2025 KTM 390 Adventure R Review

KTM’s rapidly growing fleet of 390-series machines, all of which are manufactured in India in cooperation with KTM’s long-standing partner Bajaj, should be headlined by this new Adventure R model. This is the 390-machine making the most sense. It is the King/Queen of all KTM 390s, I say.

Photography by Simon Cudby

This 99 percent-new machine offers the comfort, technology, and capability of a full-size adventure motorcycle to the masses in an approachable form factor that looks better than anything currently orange. It’s non-intimidating and so easy to ride, but it also likes to party. And it looks damn good. That, my friends, is a recipe for maximum fun I’ll sign up for every time.

The extremely attractive starting price of $6999 will turn heads and pique interest in the adventure/dirt-curious, as it should. Seven grand is a low price for this segment and especially with this much tech. Do we dare say entry-level? We dare, because a $7K price tag makes it so.

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I’m very confident this bike will be a hit across North America, and, in full transparency, we’ve already ridden it against some competition (it’s doing very well). It’s so much more than entry level. As mentioned in our 390 Enduro R review last week, the Adventure R version here takes advantage of a strong history of 390 machines in the market. Also, like the 390 Enduro R, this bike is a whole lot more than the 390-platformed bikes of the past.

Unlike the 390 Enduro R, which covers a wide range of dual sport and dirt bike uses, there’s nothing unclear about what this bike truly is or where you should ride it. It’s an adventure machine, ready to go full throttle, built for any roads and off-road trails along your journey, with wind protection and high-mileage capability to assist. It claims to be able to take you anywhere you want to go. Can you believe it?

A Very New Ride | 2025 KTM 390 Adventure R Review

The previous 2020-2024 KTM 390 Adventure and, in later years, the 390 Adventure spoked-wheel version are very distant cousins to this machine. These are the sort of cousins you still admit to being related to but make sure everyone is clearly aware you’re not brothers.

I quite enjoyed the previous 390 Adventure. In 2020 and 2021, I rode it quite a lot, and the bike proved itself to be arguably the best in the entry-level adventure class, with higher performance and better handling than everything we stacked it up against. These bikes were/are quite a few steps above bikes in the entry-level dual sport class for long-distance use as well. The 390s proved themselves to be plenty, and while they were hobbled by their wheel size and frame/suspension potential for more diverse off-road traversing, they were still the premium option. Until now.

This bike is much better. And much newer. And even much more premium. It’s so new, in some ways, it’s not even finished.

Just like its brother, the 390 Enduro R, the 390 Adventure R is getting the new KTM LC4c 399cc engine courtesy of a stroked version of the old design. This increases the displacement by almost 25cc, maintaining the peak horsepower at around 44 claimed while boosting peak torque to 28.8 lb-ft, claimed. A 46mm throttle body feeds Bosch EFI-pumped fuel inside. A ride-by-wire throttle tells the EFI how much gas to shovel in. KTM’s PASC slipper clutch is backing up a six-speed transmission clutched via cable actuation. There is an optional Quickshifter+ available on this bike, as it is on almost every KTM street-legal machine, and we recommend it fully. To turn on QS+ you will have to fork out $275 at your dealership or, just throw a small tantrum and maybe they’ll turn it on for you. We rode a pre-production beta version of the QS+ for this bike (told you it wasn’t finished yet) and I’d pay for it, for sure. Reports are that the final QS+ programming just finished and should be available at your KTM dealership by the time you read this.

Unique to the 390 Adventure R is optional cruise control: nice. This comes with some new switchgear hardware to install as well as the electronic activation, so, you probably won’t be able to stomp your feet into a freebie here. Pricing on cruise control isn’t available at press time, unfortunately.

Since we’re talking about Adventure R-unique upgrades, we might as well dig into the digital bits now.

The Full E-Suite | 2025 KTM 390 Adventure R Review

KTM threw the electronic book at the 390 Adventure R, giving it a class-dominating 3D IMU to implore lean-angle-sensitive traction control and ABS sensitivity into your entry-level adventure-riding vocabulary. This is comparable to high-end street, travel/touring, and even race-bike traction technology. It is not simply using wheel- and vehicle-speed data. As such, there are three built-in ride modes on offer in Street, Off-Road and Rain, each adjusting throttle response, traction control and ABS intervention appropriately. Additionally, users in Off-Road mode can completely disable rear-tire ABS. You cannot turn off the front wheel ABS completely, but the off-road ABS mode is plenty adequate for me. You just need to trust the system and squeeze the lever to the grip once it starts pulsing, something unnerving and unnatural to us off-road-firsters. But it works. Just smash it.

All this settings business is controlled through and viewed via a fantastic, anti-glare five-inch, full-color TFT display. It’s one of the nicest screens in ADV with simple graphics and an easy-to-learn menu process. You can probably read speeds upwards of 90 mph on dirt roads on it…. probably.

Full LED lighting surrounds the 390 Adventure R, much like the 390 Enduro R; however, the 390 Adventure R’s headlight is quite a bit more advanced. I like its output and spread, but it does have a very sharp upper horizon line that cuts off the beam abruptly with a direct transition to black from light; there is no bleed. And the line seems a little low to ensure that oncoming traffic isn’t blasted by LED beams. This line is obscured by high beam use, but it takes a bit of getting used to on dark roads at first. It also has ATIR; if you remember what that stands for from my Enduro R story in our previous issue, congratulations on passing the test (it turns your blinkers off).

Too Much Tech? | 2025 KTM 390 Adventure R Review

Many of us love to talk about bikes being ruined by too many menus, tech and options. And it’s true bikes like the Yamaha Tenere 700 and Honda Africa Twin were at least as good a couple of versions ago, without as many buttons. But the amount of tech you’re receiving in the 390 Adventure R is so impressive for the price and so easy to use, I don’t think it’s lost here. Even the beta version Quickshifter+ we experienced was more than adequate, with good feel and quick snaps up and down gears, a much better system than the finished version offered on the T7, for sure. The ride modes also function as intended, and the ABS and TC intervention on your ride experience is smooth and controlled. I love the ride-by-wire throttle feel, and the response in the engine is without delay. The bike requires some clutch use to get rolling in most situations, due to the soft power delivery off idle. But once you’re past lift-off, you can basically just keep the bike pinned and shift your way up and down to happiness.

The engine only wants to rev high to produce power and torque. You don’t need to baby it around. However, if you find yourself in a tight spot and want to creep your way out, rest assured the power delivery to the rear is as traction-friendly as you can get. The engine is so new, in fact, that during our test ride we were informed final mapping was still being… finalized. (See? The bike isn’t done yet.) It seems KTM is pushing an update out soon with a fix to what we describe as a “clutch-in downshifting stall.” If you have QS+ running, this isn’t much of an issue, as you simply smash down through the gears as you approach a stop. However, if you’re rolling up with the clutch in and drop a gear, the bike stopped running on me a few times. KTM says their update will clean this up.

There’s only one tech piece I’d add if I could, and that’s the option to turn all ABS off in Off-Road mode. I guess I just want the dirt bike experience when I’m in the dirt, even though I know the off-road ABS will stop me faster than I can without it. Sometimes I don’t make sense with what I want, but here we are.

The kickstand switch is another update we anticipate rolling in from KTM on this model and the 390 Enduro R soon. The ADV model has the same foot-pressure-induced activation that can cut power to the motor. We experienced this while aggressive off-road riding on this bike, and a kickstand-safety-switch update is reportedly in the works to remedy this issue.

Running Gear | 2025 KTM 390 Adventure R Review

The handling department on the 390 Adventure R is equipped with the same componentry (except for tire make/model) as the 390 Enduro R. This means nine inches of suspension travel, both front and rear, with the WP Apex 43mm open cartridge fork handling front wheel duty. This fork works admirably with massive, fast-access clicker adjustability and a great factory setting.

Out back, the poor shock is in the same boat as our 390 Enduro R test, tasked with too much duty for its design. On the Adventure R, the shock is both better and worse than on the Enduro R. It’s better because you’re much less likely to get rowdy on the bike with the full fairing and windscreen, right? Right!? But it’s worse because guys like me are much more likely to strap a sleeping kit and other overnight necessities on the back of this thing, and giving the shock more weight to work with is not going to help. It simply doesn’t have the valving capacity to do the job. Instead, it should be replaced with the WP Pro Components rear shock (MSRP not available yet).

The ground-level off-road-worthy wheel and tire sizes, with Mitas Enduro Trail E07+ tires, make for a high-quality ride. We are big fans of the Mitas adventure range and having the Enduro Trail EO7+ tires here is a good move. Stopping all the fun is Bybre (an Indian-run offshoot of Brembo) componentry, which offers plenty of power. They’ve worked great in the past; I’m not expecting them to fail here.

It’s clear the 390 Adventure R is no Duke-turned-ADV afterthought. It’s full-on Adventure R now. It’s got its own frame, removable subframe and an off-road-specific swingarm, one shared with the 390 Enduro R. New bodywork sits on the frame and covers a new fuel tank, holding 3.7 gallons of fuel. Now, 3.7 gallons should get you close to 185 miles on a tank if you’re approaching 50 mpg average, which I did, hitting some high-speed interstates and awesome dirt roads and two-tracks. However, for me, the reserve light came on at 112 miles. When I stopped to fill up at 133 miles, the bike took 2.7 gallons for 49 mpg. By my calculations, the bike’s reserve light came on after using about 2.3 gallons. The range is good for this size of bike, but the reserve light seems a little early—like, a gallon early.

The Looks and The Works | 2025 KTM 390 Adventure R Review

I like the way this bike looks. I talk about it a lot. Its style is every bit the part of a rally race machine in profile, and from the front-on, it looks like something you really want to be seen on. Yamaha crushed this style with the launch of the Tenere. Most, however, including KTM, botch it horribly and deliver some odd version of street/space hybrids. Many, like me, hope that KTM’s 790s, 890s, 1290s, and whatever-90s models coming out soon will receive similar visual updates and return to the roots of the 950/990 Adventure’s badassery. This is close and looks even better in person.

More than good looks, the bike’s scaled-perfect rally tower, fairing and windscreen work exceptionally well at protecting you from highway speeds. Anyone under six feet tall will be tucked into a great space. Those above will deal with a little more exposure, but the bike is still very comfortable at speed. Additionally, the high-mounted display is easily visible while riding. The stepped seat is plenty roomy for the same six-foot-and-under crowd, but taller riders will want a flat one-piece seat like on the 390 Enduro R, I’m sure.

About the only thing in the entire build screaming “street bike” is the under-mount exhaust. This, too, is on the 390 Enduro R, and we haven’t had any catastrophic connections during testing, but the pipe package down low still seems vulnerable. We’re going to need that massive skid plate ASAP, thanks!

If you’re considering a life in the Adventure Lane, and don’t know where to start, investing in the new KTM 390 Adventure R is going to be approachable and safe. This bike is very cool, very easy to ride and should be ruling the 390 world for quite some time. CN

2025 KTM 390 Adventure R Specifications

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