2021 KTM 390 Adventure Long Term Review: 1000km in a day test

The Dark Times

I have two options - manage the darkness before sun up, or fight it out post sundown. I choose the former for two reasons. One, I have a better idea about what the roads getting out of Mumbai and leading to Pune are like. And two, my concentration levels would be higher in the morning, when I am less tired against being in the saddle for over 10 hours.

So I decide to leave by 5 am, leaving me an hour of darkness to deal with and none towards the end of the journey. But, by the time I have secured the luggage, gotten the bike warmed up, and said my elaborate goodbyes, I am over half an hour behind schedule. And that turns out to be a good thing because the 390 ADV's headlamps are average at best. These light up the road well for speeds of up to 80kmph. But any faster, and these are no good. Now I didn’t get rain, but these would be even less effective in a dark downpour.

Road to Satara

With the sun coming up, and the road being all too familiar, the ride to Pune is lovely. The 390 Adventure is holding three-digit speeds without bother, and it barely takes any time getting there either. The motorcycle is also proving to be surprisingly agile and surefooted through the tight, winding, ghat roads, and all this with almost 25kg of luggage strapped on. You know the usual - clothes, toiletries, food, a leather suit, race boots, a spare helmet, a coffee machine, books, charging wires, crayons… you get the picture.

And before I know it, the Pune bypass and the Katraj tunnel are history, and now the busy but fast six-lane highway to Satara beckons. Sadly, the surface of the road to Satara isn’t like I remember. It’s broken at the least expected places, and some potholes are so severe, they’d take a car’s undercarriage with them if one missed them. The 390 Adventure is proving to be a boon here though, courtesy of its longer travel and well-damped suspension setup. The suspension might feel slightly firm at slow speeds, but as the going gets quick, or difficult, the 390 simply comes into its own.

I am standing up on the pegs, keeping the 390 alive via the throttle, and riding the bumps and potholes without worrying too much about them. I do hit a few bad ones, get a bit of head shake, and a couple of harsh responses from the rear as it lands squarely into those large, deep potholes. But, nothing breaks. The 390 doesn’t waver. And as it turns out, in less than six hours after we started - the 390 and I - we have already passed Satara, Karad, and Kolhapur. And, we are now chasing down the next lovely stretch of tarmac - Hubbali to Davangere.

The 1000 rupee trick

There’s a stark difference in the quality of roads in Maharastra and Karnataka. The latter is smoother, more predictable, less broken, and better designed to handle high-speed cruising. No wonder the speed limit here is 100kmph.

The 390 and I are making good progress since Hubbali. I am now in the motorcycle’s saddle for almost nine hours. But, the seat on the 390 - though firm - makes for a wonderful asset over long rides. I am heavy, but even then, it doesn’t give into my weight easily. And that means I have a fair amount of cushioning for longer than finding myself seated on the seat base in no time; ergo soft seats. Some common sense has helped here too. Every time I feel a hint of prick in my bottom, I stand up on the pegs and ride. I keep at it for five minutes, and then I am back in the saddle, as comfortable as before. The 390 allows that given its ADV inclination, and this is important on a tourer in my book.

The other thing I am applying is the 1000 rupee trick. Given the size of the 390 ADV’s fuel tank, I only fill 1000 rupees worth of fuel at every stop. The litre value varies given the price of petrol at different locations, but it makes for a quick pitstop. It also means I am not utilizing the ADV’s 300km tank range, but stopping earlier and giving my backside a much-needed respite as I stand alongside the bike while it fills up, and I pay for it; in cash, which again helps in a quick exit.

And as far as wind buffeting goes, the stock windscreen was never going to work, that was obvious on one of my earlier rides. So, I got an affordable extension off Amazon. It isn’t great, but it helps once the cruising speed hits 100kmph.

The Scorecard

We missed our target by around 40 minutes. We were in Bangalore at nine minutes past six in the evening with the trip showing 1003.6km. This took our total travel time up to almost 12 hours and 40 minutes. Longer than planned, yes, but not bad by any stretch in our book!

Plus, we learned something about the 390 ADV along the way…

The good stuff! 

The seating ergonomics, the seat, the ability to stand up and ride, the ride quality, and the 390’s dynamic abilities, all come together to make it a lovely touring machine. It handles the twisties well; it remains planted at high speeds in a straight line, broken or undulating roads notwithstanding; and it remains true and predictable under braking, which gives you the confidence to hold high cruising speeds. And though it’s not completely vibe-free, it won’t leave you with ringing hands or feet post a long day’s ride.

The not so good bits… 

It needs better headlamps. It also needed some outside help in the form of the windscreen extension to keep the buffeting at higher speeds at bay. The stock windshield - even in its highest position - is only good till about 80-90kmph. And finally, the 390 ADV needs an exhaust shield even over the end can. We ran the bike with saddlebags, which started touching the exhaust within a few hundred kilometres and left some burn marks on the bag. It also meant I had to readjust the bags mid-way through the ride.

So, would I recommend it for long-distance touring? Most certainly! Unless, of course, you intend to do less than 300km a day… because then you don’t need specialised equipment like this one, even a hammer would do.

Bike Stats

Kilometres this month: 2915km

Fuel Efficiency: 28.7kmpl

Price: Rs 3,92,500, OTR, Mumbai (when tested)