All Good Things...… To Those Who Wait. Wait's Over

No one likes waiting. In an age where the Internet hurls spy shots in your face without warning, a seven-year wait is perhaps a bit too much.

- Kartik Ware

I fell in love with the KTM 390 Duke when I first rode it in 2012, and everyone’s pretty much been expecting the 390 Adventure since then. I mean, it’s KTM, the off-road brand, winner of the Dakar Rally for 18 years straight, right? It had to make it, of course, but no one guessed it’d take this long. And what do I get after all this time? A bunch of loud lamenters who complain about the lack of spoked wheels.

Seriously, I need to set one thing straight at the outset. Now, I don’t know why some people were expecting the 390 Adventure to climb trees and cliff faces, but right from its unveil it was clear that this motorcycle wasn’t meant to do any of that. Otherwise, KTM would’ve launched a 390 Trials or a 390 Motocross or even a 390 Enduro (and who knows, it just might!). Let’s not forget, people, that today ‘Adventure’ actually means ‘Will Keep You Comfortable On Bad Roads’ and not ‘Come Race At The Dakar’. Also, I suspect most of those critics couldn’t change a tubed tyre if their lives depended on it. And those who want to indulge in proper off-roading, well, they’re quietly ordering aftermarket rims by now anyway. Yeah.

So, with that rant out of the way, let’s get to the motorcycle at hand. The 390 Adventure looks like a KTM and nothing else; Kiska Design has pretty much mastered the art of producing Austrian origami. What I can’t decide is whether it looks good or not. It’s definitely not pretty, with the wind deflectors next to the headlight making an excellent impression of the frill-necked lizard, and the overuse of black colour on the bike. But there is definite purpose in its proportions and I like that. And I don’t mind the alloy wheels at all, either.