Do you really, really, want a KTM 390 Adventure? We thought we’d have seen such a bike on the machine on the market by now, as there have been teases and rumours about it for years.
However, KTM is still focusing on bigger bikes these days, and we’re still waiting (maybe at EICMA this year?). Most of us are content to just sit around and grumble about the wait, but not HDT Customs, a motorcycle shop in India. Tired of the delays, they decided to build their own, based on 390 Duke.
The bike was modified with a Royal Enfield front end grafted on, instead of the street-oriented USD front forks that come standard with the Duke. HDT added crash bars, highway pegs, offroad handlebar, auxiliary lights, pannier racks, a rack-mounted Kolpin can for extra fuel range, a skid plate, and knobby tires.
It mostly looks pretty good, although it’s hard to pass final judgment on the machine without riding it. A few details may require some re-thinking, especially that low-slung exhaust, but overall, a very attractive machine, and one that grabs your attention.
A KTM 390 Adventure and a Versys 400X are greatly anticipated by many people.
Enough power to cruise comfortably on the highway. Light enough to be manageable offroad for people who don’t ride hard enduros in their spare time.