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While American motorcyclists continue to wait for Yamaha to bring the Ténéré 700 stateside or for Kawasaki to update the Versys 300 with the 399 cc parallel twin found in the Ninja 400, KTM continues to double down on the Adventure segment.
KTM announced today at EICMA that it will introduce two new models, the 390 Adventure and the 790 Adventure R Rally, two bikes that represent the extremes of the adventure spectrum. The 390 Adventure will be a small-displacement machine with an affordable price tag, while the 790 Adventure R Rally will be aimed at riders who want to spare no expense and get the best off-road-focused adventure bike on the market. The Rally will be limited to 500 units worldwide.
Let’s dive in.
KTM 390 Adventure
The mistake I made when I reviewed the Kawasaki Versys-X 300 was thinking it was going to be limited to the entry-level segment of riders. What I learned is that there were a lot of older, more seasoned adventure riders who wanted a lighter, smaller bike. Something that didn’t weigh 550 pounds with a 35-inch seat height.
When Kawi released the Ninja 400, a lot of people thought that the smaller Versys would get updated to include the larger engine. The main benefit being its ability to comfortably cruise at constant highway speeds. That was nearly two years ago now and as of this morning, we’ve heard nothing about this update coming to fruition.
Enter the KTM 390 Adventure.
The new 390 Adventure is built around the same 373 cc single-cylinder engine that is used in the Duke 390. When I rode the updated 390 Duke in 2017 I was extremely impressed with the upgrades to the engine. It was much smoother and more powerful than the original engine. Assuming that nothing has been changed for this model, riders can expect to see roughly 42 horsepower at 9,000 rpm and 27 foot-pounds of torque at 7,000 rpm.
It looks to have the same upgraded TFT dash that was used in the Duke, as well. According to the spec sheet it will have an off-road mode for ABS, which means it can be disabled at the rear wheel while remaining activated at the front. That's a nice bonus for riders in this segment who want to actually ride off-road.
According to KTM, the 390 Adventure’s lightweight trellis frame was inspired by the 450 Rally. It features a removable rear sub-frame (ideal for repairing a damaged rear end without having to replace the entire frame), which is something that even larger ADV bikes from other manufacturers don’t offer. It also gets the same aggressive footpegs as found on its larger siblings in KTM’s ADV lineup.
The suspension features improved adjustability over the 390 Duke. The inverted WP APEX fork includes split functionality with adjustment for compression damping on the left side and rebound adjustment on the right. The rear WP APEX shock features an adjustable preload collar as well as rebound adjustment. The fork provides 6.7 inches of travel up front while the rear end features nearly seven inches of travel, which means the 390 Adventure should provide a solid mix of both on- and off-road performance. Examining the photos, it looks to be riding a 19-inch cast wheel up front and a 17-inch wheel in the rear.
While the 33.7-inch seat height sounds like it’s a little on the tall side, KTM is claiming its narrow shape should provide an easy reach to the ground. While I’m sure that will be true for Spurgeon-sized riders who stand over six feet, three inches, I’d imagine there will be some riders looking for an accessory low seat.
Speaking of accessories, it looks like KTM already has plenty of ways for you to outfit the 390 Adventure to match your intended use. They have luggage options so you can actually do some real-world touring on this little guy. There will also be two accessory windshields to choose, from in addition to the adjustable windscreen that is included on the bike.
Based on what I’ve learned from my experience with the Versys-X 300, the new KTM is going to be quite appealing for a much larger audience than just the beginner riders. I would imagine it’s also going to appeal to folks looking for a small-displacement adventure bike with big-bike touring functionality.
Price is $6,199.
790 Adventure R Rally
Introduced in limited quantity, the 790 Adventure R Rally is for riders who are looking to spend the majority of their time off-road with their adventure bike. With an MSRP of $19,499, this model actually sits above the 1290 Super Adventure R in KTM’s 2020 catalog.
The most notable difference between the 790 Adventure R and the Rally is the Rally's upgraded WP Pro Components suspension, which utilize Cone Valve technology.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, WP Pro Suspension components are available for a wide variety of KTM models, as well as for additional manufacturers. Cone Valve technology is a completely redesigned internal valving system. Unlike traditional suspension, a Cone Valve system replaces the mid-valve piston and shim stack with a cone adapter and cone spring. It allows fluid to move faster on harder hits thus reducing initial damping to allow for a plusher ride over extreme terrain while still maintaining maximum traction. All of this occurs without affecting the upper portion of the stroke, which means you can take bigger hits and jumps without bottoming out the suspension. All adjustments can be made externally without the need for revalving the suspensions internals. The TL;DR of all of this is a much more precise handling machine to exactly match your riding style over any given terrain.
The WP Xplor Pro fork and shock are completely adjustable and feature 270 mm of suspension travel. That’s roughly 10.6 inches of travel, an extra 1.2 inches over the base 790 Adventure R. This is going to provide class-leading, adventure-bike ground clearance and handling for any terrain you want to tackle. Coupled with the taller Rally seat, it’s also going to increase seat height to a prohibitively tall 35.7 inches (shorter riders, keep reading, there's a mod for this).
In addition to the upgraded suspension, the Rally will also be outfitted an Akrapovic exhaust, wider rally footpegs, cruise control, Quickshifter + (four quick shifts both up and down), and carbon fiber fuel tank protection. It also gets a narrower four-inch rear wheel, compared to the 4.5-inch wheel found on the base Adventure R. There are also narrower accessory wheels that can be outfitted that will allow you to run mousses in place of tubes.
But what if you can’t get your hands on one of these limited-edition bikes? Or perhaps you already own a 790 Adventure R and you want to upgrade to the Rally but don’t feel like buying a completely new bike? For answers, I reached out to my friends at Solid Performance, a KTM and WP Suspension dealer.
To upgrade a 790 Adventure R with WP Pro components would cost you $3,600 for the fork and $2,200 for the rear shock. Including the MSRP of the bike, you’d be somewhere around $19,300. That's less than $200 less than the price of the Rally, and keep in mind that doesn’t include the Akra exhaust, Rally pegs, cruise control, Quickshifter +, or Rally seat. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, depending on your height or your intended use of the bike, especially if you already own a 790 Adventure R.
Evan Yarnall, the wizard in charge of suspension work at Solid Performance, explained that the Pro components can be installed via stock height or in the full length, 270 mm setting. So if you could order suspension for your Adventure R and have it configured to match your height, weight, and riding style. Evan also explained that the Rally’s suspension can easily be lowered to 240 mm for shorter riders.
How capable will this bike be off-road? I got a preview this past weekend.
I was riding my KTM 350 EXC-F at the Tri County Sportsmen’s “Hammer Run” ride, one of the best dual-sport events in the northeast. This is a two-day event packed with nearly 180 miles of sandy single-track weaving its way through the swamps of southern New Jersey.
Enduro champion and KTM rider Mike Lafferty showed up on a 790 Adventure R that was built with WP Pro components by Evan at Solid Performance. The other mod that Solid made to his bike was to install a set of 690 Enduro rims ( a 1.85X21 up front and a 2.5X18 at the rear) which allowed Mike to run mousses. While Mike is a professional rider, it was still extremely impressive that he was able to keep pace with folks on much smaller, dirt-specific machines.
I have no doubt in my mind that for folks looking for an off-road-focused adventure bike, the KTM 790 Adventure R Rally will be the bike to beat for years to come. And for those of you out there who are interested in learning more about what can be done to improve your current 790 Adventure R? Give the folks over at Solid Performance a call.
