Said single-cylinder has been
beefed up from 373cc to 398cc,
boosting claimed torque a
gigantic 1.8 lb-ft to 28.8 while
power remains the same at
44 hp. The power and torque
numbers are almost irrelevant
in this test because this is much
more a bike that is judged by
how it makes you feel deep in
your loins, not what's on a dyno
graph. If you can't have fun with
44 horsepower, then you're prob
-
ably not a real motorcyclist.
The electronics house two rid-
ing modes of Street and Sport,
on/off traction control, and ABS
with KTM's famed Supermoto
mode that allows you to disen
-
gage the rear ABS (front ABS
is always on). That's it, and it's
all adjusted by the little joystick
on the left handlebar and the
funky 4.2-inch rectangle dash
that does a better job than bikes
twice its size and three times its
price in delivering the informa
-
tion to the rider in a clear and
easy-to-understand format. Why
is it so hard for some manufac-
turers to get the basics like an
easy-to-use dash sorted out?
Engine performance is
adequate, not outstanding (44
horsepower will do that to you).
For new riders and those living
in confined urban landscapes,
this should be more than
enough. We saw 92 mph on
the dash, and the revs still had
about 800 rpm to go before ram
-
ming into the 10,500-rpm limiter,
so keeping up with traffic is no
problem.
Performance upgrades are
pretty few and far between from
the KTM aftermarket catalog
but one thing you really should
Wheelies with
buddies are always
better than
wheelies alone.
P110
RIDE REVIEW I 2025 KTM 390 SMC R
