2025 KTM 390 Enduro R Review – First Ride

First unveiled in 2012 at EICMA, the 390 Duke provided a unique blend of style, features, and performance for an entry-level bike. This road-focused motorcycle would evolve through several changes and updates for the subsequent eight years, until the 390 Adventure was introduced in 2020. Although marketed for the off-road segment, the 390 Adventure’s DNA was still rooted in its Duke lineage. In short, it was a road bike with hints of off-road trim.

Things like forward-canted footpegs on the earlier 390 models resulted in a riding position better suited for tarmac canyon carving than crossing deserts while standing. Cast aluminum wheels were standard on the 390 until 2023, and even then, the first wire-spoke wheels were a 19/17 set. While the aftermarket realm jumped on things like this to provide solutions for 390 riders wanting more dirt capability, it wasn’t until 2025 and the 390 Enduro R and Adventure R models that the 390 bikes now have a 21/18 wire-spoke wheel set as standard equipment.

KTM’s engineers went back to the drawing boards for 2025, and a completely redesigned 390 lineup emerged. Now purpose-built for the dirt, the 390 Enduro R is perhaps the most clear representation of the uniquely approachable blend of price and performance these little singles offer.

A couple primary characteristics are present when designing a bike for the dirt: taller suspension, and a taller seat height. Not wanting to alienate early adopters of the 390 platform, KTM redesigned the steel trellis frame and bolt-on subframe to keep the seat height of the 390 Enduro R to a reasonable 35 inches, without sacrificing any of the foam volume.

By shifting the shock further to one side, and tucking the exhaust down low and out of the way, the entire chassis can drop the seat down, and still support nine inches of travel for both the front and rear suspension. The 43mm open-cartridge WP-APEX fork offers 30 clicks of compression and rebound, and 20 clicks of rebound are available on the shock.

Sporting Metzeler Karoo 4 tires as stock rubber on the 21/18-inch wire-spoked wheels seemed an interesting choice at first. I’m more accustomed to seeing this tread associated with adventure travel versus enduro riding. Running a very road-worthy tire on an enduro bike is perhaps another indication of the well-rounded intent for this bike. An enduro-capable machine for the newer rider who might also be riding a decent amount of tarmac and graded roads.

The BYBRE calipers are mated with 285mm and 240mm rotors front and rear. Almost like a nod to the early days of KTM ABS systems, the 390 Enduro R provides a dedicated ABS button. My excitement for this welcome addition was somewhat tempered in that this feature isn’t quite as straightforward as I first thought. Rather than a simple press of the button whenever you need to engage or disengage ABS, the button is contextual. To deactivate ABS, the TFT needs to first be in Offroad mode, then the button works. To activate ABS, the bike can be in either Road or Offroad mode.

Compact and discrete, the 4.2” TFT both looked and felt completely integrated into the 390 Enduro R’s design. The bright and clear screen appeared welcomingly minimalistic, providing just the information you need without an overwhelming amount of visual elements to navigate. That said, the little screen is surprisingly feature-packed. While I primarily worked with the ABS defeat feature and toggled between the two ride modes of Street and Offroad, peeling back the digital layers reveals the ability to play music, answer incoming calls, and display turn-by-turn directions through the KTMConnect App. There’s also a USB-C port built in for handling charging duties.

At the heart of the bike is the 399cc DOHC engine, featuring electronic fuel injection, ride-by-wire throttle, a balancer shaft, slipper clutch, and an optional software update which adds the Quickshifter+ ($274.99) feature.

Producing 44 horsepower at 8,500 rpm and 28.8 ft-lbs of torque at 7,000 rpm, this motor likes to be revved. Being a small displacement power plant, using the torque to lug yourself through a situation where you’re a gear too high can be underwhelming. However, diligent shifting is rewarded with snappy and tractable response from the throttle, and more power than I expected.

Once north of around 5,500 rpm, the 390 had plenty of grunt to back into corners, even at more aggressive trail speeds. Over one section of remote dirt road, those trail speeds crept into the mid-90s and were still climbing before backing off in the dust. At slower speeds, letting the engine rev made for easy work keeping the front wheel light over trail obstacles, or spinning up the rear for quick direction changes in the more sandy and chewed up sections of the route.

It should be underscored that while this is a class-leading bike, it’s still in the small displacement, entry-level realm. An experienced 690R rider would no doubt miss the more refined design and power delivery of the larger enduro machine. However, while that same rider might be underwhelmed by the more tame nature of the 390R, they also might be surprised when they find themselves pushing triple-digit speeds in the dirt aboard the little thumper.

In addition to the power delivery, another unexpected discovery was how integrated the traction control and ABS systems were. Only in very specific situations did I ever feel either system intervene. In Offroad mode, terrain like tightly spaced small whoops where the rear wheel was repeatedly leaving the ground could result in the occasional power delivery stutter. Off-road ABS completely disables that feature to the rear wheel, but maintains KTM’s take on dirt-friendly ABS active for the front wheel. The system provided accurate and controlled braking with zero front wheel chatter, even on steep descents over loose baseball-size rocks, at the expense of just a bit of lever pump. While I have ridden rider assist systems that felt more refined, I’ve never ridden anything that works this well in a package anywhere close to this price point.

Traction control on the 390 Enduro R offers two modes of Street and Offroad. Lacking an IMU, neither traction control nor ABS are lean-angle sensitive. While this is reasonable for a bike at this price point, how well the systems work is almost unreasonable. There’s no deep-dive into tuning the traction control system — it’s either on or off. Through extensive testing, KTM’s engineers came up with a level of slip control that would seem to meet the needs of someone newer to off-road riding, as well as allow more experienced riders to have fun on the entry-level bike.

Switching back and forth between activating Offroad traction control and ABS, and shutting everything off, I found the bike seemed to work almost as well either way. The fly-by-wire throttle provided immediate and predictable control over the engine through its entire range. Lacking a monstrous power plant, completely unleashing the 390 is like releasing an adolescent kitten from a cage instead of a lion — it’s exciting but probably not going to kill you. Whether lion or kitten, both are going to have a hard time breathing at 11,000’ where we were testing these bikes. It begs the question of how the 390 Enduro R might perform in a more oxygen-rich environment closer to sea level.

Going back to some of the earliest KTM events in Mammoth, and years prior to that on personal rides, I’d ridden this area with many different KTMs. To-date, this was the smallest displacement bike I’d ever ridden here. In going through the mental rolodex of previous models used, and comparing those to the experience aboard the 390 Enduro R, this new bike continually checked more boxes which made it a top contender for a bike of choice out here.

Highly approachable, plenty of power and suspension, a modern feature set in a discrete package, and a price tag nearly impossible to beat for a build of this quality are all things which make the 390 Enduro R a blast to explore trails with. And not just trails — for this press event, KTM made arrangements to get our group onto the legendary Mammoth motocross track for some laps through the trees.

This legendary track first played host to the Mammoth Motocross in 1968, and remains home to the oldest continuously running motocross race in the United States. It’s only open for race events, and as the track was being prepared for the upcoming race, a section was cordoned off for our group to work some photos. Aside from the fun of riding an exclusive circuit in the mountains, the empirical nature of repeatedly hitting the exact same jump or the exact same corner can help gain specific insights about a bike that might be harder to notice in the more diverse and unpredictable environment of trail riding.

For anyone who’s ridden the earlier 390 Adventure, the 390 Enduro R will likely feel as completely different as the redesign would suggest. Aside from being over 20 lbs lighter, the new Enduro R version of the 390 lineup for 2025 has a more open cockpit arrangement, which provides better seated and standing positions for controlling the bike in off-road terrain.

To get an accurate sense of what the 390 Enduro R is all about, you really need to throw a leg over one. Looking over a spec sheet can provide some mixed impressions. This bike is considered the stablemate to the 690 Enduro R, but its entry-level design is 17 pounds heavier than its larger sibling. Coming in at around $5,500, the 390 Enduro R is also less than half the price of the more refined 690 Enduro R.

Setting the monstrous 690 Enduro R aside, let’s compare the 390 Enduro R with some of its peers in the same displacement class. Kawasaki’s KLX300 weighs in at a svelte 302 lbs, and produces 25hp. Honda’s CRF300L (the ABS version, to keep things equal) adds a bit of weight and horsepower by tipping the scales at 311 lbs and pinging the dyno with 27hp. Enter KTM’s 390 Enduro R - it’s 364 lbs, but produces a class-leading 44hp.

Consider that number for a moment. Johnny Campbell won the Baja 1000 aboard a Honda XR650 many times. In stock form, that bike produced 43hp. While Campbell’s competition XR650 has been claimed to have produced well over of 65hp, a fully EPA-compliant “entry-level” KTM 390 Enduro R produces more power than the stock version of something that dominated one of the most difficult off-road races on the planet for over a decade. It’s fun to speculate how much power could be wrung out of the 390 Enduro R’s engine, but the stock version was plenty fun even up to 11,000’ for this test.

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