The KTM 390 Enduro R is here, and no, it’s not just a tarted-up version of the 390 Adventure. Instead, this appears to be a similar machine to the 690 Enduro R. See it in action below:
Two things are immediately noticeable from that video. First, this is a real dual sport, unlike the street-biased KTM 390 Adventure. Second—there’s no muffler hanging out the back.
Well, there is, sort of. But it’s much smaller than the big honkin’ can that comes on most stock bikes. KTM says they’ve managed to use a double catalyzer and some ECU trickery to help the bike’s engine run to clean up tailpipe emissions in realtime, adjusting the running temperature to avoid pollution. This means the engineers were able to run a much slimmer, lighter exhaust that cuts nearly five pounds of weight off the back.
As for the overall package: With a two-piece trellis frame made of steel, a small 9-liter (2.37 gallon) fuel tank and trimmed-down bodywork, this machine is made for off-roading. The subframe is a bolt-on arrangement, much better for off-roading as it’s more easily repaired or replaced. Generally speaking, the frame is similar to the KTM 390 Duke, but with angles and settings tweaked to suit off-road handling.
The 21-18 wheelset (the 390 Adventure rolls on 19-17 wheels) will take proper dirt rubber; Metzeler Karoo 4 rubber comes standard. The open-cartridge 43mm fork has 30-click compression and rebound adjustment, and there’s a WP APEX shock mounted off-center in rear with 20-click rebound adjustment as well as easy preload adjustment, as it’s readily accessible. Note that the footpegs are better-positioned for offroading, a common complaint of the 390 Adventure models.
Brakes are from ByBre, with a 285mm disc up front and a 240mm disc in rear. Claimed dry weight is right around 350 pounds.
The engine is the same LC4c single that KTM recently updated for use in its Duke and RC390 lineup, as well as the just-announced KTM 390 SMC R supermoto. That means you should expect 45 horsepower at 8,500 rpm and 28 pound-feet of torque at 6,500 rpm, unless KTM re-tuned it. The six-speed gearbox should come with a pay-to-play quickshifter.
Selectable ride modes come standard, including an Offroad mode. Riders can turn off traction control and ABS, an important feature when going off-road, and you can see from the video above that KTM kept the dashboard simple, even though it’s a newfangled TFT.
We don’t know the MSRP for this new bike yet, but we expect it to be roughly in line with the other 390 ADV models. It’s supposed to hit the market in early 2025.
