KTM 390 Adventure: adventure is out there!

Those of you who are fans of the Pixar movie ‘Up’ will recognise that headline. Just like Ellie Fredricksen, those of us who yearn to get to previously unexplored places with our house have only one real two-wheeled option – the adventure-touring motorcycle. The KTM 390 Adventure promises just that. 

In a country where potholes are like those relatives you don’t like (show up at inopportune times and never go away. Ever. ) and all the fun seems to be down dirt roads, a small adventure motorcycle would be perfect. Sure, we’ve got big adv models in the market, but time to explore, money and height all are genuine problems for the Indian consumer. The enthusiasts and practical-minded all prayed and saved, but KTM was focused on other models in its lineup. Eventually, there was the Royal Enfield Himalayan but the quality and execution let it down. We were back to square one. Again, where there is a BMW streetbike, there must be an off-road version, right? Unfortunately the BMW G310 GS is nothing but a streetbike on stilts – the very thing that KTM didn’t want to do with the 390 Duke to make the Adventure. Now there are spy shots all over the internet of what seems to be the 390 Adventure – what happens next? 

There’s only one serious-ish contender for the segment in the next year or two, and that’s the Kawasaki Versys-X 300. This is based off the Ninja 300, but with all the appropriate modifications to make it capable of handling off-road situations. However, Team Green will not manufacture the Versys-X here. The only motorcycle in the segment at the moment is the Royal Enfield Himalayan, and while it is a competent product, it doesn’t have the level of sophistication that the 390 Adventure will bring to it. In effect, the segment will be bracketed by these two products, with one offering the joy in a simple, uncomplicated product that can be taken anywhere with no fear of it stymying mechanics should it break down. The 390, on the other hand, will have tons of technology but will market its off-road racing success to convert prospective consumers. Of course, KTM will charge a premium, and most units manufactured at Chakan will head for export, but that also means that spares pricing and service support will be consistent regardless of sales in the Indian market. 

These are all things that point to a bright future for those looking for that pocket-friendly adventure motorcycle that will broaden their two-wheeled horizons. Should the Himalayan be running scared? On the face of it, not particularly – the RE customer is a unique personality who walks into the showroom because he is sure he wants a ‘Bullet’. But when you stop and think about it, the Himalayan isn’t a Bullet; it is in a class of one. A close look at how many owners of this model are first-time RE customers will offer a very clear insight into whether the Chennai-based manufacturer needs to have a plan to make sure sales don’t fall when the KTM equivalent launches. 

We know one thing for sure, though: if there is one motorcycle model that can change the perception of the adventure-touring motorcycle in the Indian market, it is this one. And for a country whose road network is only half paved, (not to mention the dissolving of most of the paved bits during the monsoon) that’s not a bad thing at all. What’s more, Ellie Fredricksen would have approved of the KTM’s sense of Adventure.