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2025 KTM 390 Enduro R Review
The 2025 KTM 390 Enduro R is a new a dual-sport motorcycle packed with technical features and priced at just $5,499. (Photos by Simon Cudby)
Since the 390 Duke naked bike and RC 390 sportbike debuted a decade ago, KTM’s 390 platform has grown to include the 390 Adventure (launched in 2020) and, new for 2025, the KTM 390 Enduro R. All are manufactured in India in collaboration with Bajaj, and they’re powered by a liquid-cooled 399cc LC4c Single that makes 45 hp and 28.8 lb-ft of torque.
The KTM 390 Enduro R rolls on 21-inch front and 18-inch rear spoked wheels and it has 9 inches of front/rear suspension travel and 10.7 inches of ground clearance.
Off-road motorcycles are important to KTM and its sibling brand Husqvarna. In 2025 AMA Supercross, KTM’s Chase Sexton finished 2nd, and Husqvarna’s Malcolm Stewart finished 4th in the 450 SX championship. In the 250 SX East championship, KTM’s Tom Vialle finished 1st, and Husqvarna’s RJ Hampshire finished 3rd. And in the 250 SX West championship, KTM’s Julien Beaumer finished 2nd.
KTM applies its “Ready to Race” philosophy to its production motorcycles. That doesn’t mean a bike like the 2025 KTM Enduro R is a racebike; it’s a street-legal dual-sport after all. But what is learned on the track trickles down to the motorcycles at your local dealership. Components, materials, geometry, engine and chassis tuning – all are informed by how KTM’s racebikes perform at the extremes.
How’s this for scenery? Dual-sporting in California’s eastern Sierra Nevada is epic!
KTM invited us to Mammoth Lakes, California, in the eastern Sierra Nevada to test ride the new 390 Enduro R and the updated 390 Adventure R. This review focuses on the 390 Enduro R.
First, full disclosure: I own two KTM off-road bikes – a 300 XC TPI 2-stroke and a 500 EXC 4-stroke – and two Husqvarna supermotos – an FS 450 and a 701 SM. I love both brands, and I’m glad KTM has resolved its financial problems and resumed production, having sold 100,000 during the first six months of this year.
We tested the KTM 390 Enduro R on rocky trails, gravel fire roads, sand washes, a motocross track, and twisty pavement.
Conditions were perfect for testing the 390 Enduro R. We had clear, sunny skies, beautiful views of the snowcapped Sierra Nevada, and some of the driest, softest, deepest sand and dirt I have ever trudged through. We rode the 390 Enduro R on rocky singletrack, groomed fire roads, a motocross track, and paved backroads. Our test route included stops at Mono Lake and Convict Lake and a ride up the winding road to 9,943-foot Tioga Pass at the eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park. The varied terrain was an ideal proving ground.
The KTM 390 Enduro R has two ride modes – Street and Offroad – that adjust throttle response, traction control, and ABS, and both modes are configurable.
Every bike in KTM’s 390 lineup delivers useful features you’d expect to see on premium motorcycles – throttle-by-wire, ride modes, switchable ABS and traction control, and a TFT display – yet they are priced to fit nearly any budget. MSRP for the 390 Enduro R is just $5,499.
The KTM 390 Enduro R is powered by a 399cc Single that makes 45 hp and 28.8 lb-ft of torque. Note the convenient coolant filler between the frame rails and the rebound adjuster on the rear shock.
The Enduro’s 399cc single-cylinder DOHC 4-valve engine is peppy without being aggressive – perfect for the person who would buy this instead of a KTM 350 EXC-F. The engine was updated last year, losing weight but gaining 26cc of displacement (from 373cc to 399cc) and adding a skosh more power and torque. Cooling was improved, but the engine warms up faster, and it has longer intervals for oil/filter changes (6,200 miles) and valve inspection (12,400 miles). A balancer shaft helps limit the Single’s vibration, but when wound out in high revs – i.e., most of the time – there’s noticeable buzziness at the bike-body contact points.
Part of our test route included laps on a motocross track. The fork handled the big hits better than the shock.
GEAR UP
Helmet: Arai VX Pro 4 Block
Jersey: Alpinestars Stella Fluid Wurx
Airbag Vest: Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma
Gloves: Alpinestars Radar MX
Pants: Alpinestars Stella Fluid Wurx
Boots: Alpinestars Tech 7
All-around LED lighting and standard handguards are nice features at this price. The bodywork is made of durable polypropylene plastic.
We rode the 390 Enduro R and 390 Adventure R on back-to-back days, and the engine felt punchier in the Enduro, perhaps because it weighs less. Wet weight is 367 lb for the Enduro (2.4-gallon tank) vs. 388 lb for the Adventure (3.7-gallon tank).
The gearbox has six speeds. First gear seemed tall, but the other ratios were well spaced. A slip-assist clutch with an adjustable lever made it easy to feather and modulate the clutch in technical terrain. Our test bikes were equipped with the optional up/down quickshifter, which worked extremely well and gave me one less thing to think about while negotiating trails and the MX track.
Menus and settings are navigated via the 4.2-inch TFT display and a joystick on the left switchgear.
Although this is an off-road-oriented bike with 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels that are compatible with full-on knobbies (our test bikes were shod with Metzeler Karoo 4 50/50 tires), KTM knows it will spend plenty of time on pavement. Behind the plastic flyscreen is a 4.2-inch rectangular TFT display that serves as the control center for menus and settings. The two ride modes – Street and Offroad – have different settings for throttle response, traction control, and ABS, and the modes are configurable. In Offroad mode, ABS intervention is reduced at the front and deactivated at the rear. If desired, you can fully turn off ABS with the use of the dedicated button on the left handlebar. Likewise, there is an Offroad TC setting, which worked well in deep sand without bogging down too much, or it can be turned off.
I split the day between running traction control turned off and with it in Offroad mode. I was impressed with how well Offroad TC worked in loose sand.
The 390 Enduro R has a two-piece frame that includes a tubular-steel trellis main frame and a bolt-on diecast aluminum subframe. Like the 390 Duke, the laydown rear shock attaches to the frame and cast-aluminum swingarm on the right side. WP Apex suspension offers 9 inches of travel at both ends, which allows for 10.7 inches of ground clearance and a 35-inch seat height. Up front, the 43mm inverted open-cartridge fork is adjustable for compression and rebound damping with convenient clicks on top of the fork tubes. There are 30 clicks of adjustment, which seems like overkill compared to the 390 Duke’s five clicks of adjustment. The split-piston shock offers 20 clicks of rebound adjustment, and preload can be changed via locking top ring.
We even got to blast through some snow!
On the road, the suspension did an adequate job of smoothing out pavement irregularities and delivering a comfortable ride. Off-road, the 390 Enduro R maintained its composure, but its price point became more evident. Although KTM reps at the launch described the 390 as a smaller version of the 690 Enduro R, at less than half the price, the 390 gets WP’s more pedestrian Apex suspension instead of the 690’s primo WP Xplor setup. The 390’s fork did an admirable job of handling the rocky, sandy terrain, but the rear shock felt too soft and bounced too much. Admittedly, I rode the bike with standard settings and didn’t make adjustments that may have improved control and response.
The KTM 390 Enduro R’s muffler is under the engine, so there’s no hot pipe to interfere with soft luggage.
Slowing down the 390 are brakes made by Bybre, a Brembo subsidiary in India, with a 2-piston radial front caliper squeezing a 285mm floating disc and a 1-piston rear caliper squeezing a 240mm disc with steel-braided lines and an adjustable front lever. The brakes provided a good balance of power and feel both on-road and off-road.
The 390 Enduro R has a sensible, comfortable ergonomic layout that works well for both sit-down and stand-up riding. A wide, upright handlebar provides good steering leverage and an intuitive sense of control no matter the surface. The bike is narrow between the knees, and the flat, rally-style seat offers good grip and allows the rider to move fore and aft as needed. Wide, cleated enduro-style pegs provided a grippy, confident perch for my Alpinestars Tech 7 motocross boots, and I had no issues reaching the brake pedal or operating the shifter.
KTM 390 Enduro R’s wet weight is 367 lb and its seat height is 35 inches.
Other useful features include standard handguards, a skid pan, full LED lighting, self-canceling turnsignals, and the KTMconnect Bluetooth system that pairs with your smartphone for turn-by-turn navigation and other functions. As someone who wrenches on my own bikes, I appreciate the 390’s easy-to-access coolant filler on the right side and the ability to access the air filter behind the left side panel.
The KTM 390 Enduro R is a welcome addition to the small-displacement dual-sport segment. It’s fun, highly capable, and fully featured, yet is aggressively priced. Potential competitors include the new-for-2025 Suzuki DR-Z4S ($8,999), the Honda CRF300L ($5,749), and the Kawasaki KLX300 ($5,449). The KTM is a heavier, more street-oriented machine, but it comes closest to the Suzuki in terms of tech offerings, and it makes more power and torque than all of them. No matter how you slice it, the 390 Enduro R is a winner!
Fun, versatile, and value-priced – the KTM 390 Enduro R is a winner!
2025 KTM 390 Enduro R Specs
Base Price: $5,499
Website: KTM.com
Warranty: 2 yrs., unltd. miles
Engine Type: Liquid-cooled, transverse Single, DOHC w/ 4 valves
Displacement: 399cc
Bore x Stroke: 89.0 x 64.0mm
Horsepower: 45 hp @ 8,500 rpm (factory claim)
Torque: 28.8 lb-ft @ 7,000 rpm (factory claim)
Transmission: 6-speed, cable-actuated slip/assist wet clutch
Final Drive: Chain
Wheelbase: 58.1 in.
Rake/Trail: 27.1 degrees/4.2 in.
Seat Height: 35.0 in.
Wet Weight: 364 lb (factory claim)
Fuel Capacity: 2.4 gal.
The post 2025 KTM 390 Enduro R Review appeared first on Rider Magazine.
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