KTM Pro-XP Spiti Adventure Tour Season 2: (390) Adventure-X-Treme

At 30, I am at that point in my life where I often end up saying “life was simpler back then”. And yeah, everytime I say that, I am not just reminded of my age, but how far humans, and of course, something that we hold so dear, motorcycles have come. When I started riding, ABS, traction control, quickshifters were unheard of, and the only aids the rider had was his or her skill and judgement.

So, when I learnt that the KTM 390 Adventure-X would be my partner-in-crime in the KTM Pro-XP Spiti Adventure Tour Season 2, I was elated. As much as I would have loved to play around with the KTM 390 Adventure SW, the simpler, cost-effective ADV that KTM assigned to me was a far better choice. How? Read on.

The Tarmac Trial

The KTM Pro-XP Spiti Adventure Tour had its fair share of road riding and some of these tarmac stretches were amongst the best that I have ridden on. In fact, the winding roads overseeing the Hangrang valley were worthy of the stickiest tyres, and a tarmac hooligan like the KTM 890 SMT. But, I had the 390 Adventure shod with MRF MoGrip Meteor tyres, and boy was it a fun and humbling experience.

My child-like excitement upon seeing the clean, well-laid tarmac got the better of me, and I was gunning through the hairpins, pushing the MRFs to their limits. But no traction control, remember? On more than one occasion the rear tyre squirmed and slid under the demand from the 373cc brat I was on. And initially those moments had me in cold sweat, it became all the more enjoyable after that. The tyres were not the only thing that surprised me. Despite being softly sprung than the standard 390 Adventure, the X was pretty happy being thrown around the tight corners. But where it showed its true capability was when we ventured beyond the beaten path.

The Rough-road Romp

Nilesh Dhumal (Nelly) and Sunny Dhore probably had these tarmac stretches to just give our bikes and  unfit bodies some rest from the rocky, gravel-ly paths that they had chosen for this tour. Though my body definitely needed those breaks, my heart and most definitely the bike did not…ever! 

Mine was the only X variant amongst the 25 standard 390 Adventures in this ride, and while others would have to fiddle with their electronics and disengage the traction control, switch it to off-road mode, when the terrain changed, all I had to do was stand up, and give it the beans.

The suspension would handle all the abuse that I subjected it to. I was going over rocks and ditches carefree, and the bike would take care of everything. The general pliancy of the suspension meant I could go blazing through rough terrain without unsettling the bike. 

The Slushy Saga

On Day 1, Nelly decided to surprise us with a 5km slushy uphill trail to give us a taste of what KTM had in store for us. For me, engaging the Off-road ABS (and it stayed that way for the rest of the tour) was all that was required. The suspension was up and ready for what the ride had in store for us, so it was only fair to check if the engine was.

37Nm of torque was more than enough to get me (and the bike) out of almost any sticky situation. Would I have preferred a little more low-end grunt? Umm, maybe, but that probably would have made the bike slightly un-KTM. Keeping the engine revs above 4,000rpm, the trail was a cakewalk… almost. A deep slush pit swallowed half the bike, but the 177kg kerb weight meant a couple of pushes and one helping hand later, we were out and ready for some more mud-slinging action.

The Watery Waltz

KTM’s high-altitude Adventure Academy and some routes through the ride took us through knee-deep water-crossings and the 390 Adventure-X didn’t break a sweat. And with water-crossings, it is always a tricky affair. The rocks move and slide, and if you fall, it’s not just you, but even your precious steed gets wet. Thankfully, I did not drop the bike, but even those who did, were up and running in no time.

A special mention to the support team on this ride. One unfortunate 390 Adventure went down in a crossing and had water pass through the airbox and seep in the engine head, but the KTM mechanics had the bike fixed in the middle of nowhere in under an hour! So yeah, even though I didn’t test its water-wading ability to the extreme, someone did.

The KTM Pro-XP Spiti Adventure Tour was meant to be a break from my rigorous schedule, and all I yearned for was to ride peacefully and not by the clock, something that my work demands. And this ride and the 390 Adventure-X was just the perfect combination. I could play (read ride) to my heart's content without any (electronic) intervention, knowing that warm food and a cosy bed awaited me, and more importantly, if I did fall, I had reliable people to take care of me (and the bike). Yes, life was simpler back then, and this ride reminded me, it still can be. Thank you KTM India and 390 Adventure-X.