GOODS AND SERVICES. The ‘390’ Adventure is available only with 19/17-inch alloys. The revised engine is hard to tell apart; instrumentation is detailed and neatly laid out | Photo Credit: KAIZAD ADIL DARUKHANAWALA

I don’t suppose this is the last time you’re reading about Bajaj’s induction of a revised engine to its range of sub-400cc motorcycles. I’ll keep the context concise, therefore. To combat the heavy taxation on motorcycles above 350cc, Bajaj quickly stirred up a derivative of its 398cc, something it achieved by doing nothing more complex than to allow for a shorter stroke, backed up by suitable recalibration of the combustion chamber, timing, fuelling and exhaust.

The result of this within the KTM Adventure family is the motorcycle you see here. This is now the most affordable 390 Adventure (no suffix; the step-ups are X, R and S, in order of pricing) with a mouth-watering price tag of ₹2.81 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Insist on a proper 390? That’ll cost you ₹62,000 more at the least, if you buy an X (the on-road price differential is higher). Does anything the original 390 offers justify shelling out that much more for it?

Engine legacy

Yes. That engine has historically offered unbeaten performance, no matter the category of motorcycle it has been applied to, and a sense of effortlessness none of its rivals have been able to outshine. It’s offered the gold standard of single-cylinder dominance to the extent that most other brands haven’t even tried locking horns with it. If every last unit of engine output matters to you, you should remain transfixed on the ‘full 390’ experience. That, however, is the extent of the difference. On paper.

On the road, if you have any context on what the 390 Adventure felt like, you will notice a drop in performance. It still is a crisp, distinctly KTM engine in its mannerisms and energy, but that razor’s edge is no longer as sharp. The Adventure has, in any case, been the softest, calmest of the KTM range — the Duke/RC and Enduro are the edgiest — but, with this move, the subdued demeanour is even more pronounced. All of this is, of course, to be viewed in relativity.

To those stepping up from 250s, the Adventure still unlocks a higher ceiling of performance. It’s lost neither its ability to cruise at triple-digit speeds nor the inherent confidence in its stride, but to those who know, the threshold is now visibly lower.

In the two days and 350 km I spent riding the 390 Adventure, I found it growing on me, though. Sure, in the first hour, I was pretty much offended at the performance differential, but by day two, I was raring to ride it for longer. In any case, other than the drop in performance, the equipment levels are exactly as on the Adventure X, its nearest-priced step-up. This means it offers the same level of comfort, intuitivity and capability as something that costs a significantly larger amount of money.

Performance aside, or rather a byproduct of it, is a drop in touring efficiency. The Adventure is the sort of motorcycle you expect to cruise comfortably at high speeds, but the now-smaller engine’s lower performance ceiling does dent its efficiency and, subsequently, the range you can extract out of a full tank of fuel. I got 26 kmpl out of it on a stretch; the Adventure S once returned 28 kmpl.

Should anyone even consider the higher-spec versions of the Adventure anymore? Yes, if that performance edge is indispensable to you or, perhaps, if suspension adjustability or sensational off-road prowess (as in the R) are clear priorities in your motorcycling pursuits. Then again, there is such a thing as the aftermarket. If you don’t mind the route, you can induce some of those aspects and still have spare change left, considering the top-spec S costs ₹1.15 lakh more (ex-showroom). Or, you can live with the misses and buy a lot of petrol instead, so you can travel the country on a motorcycle. That’s the point of a 390 Adventure anyway, right?

© TheMotorGram

Published on May 8, 2026