India had a serious lack of quality ADVs to tour, commute and go through trails on without breaking the bank till the KTM 390 Adventure showed up. The issue, however, is that despite running KTM’s proven 390 engine, and a chassis borne out of the brand’s years and years of adventure bike experience, there were still a few places the bike could be improved upon for it to appeal to an even greater volume of enthusiasts.
To that end, KTM themselves are offering a list of Powerparts for the 390 Adventure. These mods are already on offer overseas and will make their way to India soon. So here are five of our recommendations to cover all the shortcomings (and make the good even better) on your KTM 390 Adventure, starting with:
ADVs are built to tackle rough terrain, and hence feature a high ground clearance and consequently, a high saddle. However, the 390 Adventure’s 855mm seat height was the first thing scaring away potential buyers. To remedy this, KTM offers a lowering kit comprising of three springs for the front and rear WP Apex suspension to reduce the saddle height by 25mm. Also on offer is a new side stand for you, making that saddle hop a lot less taxing.
The ‘Adventure’ moniker means your bike won’t always stay on dry, surfaced, gravel-free tarmac. And you know what that means? Spills, but off course. So, to keep your bike damage-free and you worry-free, KTM is offering a crash bar which can be fit easily to the existing mounting points on your bike. And that’s not all, as there’s also an aluminium skid plate separately available to protect the underside of the bike, for when that bump ends up being higher than it looks.
Touring on your bike is the other half of the ADV lifestyle. However, securing luggage to the rear seat not only looks inelegant but is also a pain to arrange and securely fasten. And at the end, there’s always the niggling fear of the bungee cords snapping open and strewing your luggage all over the road. To address this issue, KTM is offering a side bag carrier, essentially a steel tube chassis that can be bolted onto the motorcycle. The carriers can hold a pair of panniers which, along with being being light and scratch-resistant, also do not impede the position of the pillion as well as feature integrated anti-theft devices for peace of mind when parking your bike on the side of the road when you go in for a cup of coffee.
Lot of factors make your ride difficult, but none as much as an uncomfortable seat. To get around this, KTM is offering a replacement one-piece seat which, despite increasing the ride height by 18mm, still permits closer contact with the machine, for better reaction to the path ahead. And, the resultant increase in knee angle means your knees will thank you after the particularly longer rides
The 373cc liquid-cooled mill on the 390 Adventure has been picked up unchanged from the 390 Duke, and despite making 43bhp and 37Nm, there will undoubtedly be those who want that extra zing from their bike. KTM offers an Akrapovic slip-on exhaust for exactly these discerning riders. The titanium (outer sleeve) and stainless steel (internal) of the exhaust produce a weight difference compared to the stock version, with the trademark rorty Akra exhaust note an added bonus.
For more information, please visit: ktm.com/powerparts