You read it first here on BikesIndia, and yes you read it right, KTM seems to be working on the Adventure 390. A few days ago KTM has imported two units of 374cc motorcycles to India from Austria for R&D purpose. We can be quite sure that these aren't Dukes or RCs, but seems very much like the Adventure 390. Looking at the present Indian biking scenario and the market demand, it seems just right for KTM to launch the Adventure motorcycle now. Biking in India is going pretty fast and people are exploring every class of motorcycles, so this would be perfect. Also considering the fact that there is no other bike to compete at this segment, it will be good if Bajaj-KTM would be the first one to come up with.
It all started back in April 2013 when the KTM's CEO, Stefan Pierer mentioned in an interview with Cycle News magazine that KTM would produce a new dual-sport model based on the Duke 390 platform. Ever since then people have been very much hyped to see this bike. A 390 KTM dual sports with 43 bhp and sharing similar components with that of Duke 390 would be just WOW.Soon, we got this not so good news towards the end of 2014. The KTM officials stated that there were no such plans to launch such a motorcycle immediately, but it will come later on. Some months passed and then we got a spy-shot of a 390 caught testing around November of 2014. The test mule had a revised number plate holder, side mount exhaust and also revised body with other small changes. While many believed it to be the next generation Duke 390, it wasn't seem so. Thanks to MCN, as it was made a little clear by them that it seemed to be an Adventure 390 which was disguised as a Duke as both these bikes will be sharing many components.
What to Expect:First things first, that is the looks. The bike's design is expected to be inspired from the 1190 Adventure. It will have a tall visor to help cut crosswinds. The bike will be sharing their parts with that of Duke 390. The bike's frame will now be more stronger to take on the beatings of off roads. Other than this, the bike will have a long front suspension and heavy-duty monoshock suspension at the rear for off-roading. It will also have a slightly larger fuel tank as it will be munching on more miles. A side mount exhaust, changes on the body are to be expected.
Engine Specifications:
The bike will be using the Duke 390's engine as the imported bike's engine specification is exactly the same with changes to the engine. The engine will be tuned accordingly. The engine will be a fuel injected, mated to a 6-speed gearbox, producing pretty much the same power figures as that of the Duke but at different rpm.
Pricing & Expected Launch Date:
Expect the price to be somewhere in between that of Duke 390 and RC 390. The bike might be launched by the end of this year or be launched next year.
Do you think it's right for KTM to launch the Adventure motorcycle now? Tell us in the comments below.
Source: Zauba.com
By: Rakesh Gowda
