After riding it for a day, I felt like I was outshining my Yamaha FZ 25 or even a friend's Suzuki V-Strom 250. This bike is so good.
BHPian SiLxNcE recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
To follow up on my previous query As for upgrading from an FZ25 to the current 390 ADV, let me tell you my experience and answer your questions based on how I felt.
I rented the ADV 390X on a weekend trip to Bangalore and took it to Nandi Hills and back with full riding gear to simulate a trek. It's a 150 km circuit that contains crazy city traffic, stretches of open highways, ghats and hairpins. So it's a great way to take a bike through all its stages. And then I returned the bike on a Monday morning in heavy traffic.
Let me start with the positives:
- Very good and comfortable sitting position. After riding it for a day, it felt like I was outshining my FZ25 or even a friend's V-Strom 250. The 390 ADV is so good. I'd like to believe it would be extremely comfortable (only from a seated perspective, more on that later)
- Unparalleled handling in the ghats. Very composed body balance. The bike is so eager to lean in and get out of corners quickly. This indeed looks like a slightly larger wedge sculpting Duke.
- Very very powerful acceleration. The surge after 5000 rpm is real. It's almost like a superbike. It can overwhelm you, scare you, and make you smile every time you step on the gas if you're not used to it.
- The tires felt good on the X, contrary to popular opinion. I didn't feel it losing grip during hard acceleration. The bike had 10 km on the clock with original tires.
- Great highway presence. It looks like a low-flying fighter jet. Seeking attention. A guy came up to me and said “Dude, you have a fancy ride” before noticing it was a rental. A kid came up and asked me to do a wheelie. The bike was also bright orange.
Now, the things I didn't like very much:
- The buzz is also real. It's terribly buzzy throughout the rev range. It gets a little smooth at the high end, but if you're coming from Japanese I think it'll take some getting used to. For comparison, I had a VStrom with me at the Nandi Hills race, and when I switched from the 390 to this bike, I immediately felt like I was now a spectator of the road and the landscape and moving forward rather than rolling something. Both were traveling at a speed of approximately 100 km/h. I understand that the ADV will be more fun to ride, but after a long day of touring, it might be the VStrom that you would prefer to use. Day-night difference easily. Stopping after 60 km for breakfast was like stopping after 200 km on the ADV. The tingling sensation on fingers and feet never went away.
- The bicycle is not intended for urban traffic. Of course you can ride it if it's your only bike. But the bike itself is not comfortable. It's terribly hot with poor heat management to the point where you'd need good denim to at least feel less. No blocking issues. I think it's completely resolved now. But it's very annoying to drive in stop-go traffic until you find the workaround, that is, you start actively looking for gaps in traffic, and point and shoot on this thing, keeping it in the power band. In this way, it is also very exciting and enjoyable. But running it quietly (at least comfortably) is out of the question.
- The suspension is not that good. At least on the X. I heard it's stiffer on the STD. The Rally version, which I tested once over 5 km, is much better. The rear has very stiff springs. The front is fine but can't stand up to the new Himalayan.
- Very unforgiving when it comes to gear changes. You can't shift into a higher gear without the front end shaking a little and asking you to downshift. (Yes, this bike has a downshift indicator that way, haha). This in turn consumes more fuel. Bottom line: keep it in the power band.
- The city mileage is terrible. Over 200 km in all conditions, it consumed 8 liters of fuel. This is measured using the Reserve-Reserve method. I filled 8L when I took it. It was in reserve. A kilometer before returning, he returned to the reserve. Highway mileage is good if driven healthily. I could see the fuel range continuing to increase as I cruised around 90 – 100.
- The exhaust note. I didn't like it at all. He makes a weird grrrrr sound when he starts pulling hard. At the low end it sounds raw, which it is. The exhaust note is not what one would typically call sweet. Rather, it's something that might start to bore you after a long day. My FZ25 sounds much better in comparison.
Things I couldn't check:
- High speed racing. There was a speed limit of 110 on the rental bike and a penalty of Rs500/- each time it was exceeded. So, I didn't insist.
- Accessorized stroll. Protection against impacts, etc. The rental was in bones. And the ADV has a lot of NVH. So, I guess it will create more buzz with aftermarket accessories.
- Additional features of STD, like quick shifter, TC, Cornering-ABS, TFT display. I've heard that the quickshifter is a bit jumpy and doesn't always work as expected. I never felt the need for the TC, but I also had a very short stint with the STD and felt the 390X accelerates better. But this requires more testing to conclude. Cornering ABS would be a good safety feature. The TFT screen is of course good and gives a rich impression, but the one on the X was also decent with all the information available at once.
Conclusion:
It's a motorcycle with dual character. One side is very unfunny. He moves forward sadly and angrily. The other side is very attractive. Always eager to run. But in both cases, it’s buzzing. It doesn't make you a comfortable spectator of the road (I think that's important in a touring POV), but it craves your attention and wants you to drive it hard. Every time I got off and looked at him I felt happy, but I don't know if that makes up for the difficult journey he has.
I wanted to upgrade to this model and had really high hopes, but I killed most of it after riding it for 2 days. Now I'm not sure about my use case of planning to use this as my one bike for everything. I'll wait for the next generation and see how it goes. (I rode the Duke 390 gen 3 and the low end is improved, still lively though) or I'll try to convince myself that the Honda NX500 is definitely worth it.
But for what it is, its great value for money, and the liquid metal) and is compatible with Rally suspension to upgrade.
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