2025 KTM 390 Adventure R

[ducatirdr]

Here is a thread to track the KTM 390 Adventure R that was seen at EICMA in Nov 2024.

My personal view is it could be the bike most of us in the north east are looking for in a lightweight ADV bike. Something that can handle boring roads as well as Monument Rd ledge in Royalston MA. It looks that part anyway. I got tired of my 890 Rally and sold it. A BMW 1300GS took its place. I won't be riding hard ADV rides anytime soon unless I pull my enduro leaning dual sport FE350S out for some stupidness. I hate riding that bike on the street. It can do it but it just feels so wrong.

I have thought of taking a 690 and building a BDR killer with rally tower but having ridden one in anger I can say its not much more comfortable than my enduro 350. So why bother with the spend. I think another lower budget option is to look at the new Suzuki DRZ400E. Or go way off the reservation and get a Kove 450. Nah I can't toss away $10k on Harbor Frieght build quality. Anyway lets look at the 2025 or will it be 2026 for the USA as some are reporting.

[boosten lebaron]

What about the crf rallye? That seems like a viable option for those looking. The more i read about the new drz the more i dislike it.

[ducatirdr]

I picked up a CRF300L Rally used with only 74 miles on it for $5400. The guy bought it rode it a few times and realized he didn't like riding. I got it home and immediately ordered a flashed ECU, slip-on and high flow air filter. It had enough power to wheelie in second without an issue. The top speed may have been around 80. The other update was the suspension which I tossed a $500 dollar ktech rear shock with correct spring and a front spring as well with heavier oil. I rode the thing a few times and realized it would never be close to any sort of weapon. It was a good bike for going slow and not trying to wick it up. Then my buddy dropped his 300 rally on a rocky trail. It was a tip over as he had to step off of it and let it fall. The shifter was bent and the bike wouldn't shift gears. It wasn't the shift lever but the shaft inside the transmission. I asked on a FB group page for the 300 if this has happened to anyone else and there was a flood of people replying within the hour. Yep its a weak point inside the transmission. It requires pulling the engine apart and putting in a new shaft. This was just for a simple tip over onto a rock. I sold My CRF300L Rally for what I had into it. Ya this isn't your grandpa's Honda any more.

One day riding in Pachaug on my Husky I came across a guy on a CRF300L. The thing was brand new and there he was at the botton of Mt Misery. I stopped and saw the handlebar was snapped off the bike cleanly at the clamp. Yup built for a price point and really not meant for hard riding. He was fine but he had no idea how to get the bike back to the road. Ya me neither....

The CRF450L was with us during that ride and the rider couldn't get it up the hill. I gave him my Husky and rode his 450. The thing felt long compared to my Husky. Probably a great desert bike for higher speed riding and for easier ADV type riding. But for north east tight and rocky stuff it just didn't seem to do you any favors.

[Paul_E_D]

This is interesting for sure. I like the 390 motor. Hopefully they re-tune it for some grunt. More likely, they just toss it in there.

[Crconnor18]

It looked like an awesome bike but then I try and understand how much of a weight difference the 690 and 390 enduro T’s would be and wonder if I’d be better off just getting the 690. I don’t have any experience on either 390 or 690 motors but can’t see a bike being much lighter if you already have a dirtbike-esc single cylinder bike.

[dankatz]

The Kove 450 is getting popularity outside of the US. I hope the KTM 390 Adventure R is truly a better quality bike - KTM is certainly a bigger company. Every bike will have it's faults. I think buying a bike that is not brand new to the market will help clarify. I really like that Suzuki is coming with the DRZ4S. I think it will be a good platform (assuming they truly changed the gear ratios as the rumors are) for a light, Japanese-reliable, ADV bike. The Chinese are bringing many cool new bikes onto the market. We will have to figure out which ones have enough support and quality reputation. This one is cool too, a twin https://www.cfmotousa.com/inventory/unit/ibex-450. We shall how the reviews and quality hold up

I really like my Aprilia Tuareg. It feels very light, has character, top notch suspension and quality components, low CG with the tank inside, etc... Aside from the shifter bolt weakness which I experienced when it snapped off I am very happy with it. It was a $26 fix with a titanium one. I am not sure the whole ADV riding is for me, but that is whole other thread....

[tls25rs]

I really like my Aprilia Tuareg. It feels very light, has character, top notch suspension and quality components, low CG with the tank inside, etc... Aside from the shifter bolt weakness which I experienced when it snapped off I am very happy with it. It was a $26 fix with a titanium one. I am not sure the whole ADV riding is for me, but that is whole other thread....

Curious if the Aprilia engineers intentionally put a softer/weaker bolt in the shifter bolt to avoid things like described up above with the Honda 300? A shear bolt of sorts to prevent the damage from being more expensive.

[dankatz]

Curious if the Aprilia engineers intentionally put a softer/weaker bolt in the shifter bolt to avoid things like described up above with the Honda 300? A shear bolt of sorts to prevent the damage from being more expensive.

That is a very interesting perspective. I didn't think about that. I think there has to be a better design. We now have over 2 years of data and many motorcycles without any issues like the CRF-described problem. I think the quality if actually very good with the Aprilia. I have been concerned about Japanese vs European/Italian, but so far no issues.

[whynot]

Here's a suggestion that will go nowhere on NESR -- DR650.

Tried and true, bulletproof, ride anywhere, ride forever, everything is known, everything is available. New ones cost less than a DRZ, and good used ones come up regularly at reasonable prices. Our mutual FB friend PaulP rides his everywhere, day and night, year 'round, any and all weather. You prolly saw his recent post, riding the 'Pike to get to trails in NYS.

More accessories than anyone would ever need from ProCycle, including a 790 kit.

True, it has no electronic crap to screw up, just a simple and reliable, easy-to-fix, go-anywhere bike. But you have to operate (gasp) a choke lever when starting cold. Carb'd is good, no fuel pump, one less thing to worry about. Air-cooled for even more simplicity and less to screw up or break.

[dankatz]

Here's a suggestion that will go nowhere on NESR -- DR650.

Tried and true, bulletproof, ride anywhere, ride forever, everything is known, everything is available. New ones cost less than a DRZ, and good used ones come up regularly at reasonable prices. Our mutual FB friend PaulP rides his everywhere, day and night, year 'round, any and all weather. You prolly saw his recent post, riding the 'Pike to get to trails in NYS.

More accessories than anyone would ever need from ProCycle, including a 790 kit.

True, it has no electronic crap to screw up, just a reliable easy-to-fix, go-anywhere bike. But you have to operate (gasp) a choke lever when starting cold.

We need Suzuki to update it and come up with the DR6S next year :-)

[whynot]

We need Suzuki to update it and come up with the DR6S next year :-)

By "S" instead of "SE" you mean kickstart only?

[dankatz]

No, I meant the treatment that was done to the DRZ400S
https://suzukicycles.com/dualsport/2025/dr-z4s

[nhbubba]

390 ADV-R looks nifty. I worry about the price. And has anyone else read the rumors that KTM is filing bankruptcy?!

I'm hot for a lighter weight ADV or chunky, easy to live with dual sport again. My life changed again and I've moved to eastern Maine. I still want to ride rallies in VT and NH, but am not excited about doing that stretch of 95 on anything even remotely dirt friendly. I've been thinking of something light and starting to trailer to events. Enjoy the heat, cruise control, and pod-casts on those long highway hops rather than the fatigue of riding it.

I was hot for the CRF300L for a while. In the end I decided the suspension kills it for me. I'd need to throw too much good money at it to make it something I want. And then you are still left with a 300.
Kurlon got me hooked on the idea of a ~12-16 500 EXC-F. I still like the idea a lot. I even had one nailed down but the seller and I just couldn't coordinate schedules of all things.
Also have flirted with the idea of the CRF450L. But man, they have held their values well. By my math you can get the KTM 500 for less.

Also still thinking about another DRZ. I was pleased with the suspension with just big-boy springs. Old, but not shit either. I still remember taking my '03 out on my little yard track a few days before I sold it and running the loop I'd been running on my much lighter, much higher perf 200 XC and feeling relatively pleased with it. D606's and all. The KTM was obviously much more of a woods "weapon". But the DRZ didn't suck. Hell, I even rode it at NHMX.
Having fantasies about picking up a cheap, beat DRZ. '03 or newer. Either buying an E from the jump or actually doing hot-cams and a flat-slide this time. Or maybe a DRZ-SM. There are some pretty solid choices for knobbies in 17 these days.

A DRZ-SM with big-boy springs, cams and a chinese FCR39 copy rolling on 700 or 805's. Talk me out of it.

[dankatz]

Rumors are correct https://youtu.be/1P8uT_7JGNM?si=S7L6x72wf00BjHg3
There is something very endearing about the DRZ400S and the DR650S. I am looking forward to road reviews of the updated DRZ4S and hoping the DR650 will get the same treatment. I also thought you don't need to spend a ton of money to upgrade the crf300l suspension - I guess it all depends what you want. It will never be a racer, but for $1000 you could get it to a very good level suspension wise. In any case, highways, especially vast ones like in Maine, would be hard on a crf300 or any proper dual sport.

[nhbubba]

Right. My next dual sport will transit much of Maine in the back of a pickup or on a trailer.
Even at $1000 (although my guestimate was higher) just leaves a bad taste on a brand new or nearly new motorbike.
The new EFI DRZ doesn't do as much for me. Nor does the DR650, as hard as I try to want to like that thing. A mid 2000's DRZ has a really nice value proposition. I really enjoyed mine.

[SRTie4k]

https://www.ktm.com/en-us/models/dua...0-enduror.html

https://www.ktm.com/en-us/models/tra...dventurer.html

[jimmycapp]

Looks really cool, but something doesn't add up. Maybe misprint on the KTM site?

690 enduro R
148KG/326 lbs
55KW/74HP


390 Enduro R
159KG/350LBS
33Kw/44HP

[boosten lebaron]

I tried the 2024 390 adv when I was looking last month for a new bike. It was terrible to even sit on. It was way too focused. Had good power but it came at a price. No way could I sit and ride that thing all day, no chance. Build quality was horrific too. Even Wagner stated it had gone way down recently and I don't think a new model would fix that, it might make it worse.
As most know I ended up on the guzzi because I needed it to go for long stretches on the highway. If I wasn't so insistent on highway runs I would have bought the bmw 310gs 100%. That bike would do 95% of what I wanted, even the highway bit but it would be asking a lot of the motor. That little 310 is a very capable machine that gets overlooked I think. Infact I still may go buy one if I sell my hawk 650 and use it as a backwoods bomber.

[SRTie4k]

Looks really cool, but something doesn't add up. Maybe misprint on the KTM site?

690 enduro R
148KG/326 lbs
55KW/74HP


390 Enduro R
159KG/350LBS
33Kw/44HP

It's not meant as a competitor to the 690. It's also half the cost, so they had to cut corners somewhere (namely with weight).

[MattR302]

Looks really cool, but something doesn't add up. Maybe misprint on the KTM site?

690 enduro R
148KG/326 lbs
55KW/74HP


390 Enduro R
159KG/350LBS
33Kw/44HP

The 690/701 actual wet weight is around 348-350 lbs, IIRC
From what I’ve read the 390 weight of 350 lbs is “curb” weight

[jimmycapp]

The 690/701 actual wet weight is around 348-350 lbs, IIRC
From what I’ve read the 390 weight of 350 lbs is “curb” weight

Both dry weight taken from the KTM site.

Just kinda disappointed. Too much weight at too little hp, imo. It certainly is cheap though.

[nhbubba]

Damnit. The ADV-R looks exactly what I want. All of these 390 variants look epic. I expected at least $10k. $7k for that seems downright reasonable for the ADV-R. And $5500 for the Enduro R seems even better.

The Honda CRF300L is like $5800.

[ducatirdr]

Deposit is down on the 390 Adv-R. In isolation it meets my goals. It's an 890 with 100lbs taken off along with 1/2 the horsepower. Sure it's not a 690 but I think the 690 needs a complete redesign before I'd buy one. They are just too big for my 5'9" frame. When they come out with a rally tower and forward mount 890 style tank to put more weight over the front and fix the steering lock for tight new england trails I'll get the 690. But I think the 390 might just be enough. If I can wheelie it in 2nd I'll be happy. It isn't going to be a highway hauler. Its a BDR bike for the hero sections.

[Crconnor18]

I’m curious how well the Kove 450’s compare to the 390 adv platform. Those lighter weight adv/rally-ish bikes not completely based off a dirtbike chassis look to be growing more and more.

[nhbubba]

I've been pricing my "dream" CRF builds.

The CRF300L (not even rally) is at $5,316.41 + bike (~$5749)
The CRF450RL is at $2,926.61 + bike (~$10699)

Both get upgraded tanks, seats and some basic protection. The 450RL gets a stator upgrade and ECU, but no other performance upgrades. The 300L gets an Ari Herring 301 big-bore kit, CBR cams, exhaust and a full suspension workup. Both get an Adventure Spec mini fairing setup with me dreaming of diy'ing a full rally stack "someday". I've been drawn to the 300L because it'd be a hell of a fun project to build, but repulsed because the realist in me knows I don't have that kind of personal time.

WTF am I thinking?!