KTM 390 Enduro R First Ride Review: Not The R, But Still Rad!

KTM India has rolled in its first accessible dual-sport bike. Meet the KTM 390 Enduro, it is hard to call it the R and there’s good reason for that. However, let’s not take anything away from how good this bike actually is. And since this bike is primarily meant for anything but tarmac, we will only tackle the off-road bit here. And hopefully, we find out how great it actually is to make the rider feel safe and confident in the trickiest of situations.

The Internet’s Fury!

By now, you must have known that the India-spec 390 Enduro R is not the same as the international one. And the typical response on the internet is as follows:

• Why didn’t KTM give us more suspension travel?
• Why is the seat height not 890 mm tall?
• Why only 272 mm ground clearance?
• This is not fair, KTM.

And we get it, it is not fair that KTM continues to offer us specced down models. It did the same with the previous 390 Adventure at first, the current RC 390 and even to a certain extent the current 390 Adventure (because we don’t get the Adventure R, and maybe might not get it at all). KTM’s reasoning this time is that this is India’s first enduro motorcycle, which to a certain extent it isn’t. It was in fact made by Bajaj only, with its previous Japanese partner Kawasaki, called the Bajaj Kawasaki SX Enduro. That bike was sold only for a few years in the nineties.

However, for now, Bajaj and KTM think that it would be scary for people to get on to such a tall bike. But the Enduro buyer is not the once-in-a-blue moon off-roader, or at least it shouldn’t have been intended for one, which it is now.

And when asked whether you can get the longer travel suspension as a “PowerPart,” KTM officials said that we can make it available if the customer demand is there. This is sort of like its new “Get Out Of Jail Free” card. So, with the reasoning of the revised suspension out of the way, let's get to the riding part.

Braapy And Controllable

The 390 Enduro has that typical KTM brappy single-cylinder off-roader feel that you expect from a motorcycle such as this. Like the 390 Adventure, it is best to keep this bike also in Off-road riding mode because the throttle response is the most direct. This mode gives you the most thrills.

Furthermore, the Enduro has revised gearing, two teeth larger on the rear sprocket when compared to the Adventure. The revision makes the bike very effortless when you're out on the trails. In the tricky sections, where you need to be in first or second gear, it chugs along neatly at slow speeds. And in the fast sections, when you're just blowing up dust, keeping it in third or fourth gear is not an issue. Managing the engine’s power delivery is extremely controllable.

What also helps is that the clutch is very light, the quick shifter is very direct and that allows you to always be in firm control of the motorcycle. Also, the underbelly exhaust is not a bother during water crossings as the baffles in the system are designed in such a way that the water doesn't seep through into the combustion chamber. We did quite a few water crossings, quite deeper than what we experienced during the Adventure first ride, and still there was no issue.

Agile, Nimble and Confident

The one thing that you want from an enduro motorcycle is for it to be light and nimble on its feet which this bike certainly is. It is very agile, very manoeuvrable and even in the tightest of scenarios you can make your way through without much fuss. When we were following the KTM instructors out into the trail sections, it was very easy to point and direct the Enduro in the path that we wanted. In a particularly steep decline section that has a few obstacles along the way, the bike rarely broke a sweat.

The sense of confidence to take on anything in its path stems down from how great the chassis is. Firstly, it is narrow and compact, making the rider feel at home while standing up on the pegs and locking into the bike. The 860 mm of seat height is not a fight for somebody who is 5 feet 9 inches tall, easily allowing me to find my footing.

There is adjustability in the ergonomics department as well. There are three points for mounting the handlebar on the triple clamp, allowing the rider to bring the controls closer or further away as needed. In the accessories list, KTM will also sell you handlebar risers but for my frame and riding style, I didn’t find the need for them. And even the footpegs can be raised. The mount can be flipped and as a result you get a taller footpeg by around 12-14 mm. Finally, since the Enduro weighs 177 kg (could have been lighter if it didn’t have the saree guard, pillion grab handle and engine guard that are mandatory for homologation), which is six or seven kilos lighter than the Adventure, picking it up when you have a tumble is not going to be a bother. Check the reel below: 

More Travel Actually Needed?

Would the longer travel suspension have helped? Yes, only for the serious and the already seasoned off-roader. Not for the one getting into the hobby. The one that is currently offered works very well. Even after jumping or taking in the bumps, the suspension behaved in a neutral manner, even more so than the Adventure. It had just the right amount of soakability of large bumps at slow speeds as it did with the wavy muddy terrain on open stretches. Hence, if you are really serious about off-roading and were looking for a step up from the XPulse 200 Rally Pro, then the missing 30 mm of travel might feel like a limiting or a stumbling block. But as such there are no problems with the suspension.

The Enduro is the first made-in-India KTM to get a 21-/18-inch wheel setup. It doesn’t get tubeless spoke rims, though. According to KTM, the rigidity of the tubeless spoke wheel is compromised when you are going extreme trail bashing and as a result, fixing a flat tyre is better than having a broken rim.

The rims come shod with Mitas Enduro Trail+ rubber, the same ones that are used on the larger 690 Enduro R. Grip levels on offer are phenomenal for off-roading. For the ride the pressures dialled-down to as low as 16 psi, which is great because the bike would then be bouncing around on road pressures, which are in the 29-30 psi region. The tyres held onto the piece of dirt that you aimed at going and you could still slide around and have fun mucking about.

Despite the smaller 285 mm front disc, the braking performance on the bike is not compromised. You still get sintered brake pads that provide lovely stopping performance in the dirt. More so, you can completely switch off ABS intervention on both wheels. But we suggest you proceed with caution while doing so and only when you are off-roading. It pays dividends when doing the really hardcore stuff, making the bike more controllable in the process.

Retro, Simple And Clean

Say what you will, the bike looks purposeful and I love the small flat LED headlight. It gives off very mid-2000s vibes. And even the slim 4.2-inch TFT console is simple and effective. The ‘Reduced’ look is clean and very easy to get to know relevant data quickly. The clickiness of the new switch cube is neat and very intuitive to change settings rapidly. But you won’t be changing settings that often anyway on a trail.

There are a couple of accessories for the bike. Taller handlebar risers, plastic heel guard for the rider, a centre stand and a lower front fender. Prices of these have not been shared yet but they should be available at the KTM dealerships.

A Great Off-Roader But…

The KTM 390 Enduro has nothing fundamentally flawed and is a great off-roader, if that is what you are seeking, you will not be disappointed. It has the right set up for gnarly trails, it handles jumps and obstacles better than the Adventure and even when it falls, it is light to pick it up without much hassle. Hence, the issue with the bike remains calling it the R. Because the problem as it seems is not with the motorcycle as much as it is with the messaging. And Bajaj officials state that the moment a KTM off-roader gets a 21-/18-inch set up, the R tag automatically gets fixed on to it. And therein lies the issue.

KTM has launched the bike at ₹3.36 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), at which point KTM is offering quite a lot more bang for your buck than the Kawasaki KLX230S. Can this be a do-it-all? We don’t think there should be an issue but there will be compromises, especially for touring considering it is only able to carry 9 litres of fuel on board. And no wind protection means speeds have to be kept in check. So, the compromises are there but getting this bike saves you the trouble of owning a pickup truck to load a thoroughbred enduro motorcycle to enjoy on the trails.

So, KTM with the 390 Enduro wants Indian recreational off-roaders to learn to walk before they can fly. But if the guys at Chakan and Matighoffen had just taken a bit more time to learn the scene, they would have known that we were already walking and pleasantly flying already with the Hero XPulse 200 Rally Pro. Hence, those who wanted that bit extra over the XPulse might feel shortchanged. But if this is going to be your first off-roader, then you will have a lot of time to learn the basics before you even think of the suspension travel being far too less.