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KTM 390 Adventure: Checking out all 3 variants side by side

25th May 2023, 12:05 by Utkarsh Chaudhary

It is mostly used as a touring motorcycle so it should have those electronic features. For hardcore off-roading, we have the Hero Xpulse 200.

BHPian SiLxNcE recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

So, recently I went to check all the 3 trims of the ADV 390 at KTM, Sarjapur, Bangalore. The X, low seat and standard. The 2023 spoke wheels isn't in showrooms and won't be there for probably a month or 2 more as per the sales guy.

Coming to the ADV 390X, what drew me to the showroom was the X in the new Dark Galvano shade. There are not many images / videos on the Internet of this colour and IRL, it looks awesome.

Major differences you will notice instantly are the tyres and the LCD screen. Also, it lacks major electronics like the C-ABS, TC, Bidirectional quickshifter. And has an on-road price of INR 372886/- in Bangalore.

From my thought perspective, I think the type of biking that the ADV 390 stands for in India, losing out on these electronics deletes a lot of USP of this bike. It's mostly used for cross-state touring across India. Not hardcore offroading. For that, we have an Xpulse.

The ADV 390 is supposed to be an SUV under 5 lakhs. Or 7 lakhs for the lack of good ADVs in India. And the tyres will be a good differentiating factor along with cornering ABS and traction control. These factors alone would give you immense confidence over the X model any day for no-nonsense highway touring.

The X should strictly be bought if your budget just doesn't allow you to go higher, or if you are absolutely sure you don't need the Electronics at all. For everyone else, the standard version is better. Couple that with the rich colored TFT screen and I think that gives a lot of upmarket feel to the ownership experience. I just want to test ride both to understand how different would it feel without TC.

The Low seat version (the bike in the middle in the photos below) is weird. It's not a low seat like we all know. Just a suspension swap. And the sales guy told me that the seat height is down by 20mm to 835mm and the ground clearance is down to 175mm from 200mm. Why KTM, why?! Both the standard and low seat were kept side by side in the showroom and the low seat visibly looks lower. Felt like an SUV that's lowered down. Felt a little small when I sat on it. And honestly, the trade-off for ground clearance for a little better foot reach is not worth it, at least for this bike. It's supposed to be the Jack of all trades, the master of most bikes. With the lower clearance, I don't see that happening. Probably not recommended and I will tell you why.

The Standard. Okay, so everything about the 390 has been told already above. And when I sat on this bike, I could put both my feet on the ground. Slight tiptoe that can be fixed with my riding boots any day. I am 5'10". The low seat version was "almost" flat foot. But the standard is also borderline just fine. And I believe there should be that slight learning curve to a new bike. Be it height, power or both. Also, one astonishing thing I noticed was the 390, at 855mm felt more comfortable and confident inspiring than the Suzuki V-Strom SX. This is probably because the seat is tapered and slimmer than the Suzuki and the footpegs are slightly rear set, unlike the Suzuki that just keeps hitting your shins.

Also, both the low seat and the standard is priced at INR 4,44,239 on-road, Bangalore. That's a lot of money and so, I would say pick wisely.