“
This is the best single cylinder road bike I
have ever ridden”, KR photographer Geoff
said, while reflecting on a day of riding and
photographing KTM’s new 390 adventure
machine. Readers don’t often see many written
words from Mr. Osborne, but many of us have
enjoyed his photos in KR for over 35 years.
What some won’t know is that while he is always
working on the camera side of the picture, he
has been riding most of the bikes that come
through the KR stable from day one and is a
bloody good rider too. This means he has ridden
probably every cool bike released for about 40
odd years, so when Geoff says something like
that... it’s definitely time to shut up and listen.
I have to say... I completely agree. Yes, the new
KTM 390 is an adventure bike, but its greatest
strength is as a road bike. Sure, it is a competent
all-roads bike too, but KTM clearly designed this
adventure machine with a bias towards Tarmac,
then gravel and, to a far lesser extent, offroad.
The 70/30 road/dirt tyres and a 19-inch front
wheel allow for no real arguments to that.
BEATING HEART
The new 390 is hardly what I would call an
attractive bike. To my mind it looks bland at best
and would benefit greatly from its trellis frame
being painted orange like its larger stable mates,
at the very least. But it’s certainly distinctively a
KTM with the ‘praying mantis’ headlight, and
perhaps that’s enough for KTM owners?
However, the ride experience is fantastic.
What makes the 390 so good? The engine is
definitely the heart of it, but the rest of the
package is good too. The 373cc, liquid-cooled,
DOHC, single cylinder four-stroke has a slipper
clutch and gives a peak power of 32kW @
9000rpm and maximum torque of 37Nm some
2000 revs lower. Those numbers won’t excite
battle hardened old boys, but it’s not meant to.
And the way the engine goes about its business,
those old boys will probably have a smile on
their faces anyway. This is a fun engine. Perky
and responsive, revvie and willing, with enough
torque to hold its pace quite well even on hills.
96 KIWI RIDER