2025 KTM 390 Adventure X Review: The More Practical Choice?

The KTM 390 Adventure X is the touring-friendly variant of the new 390 Adventure range, with alloy wheels, standard non-adjustable suspension and a lower price tag. After being launched with a significant price advantage and less features, the 390 Adventure X has now been updated with the same electronics suite of the standard model, offering lean-sensitive traction control and ABS, as well as more ride modes with dedicated throttle maps. Is it then the more sensible and practical choice, considering it costs nearly Rs. 65,000 less? Read on.

Also Read: 2025 KTM 390 Adventure Review

Design 

The overall stance and silhouette of the KTM 390 Adventure X is the same as the standard model. Apart from the blacked-out alloy wheels, and minor changes in the colours, including a blacked-out lower part of the side panels and the tail section, the rest of the motorcycle retains the same design. The underbelly exhaust, the mirrors, the tall windscreen and the vertically stacked twin LED projector headlight set-up remains the same. 

The LED headlight set-up has excellent throw and illumination is very impressive, to the point that it could possibly be the best in any adventure bike in the segment right now. And like its more off-road focussed sibling, the 390 Adventure X is available in a choice of two colours – Electric Orange or Ceramic White. The 5-inch, full-colour TFT screen is shared with the standard model, and the layout is simple, easy to navigate through and visibility is excellent, even under direct sunlight.

Also Read: 2025 KTM 390 Adventure X - What's New?

Dimensions & Ergonomics

The biggest differences are in the cast alloy wheels, with the 390 Adventure X running on a smaller 19-inch front wheel and a 17-inch rear, a definite nod to the road-focussed, adventure touring personality of the X, rather than prioritising off-road riding. The suspension set-up may be non-adjustable, but the WP Apex 43 mm upside down forks get 200 mm travel, while the WP rear monoshock also gets 205 mm travel. There’s no compression and rebound damping adjustment available as the “standard” model, but the suspension is tuned for comfort and stability and can easily tackle both light off-roading and highway cruising as we found out. But more on that later.

Also Read: Updated KTM 390 Adventure X Launched At Rs. 3.03 Lakh

With the smaller front wheel, ground clearance is also less than the standard model’s 238 mm, but still pretty good at 227 mm. The saddle height is also less, at 825 mm, making the 390 Adventure X more accessible to riders of different height and build, compared to the standard model’s 830 mm seat height. The result is a slightly different riding triangle, with the rider perched “in” the bike, rather than on it. 

Pillion comfort though is limited, and at best will be comfortable enough for an hour’s ride or so. That’s not too much of a bother, and the firm seat will have the rider take a break every hour or two anyway, out on a long ride. Kerb weight of the 390 Adventure X is 181 kg, just 1 kg less than its spoke-wheeled sibling. The 14.5 litre fuel tank capacity offers decent range, with a combined 25.5 kmpl fuel efficiency returned during our tests, an almost 370 km range on the fuel tank is more than adequate, for an adventure touring motorcycle.

Performance & Refinement

The 399 cc, LC4C, single-cylinder engine has the same output – 45.37 bhp at 8,500 rpm and 39 Nm of peak torque at 6,500 rpm. The high-revving engine has punchy performance and there’s an enjoyable surge of power soon as you cross 5,000 rpm. The standard quickshifter on the six-speed gearbox works like a charm, and even the light clutch makes shifting in traffic easy and effortless. 

The engine is docile at low revs and up to around 4,000 rpm, which is where most folks would be sitting at, in traffic. But it’s a different personality when you accelerate through the gears and explore the higher revs! Overall, there’s no lack of performance, whether you’re commuting in traffic, making a dash to the suburbs, or out on a highway, heading out for a longer adventure.

At the engine spinning at 6,000 rpm you can settle at a steady 100 kmph, but it is also at those revs where you feel some vibes from the engine. At over 6,500 rpm, the vibes somewhat settle down, and between 100-110 kmph is the sweet spot of this motorcycle, with plenty of performance to hit 150 kmph. The 390 Adventure X is designed to cover long distances, and the engine will not feel stressed, and you can cover long distances effortlessly and quickly. 

It is a vibey engine though, as is the case with any single-cylinder engine. You can feel the vibes on the footpegs, more so than the handlebar. There’s some noticeable buzz and vibes, but it’s subjective as to what kind of vibes are tolerable to every rider. This is an engine that is inherently buzzy, and if that’s a concern, then you should look elsewhere, probably at a twin-cylinder engine. But the fuelling could have been better, at least on our test unit. It has a tendency to stall at low revs, which can become annoying and at times, make all the difference between being upright and tipping over when going off-road.

Ride & Handling

The standard suspension set-up is excellent! Even though it lacks adjustability, the X’s suspension absorbs all kinds of road imperfections and bumps well. Overall dynamics are well-sorted, on a twisty road or when leaving the tarmac behind to explore more challenging terrain. In all, the KTM 390 Adventure X feels light and agile on its feet. Whether leaned over in a corner, or taking on the rough stuff, the chassis and suspension offers a level of composure and stability which is impressive!

The brakes, although the 390 Adventure X has organic brake pads with axially mounted calipers, stopping power is good, and more than adequate, even though the extra bite of the sintered pads (on the standard model) is something we would have preferred. But even then, with the suspension set-up that the 390 Adventure X comes with, it’s a capable off-road machine for anyone looking to explore some trails and take on rough terrain.  Unless you have some experience and exposure of off-road riding and will need the suspension adjustability, the X can take some serious beating off-road and offer an enjoyable experience, even with the non-adjustable suspension set-up.

Features & Safety

The updated 390 Adventure X now gets the full electronics suite, including standard cruise control, riding modes, cornering ABS, and even cornering traction control. What I missed the most on the X earlier was the Off-Road throttle map, which makes it feel more eager and punchier than the standard Road and Rain modes, and now with the Off-Road throttle map introduced, as well as the crawl feature, the 390 Adventure X is a well kitted-out adventure bike, even without the adjustable suspension and wire-spoke wheels.

Price & Value

The updated KTM 390 Adventure X is priced at Rs. 3.03 lakh (Ex-showroom), which is still around Rs. 65,000 less than the Rs. 3.68 lakh (Ex-showroom) price tag of the standard 390 Adventure. With the updates, the 390 Adventure X now gets all the kit and lean-sensitive electronics to make it very good value, particularly for those who will be sticking to tarmac more often and will seldom see off-road duty.

Verdict

The KTM 390 Adventure X offers a very good package, straight out of the showroom. With the updated version offering the lean-sensitive electronics suite and different throttle maps, it offers very good value. The 390 Adventure X is a light adventure touring bike, with composed road manners and eager performance, traits which make it easy to recommend. It has punchy performance, impressive touring ability and decent off-road capability as well. With a near Rs. 65,000 price difference, the 390 Adventure X offers better value in the new KTM 390 Adventure range.

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