KTM 390 Adventure R Overhauled at EICMA: 230mm WP Legs and Optional Cruise
230 mm WP Apex travel + 21-inch front hoop and optional cruise control + KTM gives its entry adventure thumper the real rally-raid chassis it always deserved.
Part of Throttle Times’ live coverage of EICMA 2026.
KTM has officially pulled the covers off the thoroughly overhauled 2027 KTM 390 Adventure R at EICMA in Milan, finally answering years of rider demands for a true, dirt-biased lightweight travel enduro. Built around the second-generation 399cc LC4c single-cylinder powertrain, the new machine abandons the cast-wheel street compromises of its predecessor in favor of genuine rally-raid geometry: 230 mm of fully adjustable wheel travel at both ends, a 21-inch front spoked hoop, and a tough steel trellis backbone.
Yet alongside the aggressive off-road hardware upgrades, Mattighofen delivered an unexpected equipment shuffle: cruise control, previously standard on high-spec models, has been excised from the base factory build and relocated to the PowerParts optional catalog.
Rally Architecture: 230mm WP Apex Travel and 21-Inch Front Hoop
The headline evolution sits in the rolling chassis. KTM discarded the street-derived 19-inch front cast wheel and modest suspension travel of early iterations, replacing them with a Dakar-inspired 21-inch front and 17-inch rear wire-spoked wheel package engineered to accommodate aggressive off-road knobby tires.
Ground clearance grows to an imposing 260 mm thanks to an inverted 43 mm WP Apex open-cartridge fork providing 230 mm of travel with tool-free clickers for compression and rebound damping on the fork caps. Out back, a progressive-rate WP Apex monoshock bolts directly to the die-cast aluminum swingarm, matching the 230 mm travel and offering adjustable spring preload and rebound damping.
“Our objective with the 390 Adventure R was straightforward: eliminate the divide between our 450 Rally race platform and accessible lightweight adventure travel. It is a motorcycle designed to take real hits in rock fields without compromise.” — KTM Offroad Product Strategy Team
Braking is handled by ByBre hardware consisting of a radially mounted four-piston caliper clamping a 320 mm front disc, paired with Bosch 9.3 MP Cornering ABS. The system features a dedicated Offroad ABS mode that disengages anti-lock intervention entirely at the rear wheel while calibrating front wheel slip thresholds for loose dirt surfaces.
Second-Gen LC4c Powertrain: 45 HP and Revised Switchgear
Motive force comes from the revamped 399cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder LC4c engine first seen in the latest 390 Duke. Featuring an optimized cylinder head, larger airbox, and Euro 5+ emissions compliance, the thumper delivers 45 hp (33.5 kW) at 8,500 rpm and 39 Nm of torque at 6,500 rpm, channeled through a six-speed transmission with a PASC slipper clutch.
The rider cockpit features a vertical 5-inch full-color TFT display featuring Bluetooth smartphone connectivity, turn-by-turn map guidance, and revised menu architecture operated via backlit four-way handlebar switchgear. However, the switchgear pods reveal KTM’s cost and weight trade-off: the dedicated cruise control buttons have been stripped from the left switch cube, transitioning cruise functionality into an optional software and hardware accessory.
| Specification | 2027 KTM 390 Adventure R | 2024 KTM 390 Adventure (Previous) | Beta RE 330 (EICMA Debut) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine Displacement | 399cc DOHC single | 373cc DOHC single | 292cc DOHC single |
| Peak Power | 45 hp (33.5 kW) @ 8,500 rpm | 43 hp (32 kW) @ 9,000 rpm | 28 hp (20.5 kW) @ 8,000 rpm |
| Peak Torque | 39 Nm @ 6,500 rpm | 37 Nm @ 7,000 rpm | 25 Nm @ 6,500 rpm |
| Front Suspension Travel | 230 mm (WP Apex 43mm USD) | 170 mm (WP Apex 43mm USD) | 240 mm (43mm USD) |
| Rear Suspension Travel | 230 mm (WP Apex monoshock) | 177 mm (WP Apex monoshock) | 240 mm (Linkage monoshock) |
| Wheel Sizes (F/R) | 21-inch / 17-inch spoked | 19-inch / 17-inch alloy or spoked | 21-inch / 18-inch spoked |
| Ground Clearance | 260 mm | 200 mm | 280 mm |
| Cruise Control | Optional accessory | Standard on SW models | Not available |
| Estimated EU Price | €7,450 | €7,050 | €5,690 |
The Rider’s Trade-Off: High-Clearance Purity vs. Touring Packaging
The shift in design priority on the 2027 390 Adventure R represents an uncompromised embrace of dirt riding at the expense of highway comfort. By pushing suspension travel to 230 mm, seat height climbs to approximately 870 mm, immediately alienating shorter riders who relied on the previous model’s accessible standover height.
Furthermore, making cruise control an optional extra on a €7,500 adventure bike will frustrate riders who tackle long highway transit stages between trail systems. On the trail, however, the structural improvements pay enormous dividends: the 21-inch front wheel tracks over deep sand and boulder-strewn washes with stability that the old 19-inch front hoop could never emulate. For riders cross-shopping dedicated lightweight machinery like the Beta RE 330 or aspiring to the rally credentials of the KTM 690 Rally, the new 390 R stands as a formidable middle ground, sharing design lineage with the KTM 450 RC prototype.
European deliveries are scheduled to begin in March 2027, with official pricing to be finalized closer to dealer arrival.
Media citation: Editorial outlets and forums may quote excerpts with attribution and a link to Throttle Times.
Official source: https://www.ktm.com/en-int/models/travel/2027-ktm-390-adventure-r.html
Reporting via: bikewale.com
