Ex-Bullet 500 owner takes delivery of a KTM 390 Adventure

The 500 was my first bike and its character shaped my riding style - sedate and easy on the throttle.

BHPian JoeTheWanderer  recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I got the delivery of my 390 Adventure (Std) last week - Dark Galvano Black - and I'm enjoying every kilometer of it.

Before this, I rode a Bullet 500 for about 6 years. The 500 was my first bike and its character shaped my riding style - sedate and easy on the throttle. However, of late I found it to be lacking during touring. Riding above 90 km/h was a chore - the vibes were just too much for 8 - 10 hour days.

The 390 is a whole different beast- I knew that going in. This is completely opposite of what I'm used to and I find myself riding just a little faster than I would ride my 500. I never got a speeding challan on the 500 - I hope I'm able to maintain my pristine record

Based on all I had read about it and saw on YouTube I had some preconceived notions about the bike. I'm sharing my thoughts on them as a new owner.

1. Quick shifter issues. I've only used the QS a couple of times and I've had no issues with it - and I say this as someone who has never used QS in the past. I guess the issues with the 1st Generation bikes are now largely fixed.

2. Low RPM rideability issues. I think this may be an issue with the riding style - if you lug your engine, this bike will be less forgiving. Even with the 500 I normally rode in the correct gear, so I don't feel as if I have to change gears more frequently now. Of course, my experience with the bike is limited, so I guess things may change as I put more KMs on the odo.

3. Accessories required. I think this is one area where it is very easy to get lured by the marketing hoopla and all the content floating around on YouTube. You don't really need a lot of accessories to begin with. It comes with almost everything you need. My advice, for anyone looking to purchase the bike, would be to get the bike and then add accessories you feel are missing.

For example, going by all the YouTube hype I assumed the bike didn't come with a radiator guard from the factory and ordered one from Zana while waiting for the bike. Only when I got the bike home I realized that it comes with a plastic guard from the factory For my use case of primarily highway and occasional city riding I am certain this will work fine.

Similarly, even the GPS/phone mount may not be immediately required. Pair your phone and you get most of the required info - caller info as well as navigation - on the TFT while your phone sits safely in your pocket. The on-screen navigation is pretty decent. I've used it a couple of times in the city and it gets the job done.

One accessory that I'm really glad I purchased is Rynox's POD MAGLOCK Tank Bag. It comes with a ring kit that mounts to the petrol cap and you can attach the bag to it. I don't like bags that physically touch the tank as it leads to lots of scratches after the bike gets dusty (which happens easily on our highways) so this is perfect. At less than Rs. 5000 for the bag + the ring kit, it is absolutely worth it. Similar bags from Givi and others are upwards of Rs. 12,000 - 15,000 for the entire kit.

4. Finding neutral. I'm not sure of this one yet but if I know I'm going to stop, I just shift into N before the bike comes to a complete halt. On the 500 with synthetic engine oil, I could move to N even at a standstill. I assume after the first oil change things will improve with the 390 as well.

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