A few YT'ers from the beginning have been misleading our biking community. Understand one thing - You can never harness any motorcycle's true potential, unless you've made that connection with it. And that means spending time with it. The ADV390 is an epic epic motorcycle, on and off road. Once you've made connection with yours, it really shines and shows you what all it can do. I've had the opportunity to spend time with this machine, it took me 6-8 months to make that connection, but after that, there's no other motorcycle i'd rather pick. The light nature, nimbleness, excellent on and off road characteristics and power make it truly an all round machine. Spend time with it and it'll reward you with memories of epic adventures you conquer with this motorcycle.
Every ride on my 390 adventure makes me laugh with the sheer fun. It's a hooligan machine, and for forest trails and such around me it is perfect. Got rid of a T7 because of weight, the 390 suits my age and strength as the years pass.
p.s. put the traction control on favourites, and it's easily accessible. On mine, press up and 5 seconds later away I go. Also, it depends on the 390 , some stall out some don't. Mine refuses to stall. I've a video of me riding along on closed throttle in 1st 2nd and 3rd offroad, zero stalling.
I love my 390 its just a fun bike you can use all the engine on the road and its ok off-road as long as you dont expect crf300 ability 11k in no problems...hope they show up next year with a revised model its on my list
I think it’s to be expected as the 2024 390 Duke has had an upgrade to the engine, and if KTM want to be competitive with the new Himalayan and the CFmoto 450, they’ve got to bring the new engine to the Adventure.
Love ragging the t*ts off my 390 through Kent. Brilliant fun always had big sports bikes in the past. The fun you can have on the KTM is brilliant tho. Keep up the great videos 👍
Great video Nathan. Love my 390, added fuelx lite and a 14t sprocket on the front and it helps with the low end! Will be bringing it on LEJOG so you can have a go. Amazing trails so will have to do some googling!
Like it or not you are correct regarding its off road abilities . However with couple of inexpensive mods ie pegs fuel tuner bar risers and permanently disabling the traction control its definitely the best allround small adv on the market . Others are too heavy underpowered and expensive to mod like crf suspension. My two cents
Traction control settings sorted on latest model. Stays off even when key turned off. Also has off road traction settings, and separate abs settings. New pegs and bar risers fix the other two main complaints. Aftermarket front springs gives more travel on the front. A very underrated bike in my opinion.
Wrongful info friend, traction control always goes off on engine shutoff even with latest updates - source: I have one. It's the Offroad ride mode that has been added, which tames traction control lower and that does stay set. On that note, even the off-road traction control is annoying and obtrusive, particularly on sand and softer terrain. Also, you're not getting more suspension travel with new springs unless you change the cartridges to longer ones. Changing springs is a compression/rebound adjustment, not travel.
@@renatolourinho2636 If your to far in to the sag, like me with the soft front springs and you fit stiffer springs, you do effectively "gain" travel. You recover the travel you lost with the excessive sag. Im currently in the do I keep it or get a 790 or a 690. Im on the heavy side and want to try the Hyperpro progressive springs before I move on. For my (heavy) weight and 25+ years of comeptitve MX racing experience, off road the suspension just blows through it's travel to easily, for me. Im hoping the new springs and an increase in the oil level will help. If so the cost, the ligthness etc have me very tempted to keep it. It's road riding is just pure , non threatening fun.
That looked fun. 20 odd thousand miles on my little 390. Still love it on and off road. Those sorts of tracks are definitely its sweet spot but I get on great with it in tricky stuff as well. Definitely interested to try the new Himalayan out when they get to my part of Sweden. Really look forward to your assessment of it as well. If you enjoy that sort of ruff gravel track riding I couldn't recommend Sweden enough. Cheers Paul
After our ride out on the bikes last week, it’s really interesting to get the perspective of someone who’s ridden it over a long period. Great day out by the way, despite the weather.
Nathan! Amazing review! I really love your videos and reviews. Im 35 and want to learn to ride motorbikes in order that in the future i can start traveling with a bike. Like cross marrocos, South America. Im thinking of getting a gs310 or a ktm 390 adv as first bike. Which one do u recommend as easier to ride for a beginner? My use of it will be mostly road and some light offroad. I live in porto Portugal, so here the offroad roads are very enduro style. I have to drive always 1-2-3hourd to south of Portugal to find better suited for beginner gravel roads. Your advice would be great
I pick this up on sale last year I put different foot pegs and handle bar riser and a fuel commander and it dose great now wouldn’t recommend it is the deep woods, but it’s great on stuff like this
I took my 2022 down to Stella Alpina last year (from Glasgow), rat running through the twisties on way down, autobahn from Basel to Arnhem on the way home. I didnt find the traction control problematic on the climb up the mountain, even the muddy and snowy bits. My only critiscm of it, when loaded for camping/touring it doenst like being parked on an incline. Twice it has tipped over backwards on me, even when keeping anything heavy down low.
Nice video, cheers. If you put a couple of washers as spacers on the rear ABS, it's dissarms all the ABS and traction controls, if I remember correctly. Mine pulls really sweet at lower revs now I've got slightly lower gearing and fuel module, different exhaust, airbox filter/cover etc.
@@nathanthepostman no worries. I also really like the cheap Chinese pivot pegs (£40 I think) for the standing position (bigger than platform, far better angle) and a small bar riser with the bars tilted forward. Do those relatively low cost things and the bike is very sweet, without having to pay out a ton of cash on suspension etc.
I only ever really found the traction control switch annoying in a group setting, because you always feel a bit rushed to be off and going without too much faff.
Yeah seen the photos floating around. It could be ace, but it could also be very expensive given the cost of the current 390. I think I'll believe it exists when we actually see it at a show! And yeah that's it, up around the reservoirs. Nice long manageable lanes
Nice (and positive) review. I think I’d trust you, Nathan, to find the best in any bike, and to say good things about it, yet also spill the beans on the bad bits. Your comments of KTM 390 vs the new 400 ‘Umph sounded very telling… Les
Interesting comparison between the KTM and the 400X. I think the standing position has been sorted on the latest 390, but at a price. Gutless bottom end does not make for good slow technical going, but every bike is a compromise. Algos like comments and Fray Bentos pies.
They're continental tkc80s. A good go to 50/50 tyre. Easy go get on and off. Work on road and decent off road. These arent tubeless tho so have had to put a tube in, which isn't ideal
Price wise it’s horrendous. Too much ktm hate on here to justify ever buying one. Thanks for lovely views. Still love the postman bikes but on the roads too slow
Nice engine, shame about the ergonomics. I bought one when they first came out and sadly was massively disappointed when I tried it on even the simplest of trails. Put me off 19" front wheel adventure bikes for life. Little Voge for me on the dirt. Having said that, the new CF Moto 450 looks like it could be interesting. What with that and the new Royal Enfield, perhaps longer distance adventure riding has a brighter future?
Greetings from Iceland and thank you for a nice video. Blaming the bike...it sounds like you just don't know how to ride this bike properly on trails and off road. When are you heading to Iceland??
@@nathanthepostman Hey nice to meet you, I'm Jon from Iceland. You picked the right time for motorcycle travel here in Iceland, by July most highland roads (F roads) are open and you still have plenty of daylight close to 20 hours. If you give me rough idea about your travel plans here I can better advise you on routs worth riding and which ones to avoid. Cheers.
Update your software man, you keep banging on about the off-road modes resetting back to on. I think you must be the only one that hasn't had it updated yet. Mine is a 2021 model and I now have all 3 rider modes. It doesn't matter now if you stall, the settings stay locked. Do yourself a favour and update the settings.
A few YT'ers from the beginning have been misleading our biking community. Understand one thing - You can never harness any motorcycle's true potential, unless you've made that connection with it. And that means spending time with it.
The ADV390 is an epic epic motorcycle, on and off road. Once you've made connection with yours, it really shines and shows you what all it can do.
I've had the opportunity to spend time with this machine, it took me 6-8 months to make that connection, but after that, there's no other motorcycle i'd rather pick.
The light nature, nimbleness, excellent on and off road characteristics and power make it truly an all round machine. Spend time with it and it'll reward you with memories of epic adventures you conquer with this motorcycle.
Absolutely spot on. Not as good as others off road, but really light, nimble and quick on road, and capable of a tour.
It's too much power for you .
Every ride on my 390 adventure makes me laugh with the sheer fun. It's a hooligan machine, and for forest trails and such around me it is perfect. Got rid of a T7 because of weight, the 390 suits my age and strength as the years pass.
p.s. put the traction control on favourites, and it's easily accessible. On mine, press up and 5 seconds later away I go. Also, it depends on the 390 , some stall out some don't. Mine refuses to stall. I've a video of me riding along on closed throttle in 1st 2nd and 3rd offroad, zero stalling.
Hutchinson, try a 701 ! Easier to ride and much lighter than the 390.
@@maxflight777 Aye, its about the only other bike I'd consider now. Thanks.
I love my 390 its just a fun bike you can use all the engine on the road and its ok off-road as long as you dont expect crf300 ability 11k in no problems...hope they show up next year with a revised model its on my list
I think it’s to be expected as the 2024 390 Duke has had an upgrade to the engine, and if KTM want to be competitive with the new Himalayan and the CFmoto 450, they’ve got to bring the new engine to the Adventure.
Love ragging the t*ts off my 390 through Kent. Brilliant fun always had big sports bikes in the past. The fun you can have on the KTM is brilliant tho. Keep up the great videos 👍
Love my 2020 390ADV. Reliability has been great and it's an exciting ride. Good allrounder and frugal on fuel.
Great video Nathan. Love my 390, added fuelx lite and a 14t sprocket on the front and it helps with the low end! Will be bringing it on LEJOG so you can have a go. Amazing trails so will have to do some googling!
I loved your 390 on the road. I reckon on a twisty b road it would put lots of bigger bikes to shame. So much fun.
Like it or not you are correct regarding its off road abilities . However with couple of inexpensive mods ie pegs fuel tuner bar risers and permanently disabling the traction control its definitely the best allround small adv on the market . Others are too heavy underpowered and expensive to mod like crf suspension. My two cents
Traction control settings sorted on latest model. Stays off even when key turned off. Also has off road traction settings, and separate abs settings. New pegs and bar risers fix the other two main complaints. Aftermarket front springs gives more travel on the front. A very underrated bike in my opinion.
Alan, agreed 👍🏻
Wrongful info friend, traction control always goes off on engine shutoff even with latest updates - source: I have one. It's the Offroad ride mode that has been added, which tames traction control lower and that does stay set. On that note, even the off-road traction control is annoying and obtrusive, particularly on sand and softer terrain.
Also, you're not getting more suspension travel with new springs unless you change the cartridges to longer ones. Changing springs is a compression/rebound adjustment, not travel.
@@renatolourinho2636 If your to far in to the sag, like me with the soft front springs and you fit stiffer springs, you do effectively "gain" travel. You recover the travel you lost with the excessive sag.
Im currently in the do I keep it or get a 790 or a 690. Im on the heavy side and want to try the Hyperpro progressive springs before I move on. For my (heavy) weight and 25+ years of comeptitve MX racing experience, off road the suspension just blows through it's travel to easily, for me.
Im hoping the new springs and an increase in the oil level will help. If so the cost, the ligthness etc have me very tempted to keep it. It's road riding is just pure , non threatening fun.
That looked fun.
20 odd thousand miles on my little 390. Still love it on and off road. Those sorts of tracks are definitely its sweet spot but I get on great with it in tricky stuff as well.
Definitely interested to try the new Himalayan out when they get to my part of Sweden. Really look forward to your assessment of it as well.
If you enjoy that sort of ruff gravel track riding I couldn't recommend Sweden enough.
Cheers
Paul
After our ride out on the bikes last week, it’s really interesting to get the perspective of someone who’s ridden it over a long period. Great day out by the way, despite the weather.
Nathan! Amazing review! I really love your videos and reviews.
Im 35 and want to learn to ride motorbikes in order that in the future i can start traveling with a bike. Like cross marrocos, South America.
Im thinking of getting a gs310 or a ktm 390 adv as first bike. Which one do u recommend as easier to ride for a beginner?
My use of it will be mostly road and some light offroad. I live in porto Portugal, so here the offroad roads are very enduro style. I have to drive always 1-2-3hourd to south of Portugal to find better suited for beginner gravel roads.
Your advice would be great
I pick this up on sale last year I put different foot pegs and handle bar riser and a fuel commander and it dose great now wouldn’t recommend it is the deep woods, but it’s great on stuff like this
I took my 2022 down to Stella Alpina last year (from Glasgow), rat running through the twisties on way down, autobahn from Basel to Arnhem on the way home.
I didnt find the traction control problematic on the climb up the mountain, even the muddy and snowy bits.
My only critiscm of it, when loaded for camping/touring it doenst like being parked on an incline. Twice it has tipped over backwards on me, even when keeping anything heavy down low.
Also in Glasgow with a ktm 390 adv. I also 100% get what you mean. It does feel like it's very upright when on its side stand.
Nice video, cheers. If you put a couple of washers as spacers on the rear ABS, it's dissarms all the ABS and traction controls, if I remember correctly. Mine pulls really sweet at lower revs now I've got slightly lower gearing and fuel module, different exhaust, airbox filter/cover etc.
That's very useful to know. Thanks for that
@@nathanthepostman no worries. I also really like the cheap Chinese pivot pegs (£40 I think) for the standing position (bigger than platform, far better angle) and a small bar riser with the bars tilted forward. Do those relatively low cost things and the bike is very sweet, without having to pay out a ton of cash on suspension etc.
Thanks for the video and explanation
Great bike; looks good, too. Reliable. My 390 Duke Mk2 is superb. Nick
A good review on the KTM 390 ADV. The traction control issue can be resolved with the new software update.
Can you apply the SW update to older models. 2020 models? they seem to be priced quite well.
@@shaunukhiking yes mine has been updated.
@@teddybowker7309 Thanks.
I only ever really found the traction control switch annoying in a group setting, because you always feel a bit rushed to be off and going without too much faff.
Have you seen the 2025 390 spy shots? Looks like a proper adventure bike, and where are those lanes, is that Nant Y Mochyn?
Yeah seen the photos floating around. It could be ace, but it could also be very expensive given the cost of the current 390. I think I'll believe it exists when we actually see it at a show! And yeah that's it, up around the reservoirs. Nice long manageable lanes
Nice (and positive) review. I think I’d trust you, Nathan, to find the best in any bike, and to say good things about it, yet also spill the beans on the bad bits. Your comments of KTM 390 vs the new 400 ‘Umph sounded very telling… Les
Interesting comparison between the KTM and the 400X. I think the standing position has been sorted on the latest 390, but at a price. Gutless bottom end does not make for good slow technical going, but every bike is a compromise. Algos like comments and Fray Bentos pies.
Take it to a dealer at let them update the software. you get an offroad mode, that you can switch while riding. saves a lot of nerves!
Fantic Caballero 500 Scrambler ever tested one Nathan ?
Any plans to test the new CF Moto 450mt and the Kove 500x?
A change to a 14 teeth front sprocket (about 15€) will solve lots of "problems"
If you've to compare it to your scram 400x.. which one will you pick and why?
Best bike there at 7.28 the 1990s Kawasaki serow 225. Very nice. I want one
What tyres are you running on and are you happy with them? Cheers
They're continental tkc80s. A good go to 50/50 tyre. Easy go get on and off. Work on road and decent off road. These arent tubeless tho so have had to put a tube in, which isn't ideal
Price wise it’s horrendous. Too much ktm hate on here to justify ever buying one. Thanks for lovely views. Still love the postman bikes but on the roads too slow
Nice engine, shame about the ergonomics. I bought one when they first came out and sadly was massively disappointed when I tried it on even the simplest of trails. Put me off 19" front wheel adventure bikes for life. Little Voge for me on the dirt. Having said that, the new CF Moto 450 looks like it could be interesting. What with that and the new Royal Enfield, perhaps longer distance adventure riding has a brighter future?
Seven and a half thousand miles on a sub 400 cc bike’s chain and sprockets doesn’t sound too good to me.
It is pretty good in this day and age with this type of riding in these conditions. About the average for these type of bikes and how I'm using them
Greetings from Iceland and thank you for a nice video. Blaming the bike...it sounds like you just don't know how to ride this bike properly on trails and off road. When are you heading to Iceland??
Yeah maybe not. You maybe give me some tips in Iceland in July.
@@nathanthepostman Hey nice to meet you, I'm Jon from Iceland. You picked the right time for motorcycle travel here in Iceland, by July most highland roads (F roads) are open and you still have plenty of daylight close to 20 hours. If you give me rough idea about your travel plans here I can better advise you on routs worth riding and which ones to avoid. Cheers.
Update your software man, you keep banging on about the off-road modes resetting back to on. I think you must be the only one that hasn't had it updated yet. Mine is a 2021 model and I now have all 3 rider modes. It doesn't matter now if you stall, the settings stay locked. Do yourself a favour and update the settings.
Himalayan review coming..?
Maybe. I might have one on order
Please bring it..I'm eagerly waiting for your feedback on the bike