Buying A Used KTM 390 Adventure? We List Out The Pros And Cons

It's been over two and a half years since the KTM 390 Adventure was launched in India and it has been a hit with those who are looking to buy a motorcycle that can not only tackle tough terrain but is a comfortable highway cruiser as well. It is accessible and not as intimidating as bigger ADVs, even for riders with less off-road experience, and yet be a potent enough off-road weapon in the right hands. But before you buy a used KTM 390 Adventure, here's a list of pros and cons that you should keep in mind.

(The performance on the KTM 390 Adventure is good and it can tackle tough terrain with ease)

Pros

1. The KTM 390 Adventure gets the same as the 390 Duke, so the 373 cc, single-cylinder engine puts out 43 bhp at 9,000 rpm, and 37 Nm at 7,000 rpm.
2. There's long travel suspension from WP, a non-adjustable upside down front fork, with 170 mm of travel. At the rear too, the suspension has 10-step preload adjustability, with 177 mm of travel.
3. There's 200 mm of ground clearance, with an engine bash plate, as well as off-road ready, serrated footpegs.
4. The alloy wheels are bigger, with a 19-inch front wheel, and 17-inch rear wheel combination, and get tubeless tyres, built for both road, and off-road usage, which are Metzeler Tourance units.
5. It also gets a long list of electronic rider aids - ride-by-wire throttle, switchable lean sensitive traction control, cornering ABS, with the option to switch ABS on the rear wheel, as well as a standard quickshifter. And there's also the KTM MyRide smartphone connectivity system as well, all managed through the full-colour TFT instrument console

(Buying a used KTM 390 Adventure makes sense for the budget conscious off-road enthusiast. But in order to extract maximum off-road performance, one needs to upgrade his/her riding skills)

Cons

1. There's no bottom-end grunt and you do need to keep the engine spinning, especially when you are trying to negotiate tough terrain.
2. For off-road enthusiasts, the KTM 390 Adventure demands a higher skill set, to extract the maximum performance out of the motorcycle. That may not be to everybody's liking.
3. Again, for hard-core off-road users may have to look towards aftermarket solutions for wire-spoke wheels as the 390 Adventure comes with alloy wheels as standard. For regular use, long distance touring and mild off-roading, the alloy wheels are more than sufficient.