[Padam2151]

Hello! community,

First of all, Thank you, Admin, for approving my membership. I am proud to be a part of this incredible community. This is my first post, before that I'm an avid reader.

Introduction to Team-BHP :
My childhood friend was purchasing his very first car in 2016. So, while comparing the cars online, I came across the Team-BHP link to one of the reviews, and since then, I have been hooked on this platform. I advised my friend to go for the Honda Amaze instead of the Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire. He obeyed my advice, went ahead and purchased it. I still remember the Honda salesperson pitching to us and telling us about Honda's philosophy: "Man maximum, machine minimum."

Now, back to the main topic: So, after 18+ months later and 15K km clocked, I'm penning down the ownership review of my KTM Adventure 390 (Mar-2023).
Kindly Note: This will be a long post containing the background story, the Adv 390 experience, Service, and the lovely long rides covered during this tenure.

Background:
Event 1: Back in 2014, I started my IT career journey. The work location was 25 km from my home and I used to ride my dad's Hero Glamour to the office. So after spending a year; saving some money, I decided to buy my first bike. So in mid 2015, I tested all the bikes in the 150-200 CC segment and decided to get the TVS Apache RTR 180. I was fascinated by the term RTR (Racing Throttle Response) and the White color of the bike.
While I was planning to buy this bike, my younger brother came across a used RTR 160 for sale in his friend circle so we decided to check it out. After initial check and looking at the price we felt its a deal breaker. To confirm the choice, we showed this bike to our known local garage. After inspection, we got the go-ahead; so we purchased this machine.

The deciding factor -
1] TVS RTR 180 (brand new) - Around 90K.
2] TVS RTR 160 (2011) - for 40k (4 Year old and 38k km driven).
The reason I selected this is, I was getting the bike I wanted at half the price. Although 160 has less power compared to 180, it felt too good at that time.

I had a good time riding this machine and I sold it in 2018 due to its repetitive niggles and high maintenance cost every time it visits for service.

Event 2: From 2018 to 2022 - Me and my younger brother used the same Hero Glamour & a Honda Shine (purchased for Dad in 2015) alternatively for our work commute.

Event 3: In late 2019, a new TVS Jupiter was added to the garage to serve the city rides. (An engagement gift to my wife).

Event 4: In late 2020, After the first COVID lockdown opened, the need for a Car appeared. I spent a good 5-6 months testing all the cars in a 15L bracket and finally settled on a pre-owned (Dr. owned) Renault Duster AWD. I will share the ownership experience later on (long overdue). During this purchase, TeamBHP's Duster owner's reviews came in handy and at the same time the thread with the title "Pre-worshipped car of the Month: Renault Duster" helped us a lot in making a purchase decision.

Event 5: Meanwhile, during the same period (2018 to 2022), my cousin and I used to talk many times about getting a new bike with a higher CC for touring. And I was keen on getting the new TVS Apache 310R. We even made plans to purchase the bikes on our birth dates and plan for a ride together to Leh-Ladakh.
Around Nov 2022, my cousin test-rode a few high-end Adventure category bikes like the Ducati Multistrada V4, Triumph Tiger 1200, and BMW GS1250. He was upgrading from his KTM Duke 390, so he wanted a bigger and better motorcycle for proper Adventure touring; so he went ahead and purchased the epitome of Adventure sports the mighty BMW GS1250 (I'll share the Travel stories of us later on this thread).

Event 6: Now, it was my turn (Dj Daa promise).
My criteria - I was in the market looking for a bike with around a 6L budget.
I test-rode the Ninja 300, Ninja 400, BMW GS 310R, Royal Enfield Himalayan, Yezdi Scrambler, Honda CB 300R, and the KTM Adventure 390.
I did enquire about the Benelli TRK 502 and Honda CB500 but both were not available at that time.

Test ride conclusion -
1. Ninja - Found very nimble and agile. Loved the riding posture but later realized that it would be bit difficult for a long travel.
2. RE Himalayan - Excellent for off-roading, but felt less power for cruising and I didn't like the harsh gear shifts and overall quality. As I earlier tested the Ninja so my expectations for fit and finish were upgraded.
3. Yezdi Scrambler - Not liked because of the product quality and felt similar to Himalayan and less powerful.
4. Benelli TRK 502 - Found it too bulky for my height (5,6") plus costing around 7.5L.
5. Honda CB300R - Not liked as it appears like the same ordinary bike. Not able to get test ride either.
6. TVS Apache 310R - Dropped immediately due to lack of pillion seat comfort and its inconvenient posture for long rides.

My cousin was firm on getting me the Adventure 390 as he knows the 390's motor very well and his riding group had a few 390 Adv's and the response from them was good.
I test-rode the KTM Adv 390 -> at 2 different dealers and I loved how it behaves at high speed, off-road, and overall how it handles.



The below factors helped me to conclude:
1] The 390's engine is reliable, it is more than a 7-year-old engine, and apart from heating and stalling at low speed, no other complaints were heard from the existing owners.
2] Great power output from the engine (43 bhp). The power delivery post 4k RPM is MAD.
3] The new Adv 390's heat mgmt is way better than the Duke 390 - Cousin's feedback and I noticed the cooling fan alignment(curved) was better. The sales person promptly addressed the heating related questions and found helpful.
4] Tons of after-market accessories and mod potential it has.
5] Parts, service cost, and service network availability as it comes under Bajaj.
6] Tech it offers at this price point (The price tag) - It has all the electronics and features and way more than its rivals. Be it Riding Modes, Traction Control, Ride-By-Wire, Quick-shifter+, Cornering-ABS, Digital Display, Bluetooth connectivity & many more.
7] YouTube review of Sagar Shelderkar. Was fascinated by this video as Sagar explained the capabilities of the bike really well.

video

Purchase and Delivery Experience -

After starting research on internet, the following Ad keep popping in my Instagram feed frequently. This was like constant reminder to me.



A week before the delivery, we did the PDI at the dealer stockyard and gave the go-ahead to the salesperson for processing the registration.




I looked at the calendar and decided to take the delivery on an auspicious day based on the family's opinion (22nd March 2023 - Gudhi Padwa). As it was the moment to live my motorcycle dream, I decided to call my few friends and invited them for the bike delivery.

The delivery experience was too casual, after our arrival the salesperson simply came up with documents, keys, and complimentary accessories (a Helmet and Bike cover) - no ribbons, flowers, or anything special. We parked the bike at the entrance of the showroom and took bike photographs along with friends and family members for memories.



To celebrate this occasion, we went for lunch and had a good time with friends who met after 3-4 years. The bike delivery turned into get together. Post lunch, we visited the temple for puja and called up a day.

Initial Impressions:
Being a new rider I was cautious to ride in the city and tried avoiding the B2B traffic as much as I could. Completed the first 500 km and visited the service center for a check-up. They did nothing except the washing and checking for any issues or signs on display.

First Long Ride -
After the first service completed, my cousin immediately planned a breakfast ride. At this point I didn't even have basic riding gear, I only had a helmet. I still decided to ride with caution. And what a company I had for the first ride - A BMW GS R1250, A Ducati Scrambler, and my humble KTM Adventure 390. We spent a good time shooting these beauties near a dam and completed around 210 odd km in 6 hrs duration and called up a day. Attached are a few pics for reference.




After completing this ride, decided to speed up the riding gear purchase.

Riding Gear Selection -
After riding about 2K km, I planned to get myself riding gear and accessories as awaited road trips were on the radar. I did a quick research and listed a few accessories.
The following items were purchased based on recommendations + research as,

1] Helmet - SMK Typhoon - with Sun visor and Pin Lock varient (for 5.5k).
2] Bluetooth Intercom - Senna 50S. I got this from Germany (My cousin's friend was on an India trip so we asked him for this along with other accessories for GS1250). We got a great deal; as we purchased the dual. This costed us around 44k. (22k for me).



3] Jacket - Solace Furious V3 Black. It has Level 2 armors protectors and Heavy-duty 3D Mesh ventilation areas on the chest, arms, and entire back panel. Plus, External rain liner and Internal thermal liner. (For 14K)



4] Pant - Royal Enfield riding pants with Level 2 Armour. Got this from Cousin (unused) as he was having fitment issues, and it fits well to me).
5] Gloves - Rynox Tornado Pro 3 (for 3.2k)



6] Shoes - Amaroq Viktor Mid Ankle Boots (For 6.8k)
7] Tank Bag - Vieterra (For 2.5k)
8] Mobile Holder. - BSDDP Spider Mobile Holder (For 2.5K)


The Wishlist: Planning to add one by one -

1] Windscreen - GIVI
2] Side Stand Extender
3] Lights - Doing research and still in confusion state (how much to invest as have not done any night rides and not in radar as of now.)
4] Horn - Denelli sound bomb mini.
5] Top Box or Panniers - Still figuring out what to go for.
6] Handle Bar Raisers - Planning to get these as I feel the bike overall ergonomic is little odd to my height. Feels like I'm stretching my hands a bit to grip the handle.


What I Liked:
1] Engine - As I mentioned earlier, the engine is the heart of this motorcycle and I love how it behaves post 4k RPM. Super duper fun for highway rides. Just shift down, twist the throttle and it catches the speed without any drama.
2] The tech offering and ease of use. Has everything to do long rides and can go on and off the road easily.
3] Fuel efficiency - I was expecting around 25 kmpl, but the bike exceeded my expectations and delivers somewhere around 29-32 kmpl with tank to tank full method. I have kept the fuel expenses and logs in Fuelio app.

What I hate (dislike) and how I'm dealing with it:

1] Chain - The biggest issue is the chain. It keeps loosing and making noise. It it real pain to maintain it. Even after repeating the chain lube every 200 odd km, it keeps making noise and I hate it.
Solution: After 7K Km on speedo, I decided to upgrade the chain and chain sprocket with aftermarket options. Went ahead and installed the Roll ON Brass kit. (Costed around 4.4K with fitment) and experience with this is very good.

2] Windscreen - The bike comes with very basic and non functional windscreen. I updated this with Wiser Bros taller windscreen. This gets the job done however the quality is just okay. Planning to upgrade to the GIVI

3] Mirrors - These mirrors has vibrations and lack the visibility. As of now, no plan to upgrade. But will consider if anyone has recommendations.

4] Horn - The stock one is very basic (meek) and not suits to the bike. Ideally at 80-90 kmph, the horn should be loud enough to at least know the front riders/cars that someone is behind. So added in todo wishlist.

5] Engine Heating in City Rides - In B2B traffic, the bike heats a lot and one can feel the heat to the legs (especially in Summer), I have faced this issue only 3-4 times. The temp meter usually settles just 1 bar below mid point, but in B2B traffic the temp gets increased and goes 1-2 points higher.

6] Low speed rides and stalling - The power feel less at low end and sometimes bike stalls if you are not in right gear. Over the period, I got used to it and the best practice is when you ride at low speed, keep the gears low and try to shift gears around 4k RPM and it solves the issue.

6] Bike ergonomic for my height - I'm 5'6" and I just tip tow both my legs. I never ridden any high seating bikes so it took me while to adjust and still I'm getting comfortable to ride it. I wish there is an option for seat height adjustment.

Thanks for taking the time to read my ownership journey. Kindly let me know if there are any mistakes or need to make any corrections.

I will update this thread with the updates on the long rides we took so far in the next couple of days.

[Omkar]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[MadTitan47]

Thanks for the detailed write up. Most of the motorcycles that you have tested, are in my short list too. Do you have any comments on pillion comfort for city and touring for these bikes? How Adventure 390 performs on this parameter?

[mp417]

Heartiest congratulations on your new purchase.

Welcome to TBhp and Adv 390 family.

Enjoyed reading your thread especially the past event and its triggers.

Adv 390 is a mean machine and wish you many more miles and safe riding.

Regarding the chain issue you have mentioned. Can you elaborate a bit more?
I have never came across this. Did you check with SVC whether the chain play is as per the recommendations?

[Padam2151]

Originally Posted by MadTitan47

Thanks for the detailed write up. Most of the motorcycles that you have tested, are in my short list too. Do you have any comments on pillion comfort for city and touring for these bikes? How Adventure 390 performs on this parameter?

Sure, here is my observation - Based on my understanding (test rides), the RE Himalayan offers the best pillion-seat comfort. Regarding the KTM Adv 390, the default suspension setting is in the middle position, which is balanced. However, if you are accompanying the pillion, I recommend setting the suspension pre-load adjustment to the lowest level, and you will feel comfortable. One can easily seat comfortably and you can even put the saddle bags and top box too. I've seen a few folks riding with partners carrying luggage.

[Padam2151]

Originally Posted by mp417

Heartiest congratulations on your new purchase.

Welcome to TBhp and Adv 390 family.

Enjoyed reading your thread especially the past event and its triggers.

Adv 390 is a mean machine and wish you many more miles and safe riding.

Regarding the chain issue you have mentioned. Can you elaborate a bit more?
I have never came across this. Did you check with SVC whether the chain play is as per the recommendations?

Thanks for reading.
The chain issue -> the chain gets very noisy and gets loosened up (has play) even after changing the settings at SVC. I tried fixing it up but after every 400-500 km it gets back to square one. The chain play felt a little jerky while riding so, I researched about it and found a few videos where people mentioning to upgrade to the brass chain and the problem seems solved. So I decided to implement and it worked.

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by Padam2151

Thanks for reading.
The chain issue -> the chain gets very noisy and gets loosened up (has play) even after changing the settings at SVC. I tried fixing it up but after every 400-500 km it gets back to square one. The chain play felt a little jerky while riding so, I researched about it and found a few videos where people mentioning to upgrade to the brass chain and the problem seems solved. So I decided to implement and it worked.

That's kind of normal behaviour on most OE chains. The 390 motor's snatchy fuelling makes it a little bit worse. Adjusting every 500kms was the norm on my 390 as well. The replacement Rolon kit had higher adjustment intervals.