2019 KTM 390 Adventure: Four ADV motorcycles it will compete with in India

And finally it is here. KTM has sent an official confirmation that the 390 Adventure will launch in India next year. So no more modifying the existing KTM 390 Duke into a makeshift ADV for those trips to Ladakh. Without revealing much details about the upcoming motorcycle, KTM stated " The upcoming 390 Adventure will draw its lineage from the brand's proud Rally-Racing history and from the flagship 1290 Super Adventure providing the motorcycle-touring community a state-of-the-art package to ride long distances and conquer any terrain"

The 2019 KTM will be manufactured at the Bajaj's Chakan plant alongside the KTM 390 Duke and the RC 390 (spied image source: CycleWorld)

The 390 Adventure will join the 390 Duke and supersport RC 390 series of motorcycles in India. While the Adventure will most likely be powered by the same 373cc, single-cylinder, liquid cooled motor that puts outs 43.5PS and 37Nm. We expect the engine in the ADV to feature a different state of tune to make it better suited for off-road use. We believe the 2019 KTM 390 Adventure will come equipped with LED lamps, TFT instrumentation, wire-spoke wheels, switchable ABS, ride modes and 19-inch front and 17-inch rear wheels. We might have to wait till EICMA to get a first glimpse of the 2019 KTM 390 Adventure. Here are the five ADV offerings that it will compete with in India

From the spied images, one can see how the 2019 KTM 390 Adventure takes design inspiration from the KTM 1090 Adventure (spied image: motorradonline)

Royal Enfield Himalayan

Ex-showroom price: Rs 1.67 lakh

Royal Enfield Himalayan rides on Ceat Maxx Gripp on/off road tyres and comes with long travel suspension

The 411cc single cylinder air-cooled SOHC engine makes 24.5PS and 32Nm and is mated to a 5-speed gearbox. Royal Enfields are all about torque and this one makes its peak twisting force between 4,000-4,500rpm. The engine is mounted on rubber mounts and also has a counter balancer to dampen the vibrations. The half-duplex split cradle frame is all-new for RE. There are 41mm front forks with 200mm travel and a monoshock at the rear with 180mm wheel travel. The kerb weight of the motorcycle is 182kg while the fuel tank capacity is 15l. The Royal Enfield Himalayan rides on Ceat Maxx Gripp on/off road tyres and comes with long travel suspension, a compass as part of the instrument cluster, a fly screen as well as easy to procure and affordable spare parts.

Bajaj Dominar ADV

Ex-showroom price: Rs 1.95 lakh (Expected)

This image is of an ADV-styled body kit called the TourX on the Bajaj Dominar.

We are sure Bajaj Auto is working on the adventure platform - because they do work jointly with KTM on the Duke-based machines. Timelines are unknown but we know that Bajaj know that there is a persistent buzz about the adventure tourer and off-road motorcycle now. Read more about the Tour X ADV kit based on the Bajaj Dominar here.

BMW G 310 GS

Ex-showroom price: Rs 4 lakh (speculated)

The BMW G 310 GS is the smallest member of BMW Motorrad's adventure touring family and apes its elder siblings like the R 1200 GS, F 750 GS and F 850 GS which are on sale in India already

BMW Motorrad India has already started accepted bookings for the G 310 GS in the country. The G310 GS is a focused adventure tourer that will come equipped with longer travel suspension than the R and a larger front wheel as well. It also has dual-purpose tyres and an engine sump guard. It will come equipped with ABS as standard. The BMW G 310 GS is powered by a 313cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine that develops 34PS at 9,500rpm and generates 28Nm at 7,500rpm. The motor is paired to a six speed transmission. Both the BMW G 310 R and the G 310 GS are manufactured at TVS Motor's Hosur plant near Bengaluru and are being exported to international markets.

Kawasaki X-300 Versys

Ex-showroom price: Rs 4.69 lakh

The Kawasaki X-300 Versys gets the 41mm in front, long-travel suspension while at the rear is a bottom-link, Uni-Track, gas-charged monoshock

The Kawasaki Versys-X300 is powered by a 296cc, fuel-injected, parallel-twin engine that produces 40PS at 11,500 rpm and 25.7Nm at 10,000rpm. The engine is similar to the one that powers the Kawasaki Ninja 300, however, in the Versys X300, it has been re-tuned for better low and mid-range grunt. Kawasaki states that the injectors and throttle valves have been designed to deliver stellar efficiency. The engine is mated to a six-speed transmission. The engine is slotted into a steel backbone frame. At the front is a 41mm, long-travel suspension while at the rear is a bottom-link, Uni-Track, gas-charged monoshock. The big, 19-inch wheel at the front and spoke wheels should give it decent of-road ability, although this is primarily a road-biased machine. There's a single, 290mm, petal disc at the front and 220mm disc at the rear. ABS is standard.

Also see, 

KTM India confirms 390 Adventure days before BMW G 310 GS launch: What does it mean?

KTM 390 Adventure, 390 Scrambler spied testing

KTM 390 Adventure explained in spy shots!