[mh09ad5578]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

It should be fine. But the BMW is more forgiving and maybe a better experience for your friend.

Ram sir and other senior BHPians who have brought the 390 adventure. What would you say makes a better sense for touring with a pillion, the 390 adventure or a pre worshipped Kawasaki Versys 650? I am talking in terms of overall ride,handling, comfort and also maintenance aspects. Per day travel distance being 600kms plus. Per annum running around 15k kms.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

Since you are based on Bangalore, why dont try the handlebar from Art of Motorcycles. The owner himself bought a 390 ADV and did some tasteful mods.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Good tip, will pay him a visit this week to see his mods in person.

I definitely am ok with the handle if it is taller. Stuff from them is good, though not great when it comes to looks.

Originally Posted by sukiwa

This very thread is more than 3 years old and has served its purpose in my opinion; time to move over to living with 390 ADV; 'Jaggu', 'Red Liner' anyone?

Not getting time, hence i am jotting down in between updates as best as possible

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

The comments on the highway performance are rather disappointing to read!

To most customers - this would ideally be a Duke 390 with longer legs, and it appears that is not really the case?

It is a taller duke, but I am surprised if people believe if Duke has a good highway performance for long touring? It is as basic as it gets, any royal enfield's will have better comfort but with much lesser power and acceleration. Performance is a very wide canvas and reality is, none of these smaller lighter bikes are great at highway commute. Though I have heard Dominar is one of the better-off ones, I have not ridden it.

Originally Posted by shreyascashyap

Congrats to everyone who got the delivery of their 390 ADV! Quick question: One of my friends is looking to buy one as his first ever 2-wheeler. How noobie friendly is this bike?

If your friend is tall, don't see much issue in this. It is just another 390 cc bike.

Originally Posted by mercedised

I own a 2019 Duke 390, bought it for occasional highway rides and have done only one till now.
---
mileage dropped to 26 kmpl. I guess they have not much improved the Adv 390 on all above aspects.

City peak hour heavy traffic should give 22 kmpl. Highway hard riding 28-30 Kmpl, and sedate about 35-37 Kmpl. All these are great figures for ~400 cc engine.

Originally Posted by mh09ad5578

Ram sir and other senior BHPians who have brought the 390 adventure. What would you say makes a better sense for touring with a pillion, the 390 adventure or a pre worshipped Kawasaki Versys 650?

Pre owned Kawasaki anyday!

[neil.jericho]

I was asking around in the local motorcycling community about the Adv 390 test ride and the good news is that the bike is / was available at the nearby KTM showroom for test rides. The bad news is that test rides are not being given for everyone. The sales folks first determine if you are a "genuine buyer" or not and then will proceed to give you a test ride . There have been cases of test rides being denied by the KTM showroom to members of the motorcyclists community here in Cochin. Let me go and see if I pass the "genuine buyer" test and if I can sample the bike on the road.

Originally Posted by Jaggu

I have covered about 840 kms as of today morning. Last weekend had a medium'ish ride to Coorg that was about ~ 250 kms one way and it gave out some very different perspectives about the bike. Some good, some not good and some outright bad

Wonderful post! I was hoping that the Adv 390 would shine as a highway tourer, but your post has highlighted some of the issues with highway performance as well. Im glued to this thread to more real world feedback from you and the rest of the owners.

Originally Posted by shreyascashyap

Congrats to everyone who got the delivery of their 390 ADV! Quick question: One of my friends is looking to buy one as his first ever 2-wheeler. How noobie friendly is this bike?

Why a 390 as a starter bike? If it has to be a KTM, the 200 or the 250 is much more forgiving. If its got to be a 250, maybe the Suzuki instead? There are so many options that wont get a new rider in trouble.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by mh09ad5578

Ram sir and other senior BHPians who have brought the 390 adventure. What would you say makes a better sense for touring with a pillion, the 390 adventure or a pre worshipped Kawasaki Versys 650? I am talking in terms of overall ride,handling, comfort and also maintenance aspects. Per day travel distance being 600kms plus. Per annum running around 15k kms.

Pre owned versys 650 or a vstrom if you can find one. No contest.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by mercedised

I own a 2019 Duke 390, bought it for occasional highway rides and have done only one till now. My observations of Duke 390 are very similar to what you have experienced. The gearbox still has not improved (clunkyness) after 4500 kms so I bet yours will do any better..

I rode a 2014 duke done 55,000 kms so far with no engine work ever, for the past 6 months. The gear box is as soft as my versys, so soft that I have to take a look at the console to see if the gear has shifted.

Do remember that gearbox clunkiness has many factors that contribute, shift lever adjustment, clutch adjustment, engine oil quality etc. my versys would shift clunky if the shift lever adjustment was tampered with by someone. I would have to readjust to make it soft and smooth again.

I am waiting to drop fresh oil into this before I experiment with above in case the gear shift is still notchy. Have already adjusted the lever to fit my boots and will play with it further.

[nasirkaka]

I don't think I will buy anything from him. I hate that handle bar. Looks terrible. Sorry, but it is what it is. I also like the existing grab rail and I would just like to add a rear rack to fit a tail bag or top box to keep the weight down and the style simple.

Since when did looks started mattering on a adventure bike? A single piece taller handle bar is a much better option then introducing more fatigue points by using aftermarket risers, especially on an adventure bike where one would be doing a lot of circus standing and holding that bar.

Happy to report nasirkaka's erstwhile versys just gave 30.xx on a comfortable highway cruise recently

What are you feeding her? I never got more than 18-19 as per the console. Do remember doing tank to tank measurements a few times with figures around 20-22, but never beyond that. May be the engine is just settling in.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

Since when did looks started mattering on a adventure bike? A single piece taller handle bar is a much better option then introducing more fatigue points by using aftermarket risers, especially on an adventure bike where one would be doing a lot of circus standing and holding that bar.

I don’t like how it looks, and I will be staring at it all day long. I know you like it, so you have it fitted on your interceptor

I like how the stock bars look, it’s clean and has a good rise. Will just drop risers on once I get around to checking slack this weekend.

Rest of his stuff, I need to have a look at them before I can comment any more.

I like how the bike looks as is, and would prefer to keep my bike clean, with just a top box and aux lights added with the least protrusions.

[nasirkaka]

I don’t like how it looks, and I will be staring at it all day long. I know you like it, so you have it fitted on your interceptor

You are wrong as i also donot like that handlebar for the way it looks. I have it on the interceptor out of lack of available options purely from functional point of view. I wanted to get the seating geometry as upright as possible, and that is what was easily available.

I like how the stock bars look, it’s clean and has a good rise. Will just drop risers on once I get around to checking slack this weekend.

stock 390 adv bars are hydro-formed with a variable cross section, a much advanced process for superior stability as compared to convectional handlebars made using regular tube with NC or CNC bending. if you want to keep it, Invest in 2" rox if you can, for two pivot point adjustablity. Will come handy incase you want to use aftermarket windscreens later as conventional uni-axis fixed risers have a tendency to interfere with aftermarket windscreens on extreme left and right turn. Much more so if you install barkbusters with rigid aluminium spine. Most of the aftermarket windscreen manufacturers design as per stock handlebar and do not factor in raised handlebar position. Two pivot point risers increases the fitment flexibility.

Rest of his stuff, I need to have a look at them before I can comment any more.

Have seen a few of their products for other bikes and the quality seems at par with Zana.

[Red Liner]

Yeah man, i need to unhook the cables and check slack before ordering 2 inch risers. I feel two inch might be too tight a fit. Rox does not do 1 inch.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Yeah man, i need to unhook the cables and check slack before ordering 2 inch risers. I feel two inch might be too tight a fit. Rox does not do 1 inch.

The clutch cable is more or less generic, I'm using TVS yoke and lever complete set with Bajaj cable so that is that. You could contemplate alternatives, the Avenger ones being the longest IIRC.

Only concern is the wiring harness and brake line, wiring usually extends to way over 2 inches if you undo the stays, in my P220 it extends well over 5 inches.

Finally comes the brake line, again you're at an advantage as its coming from the ABS unit and not the front rotor hence presents some leverage.

The KTM handlebar and holders are unique in the sense that they're tappered and thicker at the center, so the best bet would be to invest in a brand new handlebar or scrap the stock holder and get the Dominar(Visually identical mounting) holder as it accommodates regular bars, which would open up options for you to try.

Adapters and risers are simply not the right means to get the job done, especially since our market has a reputation of quality concerns when it comes to fasteners and irrespective of quality, leverage isn't your friend on a motorcycle ridden hard.

Here's a picture of the Dominar Holder with Himalayan bars in place, sorry for the picture quality;



The Dominar bar will give you some raise, the Himalayan bar would give you even more raise.

EAST OR WEST OEM FITMENT IS THE BEST! (Even if its from other manufacturers )

Regards,
A.P.

[Vasuki]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

I was asking around in the local motorcycling community about the Adv 390 test ride and the good news is that the bike is / was available at the nearby KTM showroom for test rides. The bad news is that test rides are not being given for everyone. The sales folks first determine if you are a "genuine buyer" or not and then will proceed to give you a test ride . There have been cases of test rides being denied by the KTM showroom to members of the motorcyclists community here in Cochin. Let me go and see if I pass the "genuine buyer" test and if I can sample the bike on the road.

I got the TD vehicle from KTM Vytilla. Seems going in a Ducati helps.

They were not really happy to give for a longish ride and advised to keep ride short to 2 Kms , till Manorama junction.

But we had a 10 Kms ride. Not that it gives full perspective, I've mentioned my feedback in above post : My Views (KTM 390 Adventure India launch confirmed. Edit: Launched at 2.99 lakh.)

Originally Posted by mh09ad5578

Ram sir and other senior BHPians who have brought the 390 adventure. What would you say makes a better sense for touring with a pillion, the 390 adventure or a pre worshipped Kawasaki Versys 650? I am talking in terms of overall ride,handling, comfort and also maintenance aspects. Per day travel distance being 600kms plus. Per annum running around 15k kms.

No two doubts, pre-owned V-strom, if you can find one.

[AlQuazi]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Do remember that gearbox clunkiness has many factors that contribute, shift lever adjustment, clutch adjustment, engine oil quality etc. my versys would shift clunky if the shift lever adjustment was tampered with by someone. I would have to readjust to make it soft and smooth again.

Could you elaborate a little on what exactly do you mean by shift lever adjustment. My understanding till now is that the only adjustment possible is the angle which in turn has only ergonomic advantages. How does it help the shifts become smoother?

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by AlQuazi

Could you elaborate a little on what exactly do you mean by shift lever adjustment. My understanding till now is that the only adjustment possible is the angle which in turn has only ergonomic advantages. How does it help the shifts become smoother?

The angle is what i am talking about. It does affect how smoothly the gear box shifts as well.

Proof is in the pudding. Try it out in your mojo. Preferably lower than higher.

But remember, tons of other things contribute too out of which this could be just a small factor. Clutch play, chain slack, oil quality, or even a dry chain.

Just adjusting this one thing might not be of any use unless you ensure everything else is perfect as well.

And most importantly a little bit of technique.

https://youtu.be/Sy7dfAUh0hg

[Red Liner]

One of the better ownership reviews on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/JHaQTKLXLgY

[drt_rdr]

He lost me when he said he hit his bashplate against the footpath or something and immediately decided this bike is not meant to do that kind of "silly stuff". I mean half the point of buying a bike like this is to be able to do things that would be stupid on other bikes.

I've dented headpipes, bent brake pedals, chipped the engine case, almost broke the drain bolt and things like that doing "silly stuff" on roadbikes. But these kinds of bikes with more ground clearance are supposed to give you a lot more leeway when the going gets silly... as long as you know not to stay on the seat when the suspension compresses.

Also surprises me how common the opinion is that riding offroad is all about jumps and slides and things like that.