I had the pleasure to pick up my GF's brand new set of wheels today - and I got to play with much of the day while she was away for work. Ok, this is very early days - so not a review - first impressions only.

Wow what a bike!!!

The elctronics on this bike, and all the riders aids - it is out of this world! In this price bracket it is unheard of. Even my brand new T7 that costs twice as much is a neanderthal in comparison! Sure, you might think it is a pain having to reset the ABS every time you stall the bike - but seriously - we get why KTM has set it up that way - people would get themselves killed otherwize and they lawyesr get fired. It is the norm on all makes these days anyways. Anyhow, it is easily fixed with a dongle if one is that bothered by it.

The bike even comes standard with clickers on the suspension - at this price!

KTM has gotten a lot of criticism for the forward leaning angle of the footpegs - with claims that the stand up riding position becomes very aquard. After having tried it, I assume much of this perceived criticism must derive from an echo-chamber of people just parroting what they have heard, but not really having the faintest clue what they are talking about. I do get why it is not to everyone's liking, but it has its benefits - and it is a better option for what this bike is meant for. Anyways, it really sin't that bad. Infact, when you conscider the total package of limiting factors (ground clearance, alloy wheels, travel length of shock travel, wheel size, etc) - it makes sense to have these pegs at a forward angle rather than perfectly horiozontal. My reasoning behind this is that the other limiting factors will make most riders take it a bit easy on the rough stuff - not demanding as much standing up as if one was gunning it all the time. This means more time spendt sitting down than on other rides meant for riding more agressively. Sitting down the forward leaning angle offers both more comfort and agility and is the better setup fpr how this bike will be ridden 99% of the distance. In asia for instance, the main market for this bike, riders sit where westerners stand. This nimble bike will get you through anything sitting down - if you take it easy. That much said - standing up is really not that bad - just not so good that you would want to do it for long durations at a time, nor ride very agressively on really rough terrain.

The footpegs are however a bit high for offroading (it shares a street bike platform, where footpegs need to be high to avoid them digging into the ground when leaning full angle on the track). The main issue here is that you stand higher than you might be used to on other dual sports or adventure bikes, with less grip on the seat and tank, and more forward leaning. So yes, a bit aquard - just not bad. Having the footpegs lowered would result in a slightly more comfortable knee angle when riding in the seated position for a long time, and slightly less straineous when standing up (one would for this purpose probably make the pegs horiosintal at the same time and add some bar risers). I have seen after market footpegs that sit 1,5 cms lower and perfectly horiozontal - though not sure if the difference is great enough to justify the time abd money. My guess is that my GF's bike will never see such an "upgrade" - as the standard set up is more than adequate for taking her anywhere she will brave to go (she is very brave).

This bike comes stock with a bash plate and radiator protector - both are inadequate for anything more than light offroad riding - the same might go for the hand protectors. They are ok - but something that most of us would want to upgrade (as has my GF). The OEM Crash bars are good, and something which I also think is a must have (comes standard in some markets I believe).

The stock tires are very much road biased, but they are good enough that these will not be replaced before they are worn out. I would have no qualms taking these on just about any terrain, except for maybe mud (where I have qualms with mostroad legal tires anyway). I would have preferred less road biased tires - but these are really quite ok.

I don't really like cast wheels on a bike that will go offroad - but many will prefer the ease of mending the tubeless tyre on these vs the tubed spoked OEM wheel upgrade (which really doesn't cost that much). I guess my GF will keep these wheels until she destroys them, or if going on a very long trip off the beaten track.

The stock windshield is short - but at 90 km/h I wasn't bothered one bit. As my GF will only seldom ride speeds above 100 km/h, and virtually never above 120, this will probably never be upgraded. It is however good to know that anything that will fit the 790 will also fit the 390. Givi has some good options.

KTM does not officially offer OEM heated grips for this bike, but there is a kit meant for a ten year older KTM that will work on this bike (it's been ordered, but not fitted yet, so I really don't have any more information to share as of yet - but will as soon as I do).

The ground clearance isn't much to brag about - but neither are many other bikes in the adventure class. But, as this bike is not meant for gunning it offroad - it will still tackle any track you put it on - in its own pace. Agian, with alloy rims - how hard would you ride a terrain where ground clearance and shock travel was a major issue? One has to conscider the total package when making an opinion of individual traits such as this one. However, if ground clearance is a big concern - then no economical upgrade can resolve this - something to think about when coosing this bike (most of the other issues can easily be ironed out without breaking the bank).

The suspension - wow! In this price bracket - no complaints. In fact, in this price bracket I can't think of anything that comes even close! Sure you will bottom it out if you ride the bike to the maximum of your abilities on rough terrain, but so will you on a T7 (though not as early). But for the smaller stuff - I can't see how it won't soak it up with comfort and without loosing much traction.

The handling of the bike is superb. It feels allmost like a bicycle - abeit a tall one. My GF has never ridden a manual before (only 10 hours on a scooter). Tippy toing - fifteen minutes in - she was running through the gears, accelerating and breaking hard, turning the handlebars full, crawling and flicking the bike... Had she ridden my F650GS Dakar, that pictire would have looked a lot different. So, even if the bike is tall - don't let the hight scare you - this bike is the easiest bike I have ever ridden.

The quick shifter - she chose not to opt for it. It is probably a fun toy to have - but not one she felt was worth the money (I agree - the money is better spendt on other gizmos). Anyhow, should she ever want it, it is only a quick software upgrade at the stealer.

The bike has some serious power for it's size and weight - 43 HP and 37 Nm torque! Conscidering that the XT660Z tenere only has 5 hp more (albeit 58 nm torque though), one must really appreciate how much umph KTM has squeezed out of this engine. Also, conscidering that you for a five year old tenere, with far less advanced tech, will pay the same as a brand new 390, one must also appreciate the value in terms of power for your money. It's not really fair to compare these two bikes as they are too dissimilar on other attributes - but for the value, there is a comparison to be made - and one which for my GF's intents and purposes, the 390 Adventure wins easily. A better comparison - one which many these days seem to put at the top of the list for budget adventure bikes (with many references to our heroine Itchy Boots), is the Royal Enfielf Himalyan... with only 24 HP and 32 NM Torque (about the equivalent HP of my Vespa GTS 300).

I am 186 cm tall, and the bike feels a bit towards the small size for me - but not so small that I felt cramped at all - except for full handlebar turns. I would still prefer a bigger bike for myself (thats why I've bought a T7 Rally for myself - but I would still have no problems going RTW on this bike (I still will want to borrow it from her every now and then - it is a lot of fun).

The seat is a bit too hard for my liking though. If I was to have the bike for myself - that would be something I would fix - maybe just some sheep skin, maybe change the whole saddle? My vertically challenged GF however, she will have to weigh the cons of a higher seat vs a more comfortable seat - not something of someone of my height would have to cosncider (she is 173 cm tall with an inseam of 87 cm if I remember correctly - with both heels 2-3 cms off the ground).

The one thing that bothers me the most is the available luggage options for this bike. The OEM rack will only work with the OEM bags. The OEM side bags are in my opinion inadequate for adventure motorcycling. They are small, they are not waterproof, there are no means to fasten stuff on their outside, the closure mechanism is a zipper (will likely break in a fall or from regular usage). Also the side loading will get tiresome real quick, and even more so as you will have to deal with zippers. The only good thing to say about the OEM panniers is that the rack is discrete, they are competetively priced, they sit tight on the bike (narrow) and you can use them with a pillion (though this is not a bike you would want to ride with a pillion on for more than a few kilometers). There are some hard pannier options for this bike, i.e. Holan.pl, but not any soft panniers that I like. Givi has something which resembles Mosko Backcountry - but is much inferior. What I wan't is Mosko, Kriega, Lonerider, or the likes. I have seen a setup with Mosko, but it is too wide and rides too high and looks like crap. Hopefully there will be more suitable options available soon (I am not a fanboy of giant loop or any rackless setup for anything but a types of trips - and even then I would much prefer Mosko Backountry). The search for luggage continues - I will update you once we have decided.

Competitors
When she bought this bike, the closest contender was the Himalayan - for its value. Although even cheaper than the 390 Adventure, it just didn't offer the value that the 390 Adventure did. In comparison, the suspension, the power, the riding aids... it was so far behind in everything, but the looks. Even though the Himalyan looks far better than most adventure bikes out there, with all it's nostalgic pedigree and insignia - it feels a bit gimicky I think. What's up with two fenders - one high and one low - just for looks? Also, the cutout on the tank which not only is too small to fit even a short rider, but also inhibits standing up and reduces fuel capacity - just for looks? I think they went too far to meke it look good - to the point where form over function becomes a bit gimicky. I won't argue that the Himalyan isn't capabale or that it doesn't offer great value - it does so in buckets - just not remotely close to that of the 390. Sure the 390 costs a bit more, but neglible when you conscider how much more you get for that little extra bit of money.
If there was to be a top contender to this bike, for me personally it would be the Honda CRF300L Rally (not for my GF as she hated how it looked - and looks matters). Had it not been for the fact that she got such a great deal on a brand new leftover from 2020 - with immediate delivery, and that she would have to wait ages for the Honda - she might still have conscidered it. The Kawasaki Versys X 300, a used one, could have made the cut - but there was none to be found in our country at the time. She did for a while conscider a used Yamaha XT660Z Tenere, but in the end felt that the 390 was a better beginners bike and offerred better value on these merits. The Honda CB500X was also conscidered, but was pricier, and in the end offerred less value, and she did not like the looks.

Personally - if I had the option to choose between my fully kitted BMW F650GS Dakar and this bike, for myself - I wouldn't have to think twice. Even if I could get the Dakar brand new - I would still have chosen the 390 Adventure with a bit of kit thrown on. Where you will have to use a bit of muscle on the Bimmer, telepathy will do the job on the KTM - it is that easy to ride! I think the only thing of real value to me that I would have felt I would have given up, would have been the ground clearance.

I believe that the 390 is something she can grow with, and also live with to the bike dies - though if I know her right, she will want a beast of an adventure bike in some years - and I will have to fend her off my T7 with my tire irons.

For her now, as a beginner, I think she has found a perfect bike for her - one which she after a long search has become utterly in love with... ans she has allready named (Tigger). It all looks very promising - and as I have given her advice, I am really relieved with the outlooks. Choosing your first bike and getting it right requires a lot of luck - especially when everything for a beginner seems so abstract!

I bet we will see our share of these bikes passing us on our journeys!

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