Taking The KTM 390 Adventure Off Road | Long Term Review

[@commanderroddi7742]

I love this bike! Biught it as second boke for town commuting, that has some off road capability. Its such a fun bike to ride! Even took it on a 9 hour road trip to a cabin in Colorado and i took off the side bag and used it to follow some ATVs off road. So much fun! Do get a more cushy seat for long drives (worth every penny!)

[@florme6494]

Commander Roddi have you got a better seat, if so which did you get?

[@commanderroddi7742]

@@florme6494 I got an airhawk seat pad & the Pillion pad. There are some (look them up in sites like Revzilla if you're in the US or wherever you get stuff in your country) Would not be able to do that long of a trip with seat that came on bike... Not unconfortable, but a bit too thin and hard for a Long ride.. I have a friend who lieks the Gel seats (I think he has Speedmetal?) KTM also makes an Ergo seat that is suposed to be softer. I liked look of the Airhawk (matches the bike, has a nice little orange line on it)

[@ronsexton3685]

Interesting. Some like it, some don't. Maybe it depends on how much you weigh.

[@ethanhund]

11:11 Just a quick little tip for finding neutral: just push your foot slightly to the right while changing gear, that'll do the trick. It's quite easy to get to neutral that way

[@LegionarHR]

I just bought this bike as my first :)

[@gpnmoab1]

I have zero issues hitting neutral on my 390 Adventure. You have to push down hard into first then finding neutral is easy - it's common among many bikes. And the high beam switch is reaching to find something to complain about, otherwise appreciate the review

[@vernonbryson7159]

Mom in the back of a truck with a camera. Friggin awesome.

[@RarefiedRoad]

She'll appreciate that.

[@williamrae9954]

Police..."Yes husband,how did your wife die?"(Land Rover 2 miles away at the bottom of the valley) :p

[@ragerider6283]

Nice vid & an appropriate review of an off road bike at last! What a great little bike! Makes a bit of a mockery of the gigantic £20k ones.

[@RarefiedRoad]

Thanks.

[@17austintaylor17]

I had a slight panic attack when the footage cut to being on the road (around the 6:45 mark). I have to make sure I remember what country the reviewer is in lol

[@kell7195]

Ive got a Husky Vitpilen 401 and yeah that neutrals pretty hard to find, its only new so I hope it loosens up over time people say it does.

[@chrisnightingale6417]

What an enjoyable video and lovely area. Thanks to you (and mum) 👍

[@RarefiedRoad]

Thanks Chris

[@hiltonmcconnell2563]

Have just over 5,500 on my KTM 390 Adventure getting easy 400 Km per tank of gas, averaging 3.3 liters per hundred Km ( 250 miles per tank.) You just need to learn how to get it in to neutral, I have very little problems with it going in to neutral, form first or second. Love the Dunlop TrailMax Mission tires, great on and off road, best 50/50 tires I have ever had. When going up steep gravel or grass hills try taking the traction control off, I find it works better with it of on that type of hill. Even fully loaded with the Trekker 33/46 liter hard bags I still get 3.3 liters per hundred, on average riding but if I am hard on the throttle I still get 3.6 to 3.8 so still not bad. The only thing I would like it if they put a 18 liter gas tank on it, that would get you over 500 Km per tank ( 310 miles per tank ) which is needed in parts of Canada. Would also be nice to just have to fill up when you head out and not have to worry about finding gas stations. That is why some days when hitting the back roads I take my DR650 with the 20 liter gas tank, can do over 450 km before having to worry, were the next gas station is, and even with that I always have plenty still in the tank. Have fun on your KTM and should think about coming to Canada for some touring. Just stay away form the cities. best places are northern Ont and the east coast NB. PEI, and Newfoundland and Labrador There are others as well but those are the places I have been,

[@thanosrigas]

I'm facing the same issue finding the neutral in my new Husqvarna Svartpilen 401. Same thing. From 1st to 2nd, unless you're lucky.

[@RarefiedRoad]

It's such a shame. It's a tiny little issue but it makes it feel slightly less reliable even if everything else is fine.

[@thanosrigas]

@@RarefiedRoad the quality, the handling, everything is perfect. Well, almost. That's the pity !

[@_audacerider3838]

I recon this is the motorcycle that the guys would use in a moder day "mondo Enduro" remake. The original motorcycle of choice was a Suzuki DR350 dual sport. For a single adventure riding this light motorcycle would be perfect!! That is why the Royal Enfield Himalayan is so popular with globetrotters. Ps I'm loving the family top gear set up!! Land Rover camera car with Mum as camera operator!! That effort deserves a double like!! Coming back to the topick of small ADV motorcycles. I would love if the new "Long way up" was made on a pair of BMW 310GS kitted out to an Adventure speck!! Not on electric bikes that are so expensive thet they would take 90% of an average Jo budget for an epick round the world adventure!! Plus the environmental offset of a small cc bike compered with having trucks with generators plus building a network of charging points!! Epick stuff as usual Tim looking forward to reviews of every mens motorcycle. I would love to see you testing the Benelli range from Benelli TRK 502 as well as 502C(baby Diavel) and the new 752S. All of this motorcycles are epick value for money now and they seem to have a very good reputation for example back home in Poland they are selling like hot cakes and alot of them have proven to be very reliable and put together motorcycle

[@1990-t1j]

I bet they wouldn't. They'd be on old DRZ 400s.

[@1990-t1j]

Interesting post.

[@funkthat]

@@1990-t1j doesnt look to be that way more and more himalayan youtubers popping up lately

[@ilgrace]

Nice video and review, and sing not bad. Wich boots do you use in that video?

[@techtoth1]

Thx for the vid! Regarding bikes that have neutral issues: pushing them forward just a tiny bit, while acting on the lever may help a lot. Cheers!

[@hiltonmcconnell2563]

Just waiting for mine to get all the extras like the better bash plate and better hand guards, rad guard and head light protector all by KTM, also putting side and back racks to take my GIVI hard bags, on, and heated grips all so going with the Dunlop TrailMax Mission Tires. From what I have seen they are better in the sand and hear there are gravel roads with sections of sand. I did try out shifting and did not have any trouble finding neutral, so may be you should have that checked out. I am upgrading from my Versys 300 X, also have a DR650 with a 20 liter gas tank, for the rough off road. The KTM 390 Adventure is in a class of its own, nothing out there of that size comes close. You made the wright choice. The only change I would like to make is a bigger gas tank, as where I am planning to take it gas stations are far and few between so will have to carry extra gas, if only the had a 18 liter or a 20 liter gas tank it would be the perfect bike for me. Come on KTM let see if you can put a bigger one on to get at least 450 km no mater how you drive it and 500 km if you take it easy. Newfoundland Labrador hear I come when this mess is over. It would also be nice to have a center stand for easer chain maintenance, when on the road.

[@davehoward6417]

Thanks for vid! Random question, what boots are those?

[@mookyzook]

Only had a problem with the neutral for the couple of days. Now used to it, can find it most of the time, I think it's when you get annoyed it you end up tapping it too hard.

[@luisribeiro4267]

K-T ... Katy ... genious name choice mate! Smart and pretty, just like bike itself. SWEET! Excellent review and contents, as always! Stay safe, have fun, keep on riding... and sharing, please. Best regards from PORTUGAL

[@RarefiedRoad]

Thanks Luis

[@Milo19970]

Awesome video! What is your height may i ask? I’m 6.1 worried i might be too tall for this bike. Would love to potentially get this as my first bike.

[@ronmoore1]

Great Review.. I just get past the bug headlights. So was the dogs name MotoBob? Or was it just Bob?

[@RarefiedRoad]

Just Bob. He's a loveable pain in the arse 😁

[@raghubirsingh155]

I really feel the 490 adventure with the parallel twin engine will a perfect adventure motorcycle

[@RarefiedRoad]

Agreed. I think that would probably be the sweet spot. I'm hoping Husqarna manage to do something with this format. Maybe a Norden 501

[@dennismacwilliams196]

Hay I got one in Aug. This year love it...

[@mikepopstar]

NIce run, how tall are you? Im 188 cm and concerned that im to tall..it will look to small on me?

[@Screamifyoumeanit]

I'm off to the dealer (Jim Aim, Braintree) at the next opportunity I have... It would be the perfect second bike for the winter.

[@LegionarHR]

You will use it in the winter? I just bought this bike :)

[@Screamifyoumeanit]

@@LegionarHR Yes I will use in the winter. It does spray a lot of water over the back of the bike though, so I fitted the Givi spray guard... Have you seen my vids?

[@LegionarHR]

@@Screamifyoumeanit i didnt, I will open my beer now and I will look at your videos :)

[@shhmule]

I made the mistake of buying a 390 Duke, and I ended up taking it to more extreme offroad places than you took that 390 Adv in the video! I need to sell it now and buy the Adv, but in the meantime it's gonna be hard to avoid taking the Duke offroad still!

[@kirstenspencer3630]

What tires do you use for your off road duke ? As I am quite tiny I need a low seat height that the adventure cannot provide. Also would install a skid plate and larger rear sprocket. The intended use is hilly trail riding on mostly hard packed fire roads. My next choise is a mountain bike with an 66cc china doll motor. Very light and noisey. So will the standard duke work ?

[@vess6934]

After putting some miles on it, N becomes easy and smooth to find. But until then moving the bike an inch or so forward or back makes all the difference.

[@mattwilliams745]

having a small capacity bike that will handle a bit of off-road does change the mindset... pure road bikes start to feel a little, erm... limited.

[@RarefiedRoad]

I can imagine

[@andydawson2070]

Another great bike review. You certainly looked to be having fun on it. I agree it's butt ugly but having said that it is still well proportioned. KTM are coming on in leaps and bounds with the development of and quality of their bikes, certainly giving the Japanese a run for their money both and of the track. Thanks for the video.

[@funkthat]

RE Himalayan has found an answer to all the ugly adv bikes and kept it low weight low seat height

[@williamrae9954]

Only "butt ugly" leaving the shop...once the front suspension risers, Rade Garage screen,high mudguard, sumpguard and exhaust(get the cat off ASAP,it melts the shock seals)sorted, great looking wee thing, especially with a decent set of tyres fitted...

[@kelval5679]

Great video...Well done! Will get myself a Katie soon :)

[@kuttalu]

Felt like it need a 47 tooth rear sprocket.

[@anthonyeverett1391]

Ok nice motorcycle, can you please try the Honda X500 adventure? can you put it through the same trails as the K.TM.? To see which is better.

[@williamrae9954]

Now there's a bike only Mother Honda could love...least the 2023 700(or is it 750?) Is a bit more appealing...fugly looking bike!

[@SWFlowseeker]

That’s true as hell about NO neural!! I have had 4 KTm’s and yep can never find neutral.

[@RarefiedRoad]

Shame.

[@BassMunn]

Blip the throttle as you snick it in to neutral

[@vsnutz]

I have a Svartpilen 401, sometimes it's easier to find it going down from 2nd. It likes to finds N when you're not expecting it, LoL

[@gpnmoab1]

I'm in Colorado and at 7000ft off road on tight trails I get 75mpg, highway 85mpg so that's anywhere between 280 to 330 miles per tank and I'm not riding this is like some grandmother's first time on a motorbike.

[@rahulmenon6073]

Looks bloody gorgeous. But does the slanted footpegs bother while treading offroad ?

[@AYYOFLOCKA]

They will 100% be the reason you depart the bike at one point, I'm not sure if someone has made a modded rear set but angled pegs is a deal breaker for me.

[@RarefiedRoad]

To be honest I didn't notice it but then I haven't got a lot to compare that to. I noticed Fort9 mentioned it in their review so I'm sure that's right. Hopefully they come up with a fix, maybe there'll be an aftermarket mod at some point.

[@AYYOFLOCKA]

@@RarefiedRoad ye I would imagine a replacement rear set would be a reasonable shout, seems a bit mental without IMO. Thank you for the cracking vid either way RR :-) If you ever want to explore further the enduro/offroad world would strongly advise speaking to the TRF who organize frequent rides on green lanes around the UK in an organized manner, they have a wealth of info as well and I'm sure if you want to explore the adv/enduro rabbit hole they'd be eager to help.

[@martyn_g]

Maybe these? www.motorradgarage.com.au/evo-footpegs-sw-motech/2139-footpegs-evo-honda-suzuki-models

[@michaelsupple6081]

@@RarefiedRoad SW Motech has one that solves the problem.

[@rafv14]

Very enjoyable video, well done

[@SRaghushastry]

Nice review brother. I did acquired this bike. Like you said looking forward for new adventures 👍

[@RarefiedRoad]

I hope it treats you well. Happy riding.

[@nebacanzer]

Great review. Humble and honest

[@RarefiedRoad]

Thanks

[@ericwilliams626]

Someone said they resolved the neutral issue by using a different boot. That means a lighter boot I would imagine. Remember, a single cylinder requires an aggressive approach to hills and rev it to the top, otherwise you just won't get the desired results. It's not how we think in terms of being hard on the bike and wanting it to be a monster in 3-5k revs, but its just not the reality.

[@kevinnashskitchen3517]

Wondering why seat height is higher than the 790 S, while they have smaller tires and way less ground clearance?

[@williamrae9954]

Exhaust runs under the engine, take over 2"(50mm) of off the ground clearance...1st thing I'll be doing, getting one that goes under the clutch casing/RH footrest

[@365liberated]

Would you still rate the bike that high if there was no adjustable suspension on the front wheel?

[@RarefiedRoad]

To be honest I don't use the adjustability on my own suspension so as long as it's been set up right from the factory I wouldn't notice a difference.

[@365liberated]

@@RarefiedRoad got it. In India, KTM has set the springs a little hard for highway, but perfect for off road...

[@365liberated]

But really you can't go to fast on highly technical stuff. Otherwise, you'll end up bottoming it :D

[@DragosDreamer1989]

Is that rattling / zingy noise coming from the windscreen? I just test rode one and it had the exact same problem. Is it a common thing?

[@williamrae9954]

'Adventures with Ryan'(KTM390) on here...what you're aiming at...3500miles all off-road!

[@u0kiToki]

Does anyone know what kind of boots he's wearing in the thumbnail?

[@RarefiedRoad]

Merlin Legacy boots.

[@doomguy2967]

Is it reliable , How often does it break down ?

[@ashokgopinathan8391]

Hey I get the neutral. One needs to be in the zone

[@connor25]

How tall are you? you look fairly tall but good fit

[@jonathanfoster4243]

Very nice review, really enjoyed it.

[@RarefiedRoad]

Thanks.

[@rodolfogavilan5184]

I have a Z1000, Do you recommend this motorcycle for my ?

[@RarefiedRoad]

As a second bike? Yeah I'd say so, you've got all the speed you need from the Z1000 so this would make a fun little weekend blast.

[@rodolfogavilan5184]

@@RarefiedRoad As the only motorcycle, I do not usually go fast and I want to start a little off-road

[@ThePalmatron]

Great video....that looked like fun!!!!

[@lancealbon46]

Pity you didn’t do this with better knobby tyres on her. But thanks for sharing, very interesting.

[@MotherFarquhar]

Fabulous bit of Real Estate, nice greeting from the Goats. Is it reliable is the only question mark over KTM's?

[@RarefiedRoad]

Yeah I'd heard about cooling issues and gear box complaints for older 390's but I feel like this is going to be a sturdy little thing. Time will tell though.

[@ANILTV82]

you look similar Toby Kebbell with different hair no?

[@RarefiedRoad]

Thanks he's a very handsome man.

[@AA613AA]

Thanks for a very nice video 😊😊

[@dragannikolic6488]

Hello do you think that this bike is suitable for 6'2" rider?

[@RarefiedRoad]

Hard to say but I'd guess it would work. It had plenty of room for me but it's not going to give you as much comfort as a bigger adventure bike

[@robbikebob]

I really love smaller, lighter bikes. They are just so easy to ride that you can purely enjoy riding and not worry about dropping them or corner speed or loosing your license. Your right though, I couldn't spend over 5k on something looking like that! 😝

[@commanderroddi7742]

Has anyone who owns this bike upgraded/changed the breaks or break pads? I wonder if that would make a difference. I don't think they're bad (they're OK, but they could be better...)

[@bena3341]

Brake pads. If they break you are in trouble.

[@Banditmanuk]

Definitely makes more sense off road than the big GS or Super Adventure. Nice review but didn't watch to the end because of the mid roll ads, sorry.

[@bena3341]

If you are not going to do much off road and want a starter adventure bike the Honda Cb500x is probably the smarter choice. It's way better on the road. The KTM is for if you plan on doing off road.

[@williamrae9954]

Fugly looking thing...Honda design team needs replacing...2023 700/750 one looks slightly better, wouldn't look at a 500 twice

[@MotoGoato]

Nice review, good work 😉

[@RarefiedRoad]

Thank you

[@thepab3072]

All I can think when I see a vid about the 390 Adventure is Fortnine's review, it was brutal

[@RarefiedRoad]

True. Great video though and I still don't think it puts me off the bike to be honest.

[@thepab3072]

@@RarefiedRoad the only issue is the position of the rear set, finding better rear sets that doesn't push the rider forward when standing up and it's perfect. As for the ground clearance, well, if you want to climb over trees better buy a dirt bike that is street legal not an Adventure bike. I like the 390, would I buy the Adventure version, nope, prob go for a new CB500x for the same price. But that's me

[@slakk5093]

@@thepab3072 cb500x is nice for the same price, here in AUD the ktm is 10500, and the cbx is 15900

[@Tom-eo7nr]

I’m 6’’3 is this bike tall enough for me? It’ll be my first bike, apart from a 125

[@RarefiedRoad]

Hard to say but it should work. Might be little on the small side but I'm 5'10" and I had lots of room

[@Tom-eo7nr]

@@RarefiedRoad okay cheers buddy

[@TheSweetasanut]

You have to put them in natural as you pull up on the move it’s a Kim thing 😀😀😀

[@chrissorreda4982]

Indian Reviewers be like: “Its just a tourer, it can’t off road”

[@रामायणप्रसादवैश्य]

Yes.. but they are buying😅

[@saptarshisutradhar9379]

And they are right actually..& don't get me wrong we Indians love Ktm's probably more than others so we will be the last to say bad things about them...It can do some off-road but it's not a hardcore off-roader..i have the 250 & few months back while off roading I got my front wheel dented Where my friend's xpulse200 did it without much hassle it was lighter & comes stock with spoked wheels and comes way cheaper than my 250..but overall it is a good vfm bike..

[@saptarshisutradhar9379]

Hey man I own this machine & nobody said its not capable of doing off-road terrains..those are your word's not mine..even a 100cc commuter motorcycle can do off-road..& there is a difference between off-roading & adventure touring..your comments is inappropriate don't put every one in the same box..i can show you hundreds of reviews where reviewers appreciating the efforts of ktm for launching this product...There is nothing to get salty about..take a chill & god bless..

[@chrissorreda4982]

@@saptarshisutradhar9379 Unless you’re trying to gaslight me, i don’t understand how your reply relates to our topic. If i offended you for some reason, then sorry. But yea, the adv 390 is more capable than most Indians think. Its not a hardcore off roader though, that we both agree on (i don’t know why you keep mentioning this).

[@saptarshisutradhar9379]

@@chrissorreda4982 how do you know most of Indian's think like that?we buy them with our hard earned money..we are the fastest growing market for Ktm..so you should choose your words wisely..& like I said don't put every one in the same box..& I am sorry buddy if my simple & logical words offended you..

[@stanleylawson9015]

Love it deposit down an off we go

[@packfadly]

that's a very capable... car...

[@RarefiedRoad]

It certainly is

[@jusride7]

Aloha