BORN TO ROAM

KTM 390 ENDURO R

- Akaash Bhadra

I've been waiting for this moment ever since KTM first teased the 390 Enduro R at EICMA 2024. As someone who spends a lot of weekends getting lost in the hills with nothing but a dirt trail and a two-wheeler for company, the thought of a purpose-built enduro machine under ₹3.5 lakh had me buzzing. And finally, here it is — the India-spec KTM 390 Enduro R.

Now, I know what you're thinking. “It's not the full-blown international-spec Enduro R, so isn’t it a bit of a letdown?” Well, I thought that too. Until I rode it.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Visually, the 390 Enduro R has serious off-road intent. The slim, aggressive silhouette reminds me of its bigger sibling, the 690 Enduro R, minus the rally tower. Instead, you get a petite LED headlamp and a no-nonsense fascia that screams trail-ready. It's more compact than the 390 Adventure, and while some might say it looks smaller than a typical 400cc bike, I loved its tight proportions.

Swinging a leg over it, the 860mm seat height initially felt intimidating — but I quickly realized how misleading that number was. I'm 5'11" with off-road boots on, and I could flat-foot both sides thanks to the slim seat and tank. The narrow midsection really helps when you're trying to get stable footing on uneven ground.

LET'S TALK HARDWARE

What we've got here is the familiar 399cc, single-cylinder engine from the 390 Adventure, still churning out 45.3bhp and 39Nm. But KTM's gone ahead and tweaked the gearing with a larger 48-tooth rear sprocket. Translation? Better low-end grunt — and boy, does it show.