Back in 2021, I had a long-term loan of a KTM 390 Adventure. I put more than 3,000 miles on the bike before I was done with it, and was impressed that KTM made such a great travel bike out of such a small machine. It was fun on low-stress gravel as well, but when the trail got rocky, I often thought: “I wish this bike had a set of spoked rims.”

As it turns out, a lot of other people wanted spoked rims as well. In 2023, they got their wish; KTM announced the 390 Adventure would come with spoked wheels from the factory (in some markets, buyers could supposedly choose between spoked rims or cast rims. In the US and Canada, spoked rims are standard for 2023, while cast rims are standard for Australia this year).

KTM had a press unit left over after this year’s Adventure Rally in Quebec, and I got my hands on it for a few days’ riding on street and dirt. Here’s what I found out about the ever-so-slightly updated machine.

Those wheels are the biggest and only real change on the ’23 model. I did, however, feel the bike’s riding position felt different when I climbed on board. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

Not that much has changed

Looking at the PR for this year’s release, nothing much has changed. Getting on the bike, it feels different from the 390 Adventure I rode in 2021, but not that different.

When I hopped on the first-generation bike two years ago, I thought it felt like a naked bike wearing ADV clothes, something that other reviewers have mentioned, and plenty of owners. Throwing a leg over the 2023 model, I did not feel like that. The ergos just felt… more adventurous.

I’m not sure why. KTM hasn’t changed the footpeg angle (a complaint of some riders), and I think it’s the same handlebar and seat as well. Perhaps the bars were rotated backwards for the bike’s use in the KTM Rally, which made for a more upright seating position? Either way, the cockpit is still better-fitted to shorter riders. I had no issues with leg space (I have awkwardly short legs) but found the handlebars still left me a bit forward-tilted when standing on the pegs (probably partly thanks to my awkwardly tall torso).

But, I did feel the rider triangle was better on this bike.

Switching options on and off is easy and can be done in-flight. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

Rolling along at speed, the engine is also very familiar. At idle, the 373cc liquid-cooled single has an odd chuffing sound, almost like a piece of vintage farm machinery. But once you’re underway, all such agricultural comparisons will vanish. This does not pull like a tractor, as people say about the Japanese thumpers—you’ve got to spin it up to get the full 44 hp at 9,000 rpm, 27.3 lb-ft of torque at 7,000 rpm. But if you don’t mind wringing the bike’s neck, the first-gen version would run 80 mph all day long on the highway, and get pretty decent fuel economy if you were a little easier on the throttle. The latest update of the bike is the same.

As for the suspension and brakes: ByBre still provides the stopping power, and it’s still very good (ABS is included, and comes with Off-Road mode, allowing you to lock the rear wheel). The WP Apex suspension is still the same as before, with adjustable fork and shock.

Really, the only hard parts that are new are the 19-inch front and 17-inch rear rims, with Tourance tires. KTM also added some new graphics.

This bike has the accessory aluminum skidplate installed. Those crash bars come standard. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

Small-bike fun

Because the 2023 bike isn’t changed much, it’s just as enjoyable as the previous version—it’s a bike that’s very fun to ride, as long as you aren’t a horsepower junkie.

Get on a back road, and you can use the engine’s full power without worrying about grossly exceeding the speed limit, or the limits of your riding talent. Although it would be nice to have more torque, the quickshifter lets you slip through the six-speed gearbox very quickly, allowing you to maintain momentum. Clutching in for a shift on a lumpy, old-school Japanese thumper costs you more speed than you might think! And while the 390 Adventure doesn’t have scary power, many riders will be happy to have the safety net afforded by the leaning-sensitive traction control and ABS. These can’t magically create traction for you, if you encounter a gravel washout across your lane mid-corner, but they can help protect you from your own stupidity, at least. And in an emergency stop, it’s comforting to know you can just smash on the binders while avoiding that deer/bear/moose/Corolla.

The brakes on my test bike were a bit squeaky (I think they got some dust stuck in there, running the Adventure Rally before I picked it up), but I was once again amazed at how far budget stoppers have come in the past decade. The new ByBre systems are far, far ahead of the lower-priced brake systems of older Japanese dual sports. If you’re used to something like the old single-piston KLR brakes, these will be an immense improvement. The 320 mm front disc, in particular, is far more powerful than anything you would have gotten on a dual sport machine in the 1990s or even the 2000s.

Most owners will probably tidy up the tail, and a lot will also opt for a new exhaust can. But as it is, I had a lot of people saying they really liked this bike’s looks. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

As for the suspension: It feels like a standard KTM adventure bike, just less capable. If you don’t tinker with the clickers on the fork and the shock adjustment, its a stiff-ish ride on the street when compared to a small-cc dual sport. Off-road, the bike’s OK at low-to-mid speeds, but if you load the bike down with luggage and aim for the whoops, you’ll quickly realize this is no 890 R.

It is quite sure-footed, though, and while the 19-inch front wheel isn’t made for bashing over large obstructions along the route, neither is the rest of the bike—but it does steer around them very nicely. It’s kind of the same idea as the old Yamaha XT series; they aren’t made to go off-road fast, but they can go almost anywhere, as long as you take your time and pick a line. The 390 ADV certainly isn’t made for tight woods like the XTs could handle, but it is nimble and can take you far off the beaten track if you’re careful.

And if you aren’t careful, and manage to bash your front wheel into a boulder? At least the new 390 rims won’t fold like a cheap suit. This was one of my drawbacks with the previous version; on gnarlier stuff, I was always worried about punching that front wheel into something too hard, and damaging the rim. That isn’t a problem with the new spoked arrangement.

Even without a luggage rack, the 390 Adventure can haul enough gear for a moto tour. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

Possible drawbacks of the new model

However, not all buyers want those new spoked rims. If all you ride is street, maybe throwing in some non-challenging gravel roads, you might prefer the ease of the cast rims’ tubeless tires. I’ve certainly seen that complaint online.

The other thing that many riders won’t like about the new ’23 model is the new price tag. The 2021 KTM 390 Adventure I rode had an MSRP of $6,699 USD, $7,399 CAD. The 2023 model has an MSRP of $7,399 USD; in Canada, I see dealers asking anywhere in the $8,200-$9,000 range.

That’s a big hike, considering even the ’21 model saw pricing hiked from the introductory machines in 2020, and the machine hasn’t changed that much. I think the 390 offers a lot of bike for the money, but as the price climbs against Japanese machines with more stable MSRPs, riders will be more tempted to shop elsewhere, or wait for a markdown before buying.