VOLUME ISSUE JULY , P107
approach a stop. However, if you're rolling up
with the clutch in and drop a gear, the bike
stopped running on me a few times. KTM says
their update will clean this up.
There's only one tech piece I'd add if I could,
and that's the option to turn all ABS off in Off-
Road mode. I guess I just want the dirt bike
experience when I'm in the dirt, even though I
know the off-road ABS will stop me faster than
I can without it. Sometimes I don't make sense
with what I want, but here we are.
The kickstand switch is another update we
anticipate rolling in from KTM on this model
and the 390 Enduro R soon. The ADV model
has the same foot-pressure-induced activation
that can cut power to the motor. We experi
-
enced this while aggressive off-road riding on
this bike, and a kickstand-safety-switch update
is reportedly in the works to remedy this issue.
RUNNING GEAR
The handling department on the 390 Adven-
ture R is equipped with the same componentry
(except for tire make/model) as the 390 Enduro
R. This means nine inches of suspension travel,
both front and rear, with the WP Apex 43mm
open cartridge fork handling front wheel duty.
This fork works admirably with massive, fast-
access clicker adjustability and a great factory
setting. Out back, the poor shock is in the same
boat as our 390 Enduro R test, tasked with too
much duty for its design. On the Adventure R,
the shock is both better and worse than on the
Enduro R. It's better because you're much less
likely to get rowdy on the bike with the full fairing
and windscreen, right? Right!? But it's worse
because guys like me are much more likely to
strap a sleeping kit and other overnight neces-
sities on the back of this thing, and giving the
shock more weight to work with is not going to
help. It simply doesn't have the valving capacity
to do the job. Instead, it should be replaced with
the WP Pro Components rear shock (MSRP not
available yet). The ground-level off-road-worthy
wheel and tire sizes, with Mitas Enduro Trail
E07+ tires, make for a high-quality ride. We are
big fans of the Mitas adventure range and hav-
