A Weekend with the Orange Rascal

A Chance Encounter with Opportunity (and a Flat Battery)

It wasn’t exactly a carefully orchestrated test session. There were no spreadsheets, torque wrenches, or pre-ride briefings — just one of those “stuff it, why not?” moments that usually end in either good memories or a phone call for help.

The little orange rascal in question, a 2023 KTM 390 Adventure, had been sulking in the corner of the shed for months, its battery flatter than a pub schnitzel on a Friday night and just as greasy around the edges.

This pocket-sized explorer shares DNA with KTM’s larger siblings but packs a 373 cc single-cylinder DOHC engine, fuel-injected and liquid-cooled, punching out around 43 hp @ 9,000 rpm and 37 Nm of torque. It’s the same motor that powers the Duke 390 — rev-happy, light, and forever ready to prove it belongs in the big-bike conversation.

With optimism outweighing electrical sense, I jump-started it, gave the throttle a hopeful twist, and pointed its nose north. The plan? A quick Friday-night blast from Mount Compass to Reynella — part charging run, part therapy.

Faith engaged, throttle pinned, and mechanical sympathy left on the workbench, the 390 sang happily through the gears like a caffeinated sewing machine. Sadly, the volts refused to climb. Back home it went, where the trusty K-TEK charger was rolled out like a defibrillator for weary travellers. While the KTM soaked up electrons overnight, I administered my own recharge: one cold beer and a quiet mutter about Austrian electrics.

The Morning After

By sunrise, the patient was bright-eyed again. Dash lit, TFT glowing, and me full of misplaced confidence. A quick spin to Route command HQ confirmed it — smooth, quiet, and unexpectedly composed at highway pace.

At 100 km/h, the little single hummed along happily. Even a cheeky squirt to 130 km/h (purely for science) didn’t phase it. The ride-by-wire throttle, six-speed gearbox, and slipper clutch all played nice, while the WP APEX 43 mm forks and monoshock soaked up Upper Sturt roads finest undulations with minimal protest.

And hats off to Bosch cornering ABS and traction control — two features that give this pint-sized adventurer tech credentials usually reserved for bikes twice its size.

But the real test was about to get underway. Time to run with the pack — Barry, our resident 390 guru (now known as Trailtool Guardian), and Jonny, the eternal Route Commander, whose GPS can sniff out gravel from ten kilometres away.

Gravel Reality Check

The honeymoon ended where the bitumen did. The 390’s front end suddenly displayed all the confidence of a nervous terrier facing a vacuum cleaner. The bars twitched, the front tyre hunted, and the bike seemed to whisper, “Are you sure about this?”

I tried it all — body weight shifts, feathered throttle, encouraging language — but the front still felt vague and slightly terrified.

Stock Metzeler Tourance tyres certainly didn’t help; they’re more espresso-run than enduro-ready. Add in a 19-inch front, 17-inch rear, and geometry born from the street-focused Duke, and you’ve got a road bike wearing hiking boots.

At 5’6”, I found the ergonomics odd. Standing felt cramped and impossible, bars too low, pegs all wrong. Anyone taller would look like a giraffe roller-skating down a gravel driveway. KTM calls it an adventure bike; i believe you will strongly disagree.

Push past a relaxed pace, and you quickly discover why most owners upgrade to more suitable tyres, taller bars, and lower pegs. Without those mods, it’s more touring curiosity than trail conqueror. According to Trailtool even these mods offer little improvement on the dirt.

Back on the Blacktop

Once the tyres kissed sealed road again, all was forgiven. The 390 felt alive — light, agile, and grinning at its own reflection. That single-cylinder motor thrives between 6,000 and 9,000 rpm, rewarding a busy left boot with precise, butter-smooth shifts that highlight KTM’s excellent gearbox.

Sure, it occasionally performs mystical gearbox tricks like “jumping from sixth back to Fifth” when flat-out over bumps, but we’ll file that under “character.” Comfort is better than expected the 830 mm seat height manageable, and fuel economy sits around 3.5 L/100 km, which means long days between servo stops — assuming you can resist more “scientific testing.”

Wind protection? Adequate for anyone shaped like a jockey. For Barry-sized humans, it’s mostly decorative.

Verdict

If your idea of adventure involves desert crossings, camel sightings, and kangaroos doing warp speed, this isn’t the bike for you. But if you want a playful, learner-approved companion that’s cheap to run, fun to thrash, and guaranteed to start conversations at every servo, the KTM 390 Adventure delivers.

It’s an accessible gateway into the adventure class — a machine that teaches finesse before fear. Think of it as the mate who shows up to the bushwalk in sneakers: maybe not dressed for the job, but somehow still gets there first.

As for me, the 390’s earned a reprieve. The Honda CRF300 Rally is still whispering temptations in my ear, and the Yamaha and BMW lightweights are on the horizon, but until then, the little KTM stays for now but is definitely on borrowed time, Let's see what the Japanese can come up with.