Just a few days after KTM’s press release and presentation of the 790 Adventure R, new spy shots of a muddy KTM 390 Adventure R prototype have emerged on the interwebs. Brought to you Motorcycle.com, these images show a bike that appears close to production-ready, and very different than previous spy shots we’ve seen. Could KTM be showcasing both bikes at this year’s EICMA?

As far as small displacement sport bikes go, the KTM RC390 would be our bike of choice track days, or cheap club racing. It’s competitively priced, comes with decent suspension, and it’s the lightest bike in its class (up to 30lbs lighter than some competitors). We hope this model follows the same formula and if we had to guess, the 390 Adventure R could weigh a tick over 350 pounds wet and put out about 40 horsepower. That’s a lower power-to-weight ratio than say, a DRZ400S, but at least it’ll come with a larger gas tank, wider/lower seat, and a six-speed transmission.

Photo by Motorcycle.com

Upon close inspection, it looks like the 390 Adventure R will use the same (or very similar) steel trellis frame as the current Duke 390 and RC390. If you were hoping for a full cradle, sorry to burst your bubble, but it makes sense for KTM to re-use components to keep costs down. Maybe the aftermarket will offer a support brace/skid plate combo.

As we expected, the bike will be equipped with ABS, or it’ll at least be an option. Hopefully the rear ABS can switched off easily, on the fly. The photos also give a peek at a large info screen, headlights styled after the rest of the Adventure line-up, tall bars, factory luggage mounting points, and a low front fender. Honestly, we really liked the rally tower/headlight, high fender, and overall dirt-bikey design of last year’s spy shots. Is it too late to ask for a 390 Enduro R…?

Last year's spy shots of the KTM 390 Adventure R prototype.

What do you think of the 390 Adventure R prototype. ADV for newbies? Light adventure tourer the vertically challenged? Enduro bike in disguise? Gamechanger? All of the above? Let us know in the comments section below how you’d mod it, what you think it’ll cost, and why you’d choose this bike over other small displacement ADVs.

Check out the Motorcycle.com article here!

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