IN
THE
WIND
P46
KTM 390 ADVENTURE SPIED TESTING
K
TM's entry into what has
almost overnight become
a hotly contested category has
been spotted testing in Europe.
The small ADV sector has
been ignored for years by the
world's leading motorcycle
manufacturers, and with the
release of the BMW G 310 GS,
Kawasaki Versys-X 300 and
the Suzuki V-Strom 250 (which
we don't get in the U.S.), KTM
is going full steam ahead with
development of a bike that, in
our opinion, should have been
released a long time ago.
The new 390 Adventure
will use the 390 Duke and RC
model as its base, utilizing a
similar chassis but with differ-
ent wheels, suspension and a
beefier swingarm. The accom-
panying photo shows a very
rough prototype with exposed
frame welds and all black body-
work, although the styling is
pretty developed, with aesthet-
ics mimicking those of the firm's
Dakar racers.
The engine is likely to be the
same as the 390 Duke. It's also
likely the 390 Adventure will
come with traction control and
ABS.
KTM has had the 390 plat-
form for some time and its
unlikely they've only just started
working on the Adventure equiv-
alent. The 390 was originally
released in 2013, but we didn't
see the bike until last year, so
you can bet KTM will have been
plugging away at least as long
as BMW has with the recently
released G 310 GS. There's no
word yet on whether the 390 will
come in the company's standard
model or an up-spec R model.
It's likely this bike will be re-
leased as a 2019 model, but we
might be seeing it in early 2018.
Next year's EICMA show in Mi-
lan will be one to watch! CN
The smallest
Adventure
takes its first
baby steps on
the road.
