[GKU]

KTM 390 Adventure purchase and city ride impressions

I had been riding my Bullet 500 for daily school drops and groceries , while the Duke 390 handled my daily office commute. I started planning for more comfortable, versatile bike about two years ago, but the urge wasn’t strong enough to part with the money.
I always had a crush on previous-gen KTM 390 Adventure. After renting it for two days via Royal Brothers and taking multiple test rides, I really liked it. Still, I decided to wait for the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450.
The Himalayan looked great and had very positive early reviews from media and YouTubers (sponsored by RE). But when I test rode it, it failed to impress me. Later, real owner reviews confirmed my impressions. So I decided to wait for better bike.
I also test rode the Triumph Scrambler and Speed 400. Both were impressive, especially the Scrambler. But at 180+ kg, it wasn’t exactly light and there was an itch to own ADV.


Then came the Husqvarna Svartpilen 401. On paper specs and pricing were good. But the test ride told a different story. It felt more aggressive than the Duke 390 and didn’t appeal to me visually. Not a fan of Husqvarna’s design language.

Finally, KTM launched the 2025 390 Adventure. Media reviews were positive, but I remained cautious. I took a short 1 km test ride at KTM Banashankari. It felt much more refined than my first-gen Duke 390, almost Honda like. Ergonomics were better than the previous-gen 390 ADV. After watching and reading several reviews, I concluded that even in the worst case, it will be at least as good as the outgoing model if not better. I wanted to rent it for couple of days, but couldn’t find one nearby.

Checking out X


Felt happier on S


In April 2025, while vacationing in Goa, I brought up new bike topic with my wife and she agreed! (To my surprise )

Booking and Delivery Experience
Had booked the bike on 27th May and made full payment through cheque. Bike was ready within next 3 days, but I decided to wait due to some personal reason. I took delivery of my KTM 390 Adventure S on the 13th of June, marked with a traditional pooja at the temple. Since this specific temple encourages traditional Indian attire, and I was planning to head straight to the temple, I took delivery in same attire.



Yours truly

Things came along with the bike

Tools kit




While the staff at the showroom were polite and welcoming, There were few issues.

a)Delay in Registration:
I made the full payment nearly 20 days in advance and signed the RTO documents 8 days before delivery. However, the registration was not completed at the time of delivery, and I wasn’t even provided with the road tax receipts.
b)KTM Riding Jacket:
At the time of booking, I was promised a KTM riding jacket. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been delivered yet. Standard answer is “ we will give when we get it”
c)Invoice:
Due to a technical glitch in their system, my primary phone number couldn’t be used. Against my wishes , invoice was generated using my alternate number.
d)Mistake in Insurance:
My name was wrongly spelled in insurance copy . They have promised to get it corrected , but no update so far.

Current odo stands ~ 301 kms. I have used it for daily office commute from my residence in Banashakari to Manyata Techpark (52 Kms round trip).

My impressions so far.

Positives

1)Agility: This bike is very agile for navigating through city traffic of Bangalore. Be it picking up from side stand or changing lane in a stop and go traffic at slow speed, feels very light.

In bumper to bumper, stop and go traffic


2)Handling: As someone who thoroughly enjoyed the KTM Duke 390, I was curious how this tall ADV with a 21-inch front wheel would compare. To my surprise, it handles just as well as Duke 390, if not better. Despite its size, it feels as light and flickable as the first-gen Duke 390 (which weighed around 150 kg). It’s a joy to ride!

3)Comfort: Compared to my Duke 390, this is more comfortable. The rider triangle is perfect for my frame. Previous gen 390 ADV had very wide handle bar, which was not very comfortable to me. Seat cushioning seems just adequate for 1.5 to 2 hours ride in city. May need extra gel for long rides.

4)Refinement & Vibration: Coming from the first-gen Duke 390, this bike feels well refined. It feels almost as smooth as a Honda CD 100. I pushed it up to 5,000 rpm, there was no noticeable vibration anywhere , except between 4.2K to 4.9K RPM. I was expecting some buzz on the footpegs, as many reviews have reported, but I felt none. It is as refined as a Japanese 150cc commuter in this regard. Interestingly, I did notice minor footpeg vibrations during my test ride back in February, but I could not find them now. Super impressed!

5)Power Delivery: Below 4,000 rpm, the bike behaves like a saint. But there’s a subtle hint of the sleeping hooligan waiting to be unleashed. Throttle response is very crisp and predictable. I’m especially loving how it feels at lower revs in city traffic. Super delighted!

6)Suspension
The suspension comes alive post 45 km/h. At lower speeds, it does feel a bit on the stiffer side. Personally, I have no complaints. I am yet to try softer settings.

7)Heat Management
someone coming from 150cc segment ,bike does remind you that you're riding a higher capacity engine. It never feels overwhelmingly hot. Compared to my Duke 390, it feels noticeably cooler, especially in stop-and-go city traffic. A pleasant surprise!

8)Gearshifts
Smooth and precise. Almost no false neutrals. Have used quick shifter couple of times, Works really well.

9)Display
Most of the things have been already covered in various other posts. Let me cover few interesting things which I discovered.

Not only custom button, but up and down navigation buttons are also fully customizable . In total there are 3 buttons available for customization. Pleasant surprise .


You can customize what to display on main screen.


10)Fit and finish
Baring minor rough edges, overall fit and finish is excellent and looks absolutely purpose built . Personally overall design language is drool worthy for me. Sole exception is display unit edge. It looks like it’s been glued together using wood glue. Eye sore for sure. I checked few other units at showroom, all had similar issue.

To me, all saddle stays looks ugly , I felt this one looked less ugly.


Turn indicators are nicely attached using hex screw


There is a sense of robustness to every part of the bike. Here is an example.



Negatives

1)Rough edges near display


2)Display edge looking ugly with excess glue allover


3)Fuel efficiency
completed my first tankful-to-tankful mileage check and got a FE of 18.33 KMPL !!This is 100% inside Banaglore city and many times it was bumper to bumper slow moving traffic.
I was expecting somewhere around 22–24 KMPL, especially since my Duke 390 consistently delivered 25–27 KMPLon the same route.
I’ve been riding with gentle throttle inputs and staying under 4K RPM most of the time. I will test few more time to confirm the numbers.
There’s a slight chance that, in the excitement of taking delivery of the new bike, I may have forgotten to ask the fuel attendant to fill it to the brim. However, I do recall saying “full tank” and filled 11.66 litres of petrol.
Will report back with more data soon.

Observations


1) Engine feels not as high revving as 1st get Duke 390 . Just an observation , not a compliant.

2) It feels more stable than duke in corners. I am loving it.

3) Large windshields is not affecting my vision in anyway and not making me feel stuffy in traffic. (I am 5’9”)

4) Road edges and undulation doesn’t make you nervous (duke 390 did to me) , you can simply ride it like a 4 wheeler. Super delighted.

5) Radiator fan kicks in more often (at lower temp ?) than my Duke 390. May be this is the reason for feeling less warmer than duke 390.

6) Low fuel warning comes up when range is around 100Kms


7) Comparing pillion seat of current and previous gen 390 adventure. There is a very minor difference in dimensions ( 1 to 1.5cms) , it may not be noticeable during the actual ride.

Length


Width


8) No more hard copy of user manual. All the required information is now accessible through the KTM app. I wish KTM also provided the service manual and parts catalogue


Conclusion
I feel this bike is a compelling choice for 'one bike garage'.If you're considering, but have concerns about things like the narrow seat, engine heat, or vibrations etc., please rent it for a day or two. Many of its strengths are only revealed over extended rides. It’s an extremely promising machine, and a short test ride might not reveal full potential.

Note: These are my personal views. I always ride within the framework of traffic laws, with the utmost respect for fellow motorists and pedestrians. For me, having fun doesn’t mean riding aggressively.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[RPRIME95]

Congratulations on the new bike !! It looks awesome.

Thank you very much for your city ride impressions. I was torn between the X or the S but after doing a lot of thinking and now reading your experience has made me sure I should go for the S. Wish you many many happy miles (sorry kms) with your bike !

[Rman88]

Congrats Sir on the new bike and wish you many safe miles ahead. I got my adv S back in March this year, and post the first service the FE improves a lot. If used in the city more, the FE should hover around 23-26 kmpl but my use case is 95% touring and the FE ranges between 27-30 kmpl.

Also, the engine heating message appears frequently in the beginning, but this is nothing to worry as the engine heat sensors appear to be sharply calibrated. Lot of minor niggles will get ironed out post first service, so you can enjoy your machine more after it. Cheers !

[TheHelix0202]

Originally Posted by GKU

I’ve been riding with gentle throttle inputs and staying under 4K RPM most of the time. I will test few more time to confirm the numbers.

I may have forgotten to ask the fuel attendant to fill it to the brim. However, I do recall saying “full tank” and filled 11.66 litres of petrol.

For me, having fun doesn’t mean riding aggressively.

Do NOT do that. This is not a bike you ride slow. The manual recommends a 6,500 RPM cap during the initial run-in period. But you can (and must) safely take it upto (redline-1,000) RPM. Keeping it under 4,000 RPM is a bad idea as you're gonna set the tone of the engine for the rest of its life with your run-in style.

Here's how you do the run-in - for every 10km, ride it sane (and shift at 4K) for the first 8-9km then accelerate cleanly and smoothly in third or a higher gear and allow at least 0.5km of distance after you get off the throttle (idea is to not instantly come to a halt after working the engine). Repeat.

Just ask the fuel pump attendants to stop it at auto cut-off after every tankful. I use only 95 Octane petrol. Fuel economy will improve. It's quite horrible compared to my first-gen 373cc mill, but that's to be expected with the increased power, torque and bore figures.

Again, this bike is not meant to be ridden tamely, give it the beans every now and then.

[acex]

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

Do NOT do that. This is not a bike you ride slow. The manual recommends a 6,500 RPM cap during the initial run-in period. But you can (and must) safely take it upto (redline-1,000) RPM. Keeping it under 4,000 RPM is a bad idea as you're gonna set the tone of the engine for the rest of its life with your run-in style.

Here's how you do the run-in - for every 10km, ride it sane (and shift at 4K) for the first 8-9km then accelerate cleanly and smoothly in third or a higher gear and allow at least 0.5km of distance after you get off the throttle (idea is to not instantly come to a halt after working the engine). Repeat.

Again, this bike is not meant to be ridden tamely, give it the beans every now and then.

Agreed. 10 years back I used to go on 50 kms run every night after work to run-in the CBR 250R. Used to take it till 4k rpm then shift, while going till 6k every now and then.

Give it the beans every now and then once you got the engine properly warmed up.

[rssah77]

Remember to replace those leg guards with Gen3 Duke 390. Your footpegs feel much better.

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

Do NOT do that. This is not a bike you ride slow. The manual recommends a 6,500 RPM cap during the initial run-in period. But you can (and must) safely take it upto (redline-1,000) RPM. Keeping it under 4,000 RPM is a bad idea as you're gonna set the tone of the engine for the rest of its life with your run-in style.

Here's how you do the run-in - for every 10km, ride it sane (and shift at 4K) for the first 8-9km then accelerate cleanly and smoothly in third or a higher gear and allow at least 0.5km of distance after you get off the throttle (idea is to not instantly come to a halt after working the engine). Repeat.

I agree! Also, it applies to any vehicle. You should always break the engine by doing various speeds and not to stay at one speed constantly. My old Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 manual specifically mentioned this point. Only thing is just don't cross 7K RPM. Also this should be done at least till 2nd or 3rd service. Two services should be done within 3K to 4K Kms even though the manual says first at 1K and second at 8.5K kms.