[PatienceWins]

Thank you for a great review.

Overall, the bike seems to be a great package and suitable for a one bike garage - city riding, touring and light trails over weekend.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Ergonomics and Comfort

The new 390 Adventure comes with a seat height of 830 mm on the standard version and 825 mm on the X variant. For comparison, the outgoing 390 Adventure had a seat height of 855 mm for the standard version, 835 mm for the Low Seat version and 825 mm for the X. The lower seat and the redesigned tank layout make for quite a comfortable upright riding posture.

Is the ergonomics and riding triangle comfortable for tall riders (6' 2")?

It seems the higher ground clearance, presence of a fat rubber cushion on the rear ward foot peg to reduce vibrations and low seat height have made the knee area cramped for tall riders and not comfortable for touring, especially compared to Himalayan.

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

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.[/b]

Congrats on your purchase Helix! Wish you many smiles on this machine. She does look gorgeous.

Personally, I won't recommend turning off these high compression, high heat generating engines at traffic lights. The cooling system is made to keep the engine temperature at bay at long periods of idling in traffic. Also, turning off and starting a fully heated up engine takes a toll on the starter motor too since all components are heated up, expanded and tighter. This is something I learnt and started doing since my 2013 390 Duke and still follows it even if the signal is a pretty long one. I am pretty sure that you won't be seeing the high coolant temperature warning if you just let the bike idle and let the cooling system do its job.

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

Congrats on your purchase Helix! Wish you many smiles on this machine. She does look gorgeous.

Personally, I won't recommend turning off these high compression, high heat generating engines at traffic lights. The cooling system is made to keep the engine temperature at bay at long periods of idling in traffic. Also, turning off and starting a fully heated up engine takes a toll on the starter motor too since all components are heated up, expanded and tighter. This is something I learnt and started doing since my 2013 390 Duke and still follows it even if the signal is a pretty long one. I am pretty sure that you won't be seeing the high coolant temperature warning if you just let the bike idle and let the cooling system do its job.

Great point! It's something us old 390 users are accustomed to The bike gets hotter when you switch it off and don't let the fan & coolant circulation do it's job. The temp gauge will jump two bars when you switch it back on.

[BullettuPaandi]

Quick questions:

Would it also be advisable then to let the bike idle for a couple of minutes, after long rides- like they say in turbo cars?

And, are there tried and true upgrades that mitigate this- like distilled water (there's no freezing issue down South)? Because, as much as this makes sense and I bet it works, it is indeed an annoyance that we don't get to turn off the bike at long signals.

[100Kmphormore]

Great point! It's something us old 390 users are accustomed to The bike gets hotter when you switch it off and don't let the fan & coolant circulation do it's job. The temp gauge will jump two bars when you switch it back on.

I have the 2nd gen 390 and while I switch it off at 30 seconds plus wait times, I have noticed the fan kick in a couple of times in the year and 2 months I have owned it. As you said, I have got the ECU failure in pink but it goes away if you recrank.

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by b16h22

The bike gets hotter when you switch it off and don't let the fan & coolant circulation do it's job. The temp gauge will jump two bars when you switch it back on.

Exactly! Initial lot owners just HAD to learn this!

Originally Posted by BullettuPaandi

Quick questions:

Would it also be advisable then to let the bike idle for a couple of minutes, after long rides- like they say in turbo cars?

And, are there tried and true upgrades that mitigate this- like distilled water (there's no freezing issue down South)? Because, as much as this makes sense and I bet it works, it is indeed an annoyance that we don't get to turn off the bike at long signals.

No, I don't see any advantages of letting the N/A engines idle for some time before switching off if you won't be starting it again soon. I can assure you the bike will behave more or less the same way with distilled water or a costly coolant like Engine Ice.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

Personally, I won't recommend turning off these high compression, high heat generating engines at traffic lights. The cooling system is made to keep the engine temperature at bay at long periods of idling in traffic. Also, turning off and starting a fully heated up engine takes a toll on the starter motor too since all components are heated up, expanded and tighter. This is something I learnt and started doing since my 2013 390 Duke

Originally Posted by b16h22

Great point! It's something us old 390 users are accustomed to The bike gets hotter when you switch it off and don't let the fan & coolant circulation do it's job. The temp gauge will jump two bars when you switch it back on.

Originally Posted by 100Kmphormore

I have the 2nd gen 390 and while I switch it off at 30 seconds plus wait times, I have noticed the fan kick in

I found the heat management on the latest 390 Adventure, or even the 2024 Duke 390, to be noticeably better than the earlier Dukes. Monaro accompanied me on his earlier gen 390 Adventure on the trail and both bikes did the exact same route, at the same time, with similar riding styles.

The fan on the older 390 Adventure was coming on far too regularly and stayed on longer, than the 2025 version. The heat on the legs/thighs was lesser when on the new 390A as well.

Originally Posted by Monaro CV8

my 1.5 year old KTM ADV 390

Tagging Monaro for his comments.

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

Is the ergonomics and riding triangle comfortable for tall riders (6' 2")?

It seems the higher ground clearance, presence of a fat rubber cushion on the rear ward foot peg to reduce vibrations and low seat height have made the knee area cramped for tall riders and not comfortable for touring, especially compared to Himalayan.

Ergonomics are fairly sorted, even for tall riders, in my opinion. But if you like to stand and ride, that is where I feel things aren't as comfortable - you'll have to slouch quite a bit to reach the handlebar.

[TheHelix0202]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

Congrats on your purchase Helix! Wish you many smiles on this machine. She does look gorgeous.

Personally, I won't recommend turning off these high compression, high heat generating engines at traffic lights…

Thank you for your kind wishes!

I didn’t turn off the engine at most traffic signals, but as per my friend’s suggestion of letting the bike cool down after every 20 or so minutes, I switched off the ignition. In hindsight, I should’ve just let the radiator do its job! Other owners of the Adv told me that it’s normal for the pre-run-in period. But since the refusal to start up was paired with the unadjusted side stand sensor, I couldn’t tell what exactly was causing the issue.

Originally Posted by b16h22

Great point! It's something us old 390 users are accustomed to The bike gets hotter when you switch it off and don't let the fan & coolant circulation do it's job. The temp gauge will jump two bars when you switch it back on.

It’s certainly odd, though, because my previous-gen Adv never had this behavior.

Originally Posted by BullettuPaandi

And, are there tried and true upgrades that mitigate this- like distilled water (there's no freezing issue down South)? Because, as much as this makes sense and I bet it works, it is indeed an annoyance that we don't get to turn off the bike at long signals.

I know, right?! I hope it stops doing this after the first oil change.

Originally Posted by 100Kmphormore

I have the 2nd gen 390 and while I switch it off at 30 seconds plus wait times, I have noticed the fan kick in a couple of times in the year and 2 months I have owned it. As you said, I have got the ECU failure in pink but it goes away if you recrank.

The fan turning on just a couple of times in over a year of ownership is kind of insane!

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

No, I don't see any advantages of letting the N/A engines idle for some time before switching off if you won't be starting it again soon. I can assure you the bike will behave more or less the same way with distilled water or a costly coolant like Engine Ice.

I hope this behavior stops post the first service!

Originally Posted by libranof1987

I found the heat management on the latest 390 Adventure, or even the 2024 Duke 390, to be noticeably better than the earlier Dukes. Monaro accompanied me on his earlier gen 390 Adventure on the trail and both bikes did the exact same route, at the same time, with similar riding styles.

The fan on the older 390 Adventure was coming on far too regularly and stayed on longer, than the 2025 version. The heat on the legs/thighs was lesser when on the new 390A as well.

This is very interesting to hear. I didn’t feel the heat on my first-gen Adv as much. But it’s too early for me to say, of course, let’s see what changes after the first service.

Ergonomics are fairly sorted, even for tall riders, in my opinion. But if you like to stand and ride, that is where I feel things aren't as comfortable - you'll have to slouch quite a bit to reach the handlebar.

Agreed. I’m 6’2 myself and was perfectly at home on this motorcycle. Perhaps coming from a GT 650 is causing me to find anything that’s not a plank accommodating! I do see the need for handlebar raisers if I take it on trails, though.

[rssah77]

Interesting take I hope:

The KTM Adventure 390 is having only two versions globally for road - One is R and the other X.

They changed the R version and made it available only to Indian market.

The tagline for S version in brochure is -> Most capable touring and off-road motorcycle.
The tagline for X version in brochure is -> Perfect entry into the world of adventure touring.

One trick I'd say KTM missed in India is - In order to give a good entry level adventure touring machine with some offroad ability, you need to have at least 200mm setup, good suspension and you should have all the safety electronics like traction control, cornering ABS, etc for most of the riders (at least TC). But S having all the features which is much more capable offroader with its supsension adjustability and spoke wheels, I say X is underprovided.

So for entry level touring machine, you can't go to X as it misses on aids which are good safety features for most of the people and if you go with S for allround capabilities you are ending up paying a lot more.

Probably they should launch an X version with just the ECU chip which brings in ride modes, TC, ABS, cornering TC and ABS and cruise control. With no adjustability and no spoke wheels, costing around 3.2L, I would say it'll sell like pancakes in India. Provided they fix all the above mentioned niggles.

Feel free to weigh on this. And I wonder how to raise this to KTM so they listen this requirement.

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by rssah77

Probably they should launch an X version with just the ECU chip which brings in ride modes, TC, ABS, cornering TC and ABS and cruise control. With no adjustability and no spoke wheels, costing around 3.2L, I would say it'll sell like pancakes in India. Provided they fix all the above mentioned niggles.

Feel free to weigh on this. And I wonder how to raise this to KTM so they listen this requirement.

In essence, it'll be like the old product lineup. The basic X, the ADV and the SW variant. It does make sense for them to introduce a full-fledged 19/17 alloy setup ADV with Cruise control, IMU etc between the flagship and X as there is a big gap there. But it makes the flagship S redundant if they ever launch the R here. I guess they also had to make space for the upcoming Enduro and SMCR between the X and S, pricing wise.

[rssah77]

Originally Posted by b16h22

In essence, it'll be like the old product lineup. The basic X, the ADV and the SW variant. It does make sense for them to introduce a full-fledged 19/17 alloy setup ADV with Cruise control, IMU etc between the flagship and X as there is a big gap there. But it makes the flagship S redundant if they ever launch the R here. I guess they also had to make space for the upcoming Enduro and SMCR between the X and S, pricing wise.

I agree they are seeing S as flagship. But I think both motorcycles purposes are different. X as sport adventure tourer and S as offroad adventure tourer. 19/17 setup is good for cornering and city drives whereas 21/17 is intimidating to do so. I feel like they should not see X as NON-FLAGSHIP product.

In my opinion, R should replace S (stopping S completely) and X should be given all the features except SW and suspension adjustability. Adv 250 is for beginners. If users wish for entry-level offroading but can't afford R then they will change the tyres and add adjustability on X, which I think is affordable. And Enduro/SMCR, I don't think they are touring category.

Now I think I am gliding over the clouds

[100Kmphormore]

The fan turning on just a couple of times in over a year of ownership is kind of insane!

Not that it hasnt at all! It has in traffic, I meant that at signals when the engine is off and ignition on. But then longish city commutes havent really been my thing over the last year, only 3 outstation rides.

[RPRIME95]

Originally Posted by rssah77

Probably they should launch an X version with just the ECU chip which brings in ride modes, TC, ABS, cornering TC and ABS and cruise control. With no adjustability and no spoke wheels, costing around 3.2L, I would say it'll sell like pancakes in India. Provided they fix all the above mentioned niggles.

That is what many of us wanted. The X is not a bad package as is but the extra safety net and comfort aids would've been good.

IMO only the IMU is needed in the X, since the non-adjustable suspension is more than enough. It would be fairly easy to swap in the ECU from the S but most of the functions would not work since it is coded for a 21" front wheel, not a 19"

Hopefully I can get a decent test ride tomorrow and make my decision

[blue_wizard_v12]

Guys just a pro tip to anyone looking to buy the new Adventure( or any other KTM for that matter), just check the flipkart page for KTM bikes and check the dealer details using the pin code at which you are looking to buy the bike.

There is a bundle offer currently running on Flipkart for KTM bikes, you will instantly get 10,000 off!

Last year I saved 18,000 on my father's xtreme 160r 4v, which also included bank discount.

[vinit.merchant]

Visited Kharadi, Pune showroom today to get a a test ride of 390X.

Was surprised that even after almost a month of launch, they did not have a test ride vehicle. They only had display vehicle of 390X and 250X,the S was not even on display.
He mentioned it will be available from 28th.

The only good thing I felt was they had customer vehicles and were not giving that for test rides.

Members from Pune -Does any KTM showroom in Pune have the test ride vehicles?