New Adventures

The adventure motorcycle segment in India is booming – a relatively unexplored segment that has gained quite a lot of popularity thanks to manufacturers like KTM. KTM has always been a champion of this segment and has always brought in products that fit the Indian environment just right. When you have a motorcycle that can cruise at perfect speeds, goes over any kind of terrain, whether it is slow or fast or even a price that makes everyone happy, then you can be sure that the bike in question is the new KTM 390 Adventure. The first generation motorcycle did all that we talked about, but it appeared as one for newer riders. This time round, the second generation seems to do all of this better and faster, a level above the ordinary.

The styling is subjective but the alien face front-end seems to be quite liked by the public, as we did manage to garner some attention on the road. The two projector LED lights make day of the night and the bold colour scheme of orange and white seems to appeal to all. The paint quality, sticker appliqués and even the panels themselves seem to be of high quality. In fact, looking at the bike from the side might convince you that you are looking at one of the 390’s bigger sisters in terms of capacity. Another good aspect is the TFT instrumentation that is clearly legible even at 90 per cent glare and displays a lot of information in a clean, logical layout. There is now a separate button for riding modes and the left hand side features a new well-calibrated cruise control system. Needless to say, everything feels very well built and solid.

The engines on our test bike was brand new and since it hadn’t been run in, was not that smooth for the first 600 or so kilometres. Only on crossing 700 clicks did it start to loosen itself up. Past 1,000, the bike started showing its true gem of quality with no vibration or harshness and the power and torque came together in one fluid motion to give a great ride. The off-road mode is the highest mode you can ride in, and this also doubles up  as a "sports" mode. One good thing here is that you can adjust throttle response or either on or off-road, depending where you are riding.

We rode the bike in a number of areas. From Riding narrow Goa lanes to smooth tarmac to highways and then Maharashtra highways, the bike behaved really well even with the extra 12 kgs weight of our luggage. 21-inch wheels in the front and 18 at the back are ideal for some serious off-roading even if the rider is not so capable. Braking power is also fantastic at both ends. Torque is good across the rev range and you can use it for your urban commute as well on a daily basis. KTM has clearly made its star motorcycle in the premium range of 400cc tempting like never before despite stiff competition.

Priced at INR 3.68 lakhs, ex-showroom

Stoty by Mohit Soni