Let's think back to happier, simpler times. EICMA of last year comes to mind.
No, that's not political in nature, but it was before we knew that KTM was well and truly screwed. It was before the company had announced that it was entering insolvency. Before we knew it had over a year's worth of motorcycles just laying around. Before we knew of the layoffs and board axes and closings of companies it had just purchased. It was before we knew that it was probably exiting MotoGP.
It was the good times, where the only issue KTM had was its disastrous camshaft saga being—supposedly—put behind it. Except, KTM had one small issue when it came to its EICMA debuts, and that was introducing its new 390s. Or rather, bringing them, hyping them up, and then failing to debut them.
Maybe it wasn't happier times? Maybe it spelled the brand's doom, as despite bringing the new 390s to EICMA, putting them on the brand's stage, and hyping their release in press releases prior to the show, it failed to say anything about them, only later telling me that the specs weren't yet finalized for the public. Yet, that excuse was weird at the time, and now with hindsight and all of KTM's woes in full view, make more sense.
Yet, now in 2025, a full three months after their supposed EICMA debut, KTM is finally taking the covers off its new 390s, including the all-new 390 Enduro R, and it looks great. But will it save the company? Well...
First things first, KTM doesn't give a price.
I've looked everywhere for it, but neither is it in the brand's press release, nor the bike's highlighted specs. So that doesn't bode well for a company that routinely out-prices its customers because they think everyone wants a high-priced motorcycle, even though the things that are selling like hot-cakes right now are the inexpensive, small-displacement bikes. You know, something that looks a lot like a 390 Enduro R.
But hey, I'm not KTM's big-brain businessmen. They definitely know what they're doing...
Centered around a 399cc single, the new 390 Enduro R gets electronic fuel injection, a PASC slipper clutch, and ride-by-wire. Likewise, an optional quick-shifter is available. The bike is set in a two-piece frame, with a bolt-on subframe, so when you inevitably bin the motorcycle, repairs are pretty straightforward.
The swingarm is cast aluminum, but has been redesigned from the prior generation so that KTM could relocate the rear shock and lower the seat height, as well as tuck the exhaust further underneath. That gives the 390 Enduro R a 35-inch seat, but 9 inches of travel front and rear. Speaking of the suspension, WP handles both front and rear with fully adjustable units with compression and rebound adjustability at the front, and rebout at the back.
Brembo handles the stopping power, while Metzeler Karoo 4 tires keep the bike moving even in the hardest of terrains. The bike also gets a new 4.2-inch TFT display, which lets riders toggle the different ride modes, traction control and launch control. Total weight, however, is a featherweight 350 pounds fully fueled.
Alls this to say is that KTM built—and by KTM building, I mean Bajaj which actually produces the bikes—a really attractive machine that ticks a ton of the boxes I look for when it comes to a small displacement adventure motorcycle. It looks fantastic. Too bad it still feels like KTM is ashamed of its 390s and that they aren't built by KTM proper in Austria, though who knows how long that'll continue anyways.
I just wish I knew how much it cost, you know?
