issue which was present in the test ride bike too during my test ride last week.
I have ordered fork sliders and side stand extender from moto torque and plan to add a few more accessories like a back carrier, head light guard, etc later.

[bharath79]

All,

I test rode the 390 adv x this morning. It stalled multiple times when slotting in the 1st gear and taking off. That was very strange and as if there was not enough torque. Also the quick shifter was on and I was using full clutch during gear changes.

Any ideas why the stall?

Regards
Bharath

[ToThePoint]

Originally Posted by bharath79

All,

I test rode the 390 adv x this morning. It stalled multiple times when slotting in the 1st gear and taking off. That was very strange and as if there was not enough torque. Also the quick shifter was on and I was using full clutch during gear changes.

Any ideas why the stall?

Regards
Bharath

Could be the side stand sensor issue @TheHelix0202 mentioned above.

[maverick029]

Great review as always !!

On my 2023 390 Adv, the pillion comfort is great and my S/O has only good words for it, compared to that 2025 390 Adv lacks enough comfort for the pillion over long distances it seems. As someone who tours with a pillion i will steer clear of 2025 Adv and stick to my 2023 one. This is the only con i guess, rest of the bike is a great package.

[rssah77]

Any chance we see review of ADV 390 X?

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by scarn

Thanks for the great review! When it comes to plastic quality, KTM has made a trade-off.

Thanks!

True. While cost and ease of repairs will be low, aesthetics pay the price. KTM could have given premium panels on this variant and kept the PP plastic parts for the Enduro?

Originally Posted by bblost

This KTM with its "muted" / "matured" acceleration seems to be something I would be comfortable using on my long trips.

The full package of electronics might just be the icing on the top.

Absolutely; very little that you can find fault with on this bike - be it for weekend riding or long distance touring. Giving it a less aggressive engine map on the Street mode yet allowing you to enable all electronics in the Off-Road mode (effectively making it a Street mode with Off-Road engine map) has been a smart move - allows those that aren't looking for a thrill-seeking ride to be comfortable with the riding dynamics.

Originally Posted by Monaro CV8

This was a much awaited and much delayed evolution of the next generation KTM 390 ADV.

Well said.

Originally Posted by rssah77

Any chance we see review of ADV 390 X?

Launch is indicated to be by end of this month. No information on when it could be available for review.

[nasirkaka]

Very well detailed and nicely balanced review. Thanks!

When it comes to plastic quality, KTM has made a trade-off. They use the same polypropylene (PP) plastic as in their dirt bikes, which is highly durable, flexible, and impact-resistant—perfect for off-road conditions. Additionally, the pigmented logos and stickers help maintain their quality over time. However, this comes at the expense of a more premium finish, as the plastic lacks sheen and is more prone to smudges.

I think the plastics on the 390 adv should have been placed under PROS and not CONS. Its a very good approach for the intended function. ADVs are not our typical cruisers with gleaming and glossy paint finish with generous dose of chrome. The ones we love to polish and clean and admire.
ADVs are subjected to much harsher conditions, prone to falls, scratches, etc. PP is one of the most flexible form of plastic and used to make live hinges. Pigmented graphics is another brilliant thinking for the application. Adventure bikes will get (ab)used and have to be made rough and tough and in the tradeoff, if we have to compromise on the finish, so be it. These bikes wear their scars as battle marks, noting to feel shy about.



For the context, recently I went offroading on my scrambler 400x where the trail was infested with sharp bushes and shrubs. I had no option but to wade through them and in the process got many scratches on the matt green tank. These scratches are while and look aweful on nice matt dark green. All these would NOT be an issue on the 390adv.

[TheHelix0202]

Initial Ownership Impressions of the 390 Adventure X!

I shall be developing a full-fledged ownership review shortly, so here's my initial first day report.

Hello, fellow BHPians! I took delivery of my Adventure X this (eventful) evening and wanted to share some first impressions after riding it home and a short city run (~25 km). This is the first time I got to properly ride the X after a short 500m test ride. Took the bike with 3 km on the odometer.






Booking & Delivery Experience

• Booked an S variant at Popular KTM, Whitefield, pretty rubbish response, cancelled it after a month of no word from them. Now I need to travel 40km back and forth to sign a stupid piece of paper to get my initial 1,999 Rupee booking amount returned to me.
  
• Called up other dealerships and the Indiranagar one responded the most promptly and said they had an X in Electronic Orange available immediately. Perfect!
  
• PDI check revealed no major issues apart from icky plastic quality on certain cycle parts, but minor (?) ones surfaced later (detailed below). Some scratches on the front plastic beak were present too, but I didn't really care to make a scene.
  
• Delivery was a simple affair (on my request), but showroom staff seemed too pushy (maybe due to the lack of the usual attention seeking delivery time hype that comes from the social media influenzas?).

First Ride Impressions

1. Engine & Performance: Linear power delivery, typical KTM aggression when revved out, but more refined. Lots of buzz on the foot pegs (and some on the handlebar post 6k RPM). Hoping these would settle down after the first service.
   
2. Ride Quality: Much more plush than the previous gen Adventure (standard variant which I also owned).
   
3. Handling: The wax on the tires hasn't fully worn out yet. But it handles decently well. Doesn't give me the confidence that the Metzeler Tourances gave.
   
4. Brakes: The bike comes to a halt without much drama, even with the organic pad + axial 2-pot caliper setup! I was pleasantly surprised.
   
5. Heat Management: While I felt nothing on the ankle or shin, the thigh region hugging the tank was lightly fried. Definitely more in intensity than my older Adv, but not BS3 390 level, thankfully. Again, an oil change and some better coolant should sort this out. Caught the bike refusing to start up after I turned the ignition OFF and back ON at traffic stops a couple times due to a high coolant temperature warning (this was paired with a side stand down sensor malfunction) which I shall be checking out tomorrow. A fellow Adv X owner from a WhatsApp group comforted me saying this is normal.
   
6. Headlight: The LED high beam intensity from the Bi-LED projector is seriously powerful when flashed - an auto-rickshaw driver ahead of me told me it was too bright. However, on a completely dark stretch, I still didn’t feel fully confident doing highway speeds. While the spread and intensity are great, I might look into auxiliary lights for better coverage on pitch-dark highways.

Issues Noticed:

1. Side Stand Sensor Glitch:

   https://youtube.com/watch?v=mtP3Lg6i...SMs8gRhcukvi1k

   
   
2. Coolant Warning
   
3. Loose Right-Side Rear View Mirror

Overall, loving the bike despite the minor niggles. Bike looks better in persona than in pictures. But placed side-by-side, I prefer the older Adventure. Can't wait to clock some serious miles on my new unchristened baby! Adding a few random pictures:


The key is too soft and easily gets scratched by the keychain ring


Premium looking and feeling key from KTM is a step up from the previous gen 2 bikes' key


Apollo Tramplrs get this star-shaped easter egg on them, similar to the elephant motif on the Metzelers.


Low Beam


High Beam


Some warping in the plastic wind visor triggers my OCD...


...as do the ones on these flimsy, cheap, children's-toy-looking excuse of a knuckle/lever guard or wind deflector. I so did love the ones on my older Adv. It isn't possible to retrofit those here, I checked.


Cockpit view


Hope this initial review proves to be useful to prospective buyers of the Adventure X. Until next time, adios!

[saikishor]

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

Hello, fellow BHPians! I took delivery of my Adventure X this (eventful) evening and wanted to share some first impressions after riding it home and a short city run (~25 km). This is the first time I got to properly ride the X after a short 500m test ride. Took the bike with 3 km on the odometer.

Congratulations

Haven’t read the post yet but huge huge congrats on your purchase! And yeah dont sell this prematurely please

[masterChief007]

Congrats to your purchase Helix !! Wish you lakhs of happy kms in this machine !! Did you ride the S also? What was your criteria to change the booking from S to X? I am still debating in my mind whether to go for S vs be practical and save some money with X. Already got a matching LS2 MX436 helmet

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

this was paired with a side stand down sensor malfunction

Oh this dreaded issue again !! For a person who is planning solo northeast - first thing I am going to do is to get a bypass solution for this idiotic feature

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

[*]Side Stand Sensor Glitch: https://Youtube.com/watch?v=mtP3Lg6i...SMs8gRhcukvi1k

It is a well documented KTM niggle Is the side stand tightened down properly?

https://www.ktmduke390forum.com/thre...-bypass.46188/

https://www.ktmduke390forum.com/thre...-issues.46390/

[TheHelix0202]

Originally Posted by masterChief007

Congrats to your purchase Helix !! Wish you lakhs of happy kms in this machine !! Did you ride the S also? What was your criteria to change the booking from S to X? I am still debating in my mind whether to go for S vs be practical and save some money with X. Already got a matching LS2 MX436 helmet



Oh this dreaded issue again !! For a person who is planning solo northeast - first thing I am going to do is to get a bypass solution for this idiotic feature

Thanks for your kind words! Nope, I didn't get a chance to try out the S, because no dealer had it for a test ride. Budget constraints were the only reason for me to go for the X over the S. If you're confused between the two, lay out your use case for the motorcycle and I'll help you out!

Indeed! This issue is very annoying...

Originally Posted by b16h22

It is a well documented KTM niggle Is the side stand tightened down properly?

I'll have to check it tomorrow, it seemed a teeny bit free-swinging when I casually kicked it up and down. Hope the issue is as simple (however annoying it is) as a stand that's come loose due to the KTM people rotating the bike 180 degrees on its stand - a practice that I hate.

Either way, warranty should cover any more serious issues!

[TheHelix0202]

Posted a short clip of the first time the bike stalled on the ride back home. I do hope that the KTM ASC can fix this tomorrow!

https://youtu.be/lLXTMh8iI5o

[vinit.merchant]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Riding the KTM 390 Adventure

Refinement & NVH

The new engine is very refined and you don't feel any unusual vibrations, feedback or harshness on the physical touch-points with the bike in your typical riding conditions. The engine of the 390 Adventure is a single-cylinder unit, so it carries the typical vibrations one would expect in a single-cylinder. The tight fit of the instrument cluster and ORVMs ensure things don't get blurry even if the view up front does.

This is the only review that has not commented about it having unusually high buzz/vibrations at the foot peg.

Guess I will have to go have a test ride and check for it myself.

High vibrations will take the fund out of the vehicle, as it becomes a big irritant on long rides.

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

This is the only review that has not commented about it having unusually high buzz/vibrations at the foot peg.

Guess I will have to go have a test ride and check for it myself.

High vibrations will take the fund out of the vehicle, as it becomes a big irritant on long rides.

I think that's mainly because the reviewers didn't have unrealistic expectations about vibrations on a big single cylinder engine. They are used to it. If you are upgrading from a smaller engine or switching from a multi-cylinder bike, you'll notice it. It's the norm. You won't find ultra refined 400 odd cc engines (not in this state of tune) from any manufacturer worldwide. And different riders have different tolerance levels to the buzz and it's frequency. Some don't mind the low frequency thumps and hate the high frequency buzz. It also depends on the speed range you'll be riding on a daily basis.