KTM has told CMG their 1290 Super Adventure and RC390 and 390 Duke are all coming to Canada in 2015.
This is big news for fans of the Austrian brand, as there’s often a lag for buyers here waiting to get their hands on the company’s latest. They had to wait months for the 1190 Adventure, and the 390s have been years in waiting.
You can read more details on the 1290 Super Adventure here; details on the RC390 and 390 Duke are here and here.
We should expect pricing for the bikes in February, 2015, KTM says, and the bikes themselves won’t likely be here until spring.
Had not thought about an adventure version of the 390, seems like it would be the next thing for Ktm to do with this engine (I’d imagine that out of all the motorcycle companies, ktm would be the ones with at least a few extra off-road parts lying around 😉
But why stop there? How about a super moto package as well…
V-strom Ry, I get the point of “if it is your only bike.” I used to live in Ontario, and if ” long highway drone” means going up and down the 401/400 then yes, a better solution is needed. My solution was to move somewhere nicer.
I’m in B.C. now, where “long highway drone” is 80 to 100 kph on single lane winding roads. I have a 690 duke and have used it for long rides. It is not as bad as people say, gel grips, a little extra bar end weight, find a smooth gear/revs combination, lean into the wind, and you can go for a long time. Also has a nice long seat to move around on (last generation anyway.)
Now would that be the same for the 390 version? Hard to say until you get a leg over one. But I will say this, if the the bike is fun enough, you learn to tolerate it’s shortcomings. Besides, if it is not fun to ride, what is the point?
Another solution is this… keep what you have now, and get one of these for your significant other. 😉 Why not have a second bike you both can enjoy? I’m going to try to convince my wife to upgrade from her 250 ninja. Which brings me to your quality point. It seems like every street bike that is under 400cc these days is a “budget bike” and would have it’s share of niggles (except for the wrx 250.) I’m going to have to look them up for the 390’s, hope it’s nothing too serious.
I was really interested in the 390 Duke, but ultimately decided that even if it was available here when I was thinking about a new bike last/this year, that it would probably not satisfy me as the single bike in my garage. It’d be a hoot to ride on twisty roads, but a long highway drone would probably still be pretty unpleasant.
Still think it looks like a lot of fun, though. And it looks great. Hopefully they’ve ironed out the quality niggles which I’ve heard about from buyers in places where it has been available for a year or two now. It’s cheap to build them in India, but…
It made my day too m was really hoping that the 390 would make it now just keep hoping they make an adventure version out of this engine even if this displeases many.
This just made my day! Really to excited to see those 390’s up close.
Look out piggy bank, the hammer cometh…
Count on one Orange 390 DUKE to be in my garage asap! I have been waiting for this bike for a long time. Frugal and fun I think the industry is catching on.
Now if they would just send us a street-legal Freeride