I
visited
Saltire Motorcycles in Edinburgh,
Scotland and took their
KTM 390 Adventure Motorcycle out in
the Lothians and Borders for a test ride. It was the standard bike with
the tubeless tyres as shown in the image below -
Electronics
There was not much to complain about, all the switches were within
easy reach and worked just fine. The only complaint - on the screen the
indicator green indication lights were joined together on the
left side/top and both flashed irrespective of right or left selection.
Suspension
The standard suspension and overall seating comfort were excellent and I
deliberately went over very rough roads but avoided deep potholes that
could damage the rims.
Seating Height
I did find the seat height, slightly tall for my 32" inside leg and the
broad seat probably robbed me off 1" in leg height. It meant that when
stopping on the brakes and when I put both feet down, I was on my toes
and my groin groaned with the discomfort of the broad seat. If I sat
forward on the front narrow part of the seat, I could flat foot the bike
but it is not a natural position to be in to bring your feet back up on
the pegs. I am used to flat footing my sports bikes (when required) but
I soon adjusted to using just my left leg to support the bike. Lane
splitting in traffic which was stopped was a bit of a hassle because when
the gap became tight, and I slowed almost to a dead stop, it was
slightly awkward to duck walk the bike forward on my toes.
Seat Distance to Bars Problem
The greater problem I had with the seat was that my 6 feet height is
used to leaning further forward towards the bars on my sports bikes as
that position suits my old lower back vertebrae. I found myself attempting
to sit further back on the stock seat which has a high ridge that dug
into my rear end. There is no other seat option with a single straight
length other than the Off-Road Seat which unfortunately is an even
higher seat. If I purchased the KTM, I would either have to change the
bars or hopefully the stock bars could be
rotated a bit further forward to open up the seating leaning distance.
On the
Edinburgh Dual Carriageway Bypass
As usual the wind blasts and cross winds were horrific and I had visions
of this lightweight KTM being blown across the road with me on it. Not a
bit of it. It was incredibly stable and even at 70 mph with full wind
blasts on my chest, I was able to push ahead. I had to keep the revs no
higher than at
6,000 rpm and the speed at 70mph as the running in red warning light
came on above that. The bike had a lot more push but even although I
adhered to the running in indication, I could overtake with ease and get
up to 70mph without any bother. I am sure that once she is run-in, the KTM 390 Adventure will offer even greater performance. If anything, I
think a windscreen extension might be a good idea and KTM offer one -
the
Windscreen Spoiler -
The Gearbox
The gearbox is ultra slick, no clunking, not false neutrals, and
even without a quick shifter, a dream to shift up and down the box. It
does not require a quick shifter and if you want, you can easily shift up
the box using the throttle and your left foot, without using the clutch.
Having stated that, using the clutch at any speed to shift up and down
the gears is effortless and silent.
Engine Performance and Vibrations
For a single cylinder engine I was pleasantly surprised by the
performance which proved most excellent in all conditions and even with
me travelling at the running-in limit at 6,000 revs at around 70mph, the
engine delivered enough power to feel very safe on the dual carriageway
with much more power to offer. In 6th gear the engine remained sweet at
42mph and above, and in 4th gear at 33mph. There was slight vibration in
the bars and the seat at around 6,000 revs but it was not bad enough to
be a discomfort or a deal breaker. NOTE: Many reviews have stated
that the engines of single cylinder motorcycles take a few thousand
miles to bed in, whereby engine vibrations at higher revs, start to
disappear.
The Mirrors
They were a joy to adjust, even on the move and I could see plenty of
the roadway behind me without my arms getting in the way. Engine
vibrations at 6,000 revs showed up very slightly in the mirrors but I
could see behind me without any problem.
The Brakes
The bike had only done just over 100 miles and the front brake proved
excellent despite not being properly bedded in. I had to remember to
allow that extra bit of room, from the vehicle in front, especially when
doing 70 mph on the dual carriageway. The rear brake, well it could be
argued that it did not exist - in fairness it might improve in time? I
would not trust it on it's own to finally stop at slow speed when
reaching a stop sign but for very slow speed
manoeuvres it proved excellent. The back brake in combination with the
front brake during an emergency stop at 50mph
did help to steady the bike and during my tests, in road mode on a dry
road, the ABS did not kick in on either wheel.
High Tech Corning ABS Unit
On no occasion did I require to brake during mid corner. However, the
KTM 390 Adventure motorcycle is fitted with a high tech cornering ABS
unit which allows the rider to heavily brake mid corner, enhancing
stability and control.
Slow Speed
Manoeuvres
and Corner Handling
The KTM 390 Adventure is a dream bike for slow speed handling,
especially clutch/throttle/back brake ultra slow manoeuvres. The turning
circle is very small and is so small that for safety's sake you probably
would never make full use of it on the road, except perhaps when walking
the bike around in a garage. On the corners the bike is awesome, very
flickable and easy to control due to it's lightweight. I had to watch
because it was so easy to lean it hard over and I had to remember that
she was not wearing sport tyres. I did not try the bike off-road but
standing up on the pegs at slow speeds felt safe and was great fun.
The Stock Exhaust Note
I intend to purchase a lightweight adventure or scrambler bike for riding on rough B roads,
some slow riding
country road
rambles, perhaps some green lanes, so the exhaust note on the KTM is
ideally, not that loud. The wildlife
will not be scared by it and I will not be wearing ear plugs. However,
there are options out there for a louder exhaust if that is what someone
wants. This is a video which includes the sound of the stock exhaust -
Traction Control - Winter and Wet Weather Use
A KTM 390 Adventure is a motorbike that I could use in the winter
months and on wet days. All it requires is
Oxford Heated Grips,
some
preparation with
ACF-50
protection spray
and some KTM accessories which I have listed further down the page.
Scotland is notorious for wet weather and the month of July (2023) has
experienced rain most days. The KTM 390 Adventure offers additional
safety on wet roads as it has MTC traction control to assist in stopping rear wheel spins.
Pannier & Shoulder Bag
I sourced a left fitting
Motech Pannier Rail for the bike and a
matching
Legend LC2 Bag which locks onto the
pannier. Note: The pannier rail image below includes the rear topbox
fitting which I would not require - the left pannier rail would actually
fit under the left side grab rail. There is also an optional
Legend Shoulder Strap to click onto
the bag when you are using it off the pannier.
Check out the
Pannier Fixing Instructions. Some images of the left side kit but you can also purchase a right side
kit -
The
KTM 390 Adventure Parts page has a
substantial number of options and my choices are the engine guard bars, an
engine skid plate, a paddock stand and a
Scott Oiler kit
-
KTM Suspension Lowering Kit and New Handlebars
I have given the seat height of the bike and the seat to handlebar distance a great deal of thought and decided that I would lower the suspension height to give me better control on the dual carriageways where lane splitting requires that confidence of control, especially at very slow speeds and fit new handlebars that would allow my body to lean more forward to ease my lower back vertebrae.
The KTM Dealership offer a KTM Suspension Lowering Kit for around £400 fitted which takes the seat height down from 855mm to 835mm. This chap in the video simply fitted a new rear shock from the KTM kit and raised up the front suspension forks in the yolk. However, he did not fit the spacers for the front suspension forks that came with the kit. I am not sure that failing to fit spacers is wise? Lowering the front suspension forks is apparently done internally using spacers. In other words you are making the forks internally shorter. However, there is another way to look at his conversion. If you do not fit the spacers and simply raise the forks in the yolk, the suspension fork internals remain stock but the front of the bike is lowered.
With regards to handlebars that were flatter and positioned more forward
and lower, I searched the internet and came up with
this video which offers a terrific conversion but probably there is a
better solution to his bar end modification at the end of the video. I
sourced his new handlebars at
Bagoras using a KTM Adventure (390)
search and they appear to match the Magura version that he used.
I would get my local KTM Dealership to fit the new handlebars and they
probably use a UK supplier for a similar style of handlebar to suit the
KTM 390 Adventure -
Conclusion
The KTM 390 Adventure is an excellent motorcycle for riding on rough country B
roads and it inspires confidence on the dual carriageways for overtaking. I was
not comfortable during dual carriageway lane splitting, at almost walking pace,
due to my 32" inch inside leg and the broad seat of the bike, I could not flat
foot both my feet on the ground. The seat height could be rectified by lowering
the suspension but more research is required to find out if this would
compromise the suspension on rough roads.
I found the upright seating position compromised my lower and weakened vertebrae
and I would have to move or replace the bars to a further forward position.
I have overviewed a number of scrambler and adventure motorcycles and the KTM
390 Adventure comes in at number one for a extremely lightweight motorcycle with
a high level of tech at a cost effective £6,299.00 on the road price. However,
if I add all of my options as listed above, the cost rises to £7,780.00 but
overall it remains good value.