In late 2018, I accepted the offer of a test ride
on the newly released BMW 310GS. I really
enjoyed the BMW – I took it up the Okuku Pass
in North Canterbury and enjoyed the ride – it
handled slushy gravel roads well and skipped
along on the exposed rock on the pass. It was
easy to park the bike up on a steep slope and
turn it around on a rough piece of loose road. I
thought it would be an excellent choice for day
trips and holidays poking around and doing
some tricky bits, while still looking good and
being able to carry luggage. I pondered and
had long conversations about the bike with
happy owners. However, while I was tempted by
the BMW, I just wasn’t sure it was right for me.
I heard whispers KTM was bringing out the 390
Adventure and decided to wait to do a
comparison. In the meantime, we moved my
existing bikes on to new homes and waited for
a KTM test ride.
Finally, as lockdown lifted, I got my chance to
ride the KTM. I’d read a few ride reports and
done a wee bit of research into the KTM – but
not too much as I like to form my own
impressions. As soon as I walked into the
104 KIWI RIDER