I upgraded from a KLR685 to the 390 Adv at the beginning of June. Just under 3000km completed already.
Yes, it really is an upgrade.
More power, much better acceleration, far more agile, phenomenal stopping power, and it feels like it can sit at 140kph all day with ease. Smaller 14.5 liter tank but better fuel range than the KLR’s 23 liter tank. I seem to be averaging around 32 km/l of fairly aggressive riding.
Tubeless tyres. I took it up Hell Se Pas near Vanrhynspas, hitting those huge ledges at speed without any fear of touching the cast rim to stone. The high profile front tyre probably helps there (100/90-19), as does the light mass and the superb front suspension (fully adjustable compression and rebound dampening).
Offroad switchable and cornering sensitive on both traction control as well as ABS.
Bluetooth to phone and to intercom for music, calls, navigation, with all the appropriate info displayed on the very bright TFT screen, and 4-way control switch on the left handlebar, no need to ever take your hand off the handlebar to answer calls, change music, set volume, etc.
12V socket on the dash, plus 2 pairs of spare 12V female spade terminals under the instrument panel for accessories, one pair keyed to the ignition switch, the other always live direct from the battery (Both fused), and the same again under the pillion seat for accessories. I fitted a USB socket to the always live connector under the seat, where there is a neat cavity to store and charge my intercom or phone at a stopover, safely locked away.
Fully adjustable front suspension (compression and rebound damping), with the rear offering pre-load and rebound adjustments.
However, we must come back to the ride...
That is what its all about, not so?
Well, I cannot fault the ride. Well sprung, comfortable, stable, amazingly agile.
Difficult to believe this is a single cylinder. And difficult to believe it is a 400cc class engine.
It is smooth with impressive response from the ride-by-wire throttle.
The power-to-weight ratio is right up there.
This engine loves to rev up eagerly with enough performance to not need gearing down to overtake on the freeway.
I still get surprised when I glance down and often see the speedo reading 140+
If I had to look for negatives, I could name only two:
Stock tyres are road-biased TKC70. I found them surprisingly good on loose gravel, rocky terrain and dirt roads, but when you hit the deep, soft sand, that rear tyre just does not have the push needed to keep the speed up, it spins away, gradually losing speed then ends up digging itself in, even at 1.2 BAR pressure. The front tends to weave a lot more than I expected in the sand, but that is still manageable. The more offroad orientated TKC80 would probably be a much more suitable choice. I hear that the KTM steering geometry favours a TKC80 front in soft sand, so I intend to fit one in front very soon. For the rear, I might got for the superb Anlas Capra X.
The second negative, and this not a biggie, is the less than expected low-end torque. The over-square, short-stroke piston, needs to be kept above 4000 RPM, otherwise the engine feels a bit reluctant. It took a while to adjust, coming from the KLR thumper with its massive low-end grunt, but now I am thoroughly enjoying how playful and eager this engine is once you get it purring in the higher RPM band.
All in all, I am one very happy customer.
Topic: KTM 390 in South Africa (Read 6154 times)
