The KTM 390 Adventure Has Arrived

The long-awaited 2020 KTM 390 Adventure will finally be a reality. The Austrian brand revealed details of the new machine during the EICMA show in Milan, Italy, and it promises to be every bit as exciting as we'd hoped.

The 390 Adventure is powered by the same 373cc DOHC single found in the 390 Duke, complete with ride-by-wire, balancer shaft, and PASC slipper clutch. Fuel is fed by a 46mm throttle body, and spent petrol flows through a stainless steel header pipe out a slim exhaust canister.

The powerplant is housed within a steel trellis frame, and the package utilizes WP APEX suspension components to soak up bumps. The 43mm USD fork comes from development work in the enduro segment, and features separate function adjustability, with compression damping changes made on the left leg and rebound on the right. The shock has an adjustable spring preload and rebound damping. There’s 6.7 inches travel available at the front and 6.9 inches at the rear.

Bybre brakes provide stopping power, and the 19-inch front/17-inch rear wheel set-up is shod in Continental TKC70 tires.

LED lighting comes at the front and rear, and a windshield provides protection from the elements. Ride position is upright and neutral, with a seat height of 33.6 inches. The bike will carry 3.8 gallons of fuel and fetch 249 miles per tank, according to KTM.

It’s also stocked with an electronics suite typically reserved for larger bikes, including switchable ABS with off-road functionality, traction control, cornering ABS and a full-color, five-inch TFT display.

The package as a whole has a claimed dry weight of 348.3 pounds, and a race-derived quickshifter upgrade is available for riders that want to spend a little extra over the $6,199 MSRP.

On paper, the 390 Adventure definitely punches above its weight. It's most direct class competitor, the Kawasaki Versys-X 300, is definitely outmatched, particularly considering you will only spend $400 more for the KTM.

The adjustable suspension, off-road ABS, and additional power would be enough to tip the scales, but then you add the rest of the electronics package, the TKC tires, cornering ABS, Bluetooth connectivity via KTM My Ride, and TFT instrument panel, then you're looking at a really, really compelling package. KTM has advanced the burgeoning class of small-bore adventure machines to another level. Whether that bears out in the saddle, remains another matter.