KTM 390 Adventure: Pro Experience Trails Review

Gallery Introduction The Pro Experience The Pro-XP Trails My Pro Experience Conclusion KTM Pro-XP Details

Introduction

‘The greenery is refreshing. The view, outstanding. And it’s almost like riding in the clouds. But, it’s the view of the magnificent Mumbai-Pune Expressway that really takes my breath away. It’s like seeing it from an aircraft on its approach to landing. But, instead of seeing it through a small oval window with the smell and feel of conditioned air around you, I have an unrestricted, 360 degree view. And it’s coupled with the smell of wet soil, and fresh grass. And enjoying this view with me are 20 odd other KTM 390 Adventure owners and riders.’

Welcome to the Trails edition of the KTM Pro-XP, or Pro Experience.

According to KTM, its Pro Experience is an owner engagement program to help 390 and 250 Adventure motorcycle owners to both improve their riding skills, and better understand and exploit their machines. And since we are running a 390 Adventure on a long-term test, we thought, why not have a crack at the event.

The Pro Experience

Now, KTM sells three genres of motorcycles in India. You have the street going Duke, the racier RC, and of course, the more adventurous, well, Adventure series. And the three have different sets of Pro Experiences.

For the Duke, these experiences are branded under Rides, and include day’s ride, and four-day tours to places like Darjeeling, Gir and Konark. For the owners of RC range of bikes, there’s the KTM Track Day. As is clear in the name, it involves spending a day riding and being coached at either the MMRT in Chennai or the BIC in Greater Noida.

As for us adventure motorcycle riders, there’s the Adventure Day wherein riders are coached on how to ride off-road. You have the Adventure Tours as well, which involve riding to Goa or Dhanushkodi or Sikkim and doing some off-the-road riding en route to these locations. And of course, there’s the holy grail for most adventurous riders - Ladakh - on the Tours’ menu as well.

And finally, the Trails…

The Pro-XP Trails

I know I said ‘finally’ before mentioning Trails in the previous paragraph, but the irony is, when it comes to Adventure owners, the Trail is in fact the first Pro-XP experience one must opt for. And here’s why.

To start with, one is joined by a couple of expert riders - or Master Trainers as KTM calls them - who show you the ropes on the ride. There’s service and medical backup. And, the trail chosen in most cases is neither too easy nor too difficult. So, be it an offloading newbie or a fairly experienced off-roader, it should keep both interested.

There’s also a bit of training thrown in the mix. Nothing elaborate, but the trainers or KTM experts give the riders some simple but crucial tips on what to do off-road. And all this for just Rs 500! And did we mention the five hundred also gets you breakfast and some drinks to keep you hydrated through the ride? Well, that’s there too.

My Pro Experience

It’s eight in the morning. It’s drizzling. And there’s a hint of excitement and anticipation in the air. We are heading to the Slope of Hell. We have just been briefed about riding in a group because that’s something we must do before hitting the celebrated trail. And by we I mean some 20 odd KTM Adventure motorcycle owners who I have joined for the Trail riding program.

We are riding from Vashi in Mumbai to Kamshet, which is almost half way to Pune. We then make a right at Kamshet, and just before we hit the trail - like on any well organised group ride - it’s time to stop for some chai. Naturally, conversations ensue more about our motorcycles than our helmet hair or odd mask choices.

Now, we get into our first briefing of the day. Varad More - an ex journalist and a dear friend - is KTM’s Master Trainer on this ride. He tells us three things we must do that are simple but crucial when it comes to riding off-road. And thankfully, standing up and riding is not one of them. I just don’t have the fitness to pull that off for long durations.

So, the first thing we must do, is look up and not what’s right in front of the front wheel. It’s to ensure we don’t target-fix and go for the rock, the rut, and the broken branch we want to avoid. But, it’s easier said than done. Next up, Varad urges us to keep our arms loose and grip the bike with our lower body. This is done so that the front wheel is free to move about, track along the rut, and centre itself to keep the bike upright when it hits that rock and broken branch. And finally, we must keep the throttle open even when the most sane part of our brain screams roll-off and bail!

Armed with these offloading tips, we hit the trail which is ominously called Slope of Hell. It’s narrow, gravelly, pot holed, and even though it isn’t raining (thankfully), it is still slippery at places. It has loose rocks and broken branches. And it is pretty steep at places too. Couple that with the loose rocks, and gravel, and the slippery moss and grass, and not surprisingly, a few of us take some low speed tumbles. Those who are looking ahead, and keeping their arms loose and the throttle open, well, they seem to be doing quite alright. As for the fallen, Varad gives us a quick lesson on the correct and smart way to pick up the motorcycle.

Finally, we make to the top.

The greenery is refreshing. The view, outstanding. And it’s almost like riding in the clouds. But, it’s the view of the magnificent Mumbai-Pune Expressway that really takes my breath away. It’s like seeing it from an aircraft on its approach to landing. But, instead of seeing it through a small oval window with the smell and feel of conditioned air around you, I have an unrestricted, 360 degree view. And it’s coupled with the smell of wet soil, and fresh grass. And enjoying this view with me are the 20 odd other KTM Adventure owners and riders. We made it. And though it was challenging at places, I must say it was both involving and fun.

Conclusion

So, should you spend five hundred bucks and a Sunday morning with fellow KTM Adventure owners to go try out a new trail, get some nice pictures for Instagram, and have a local hearty breakfast? Not to mention, try out some challenging bits backed by some coaching and of course medical and service help?

Absolutely!

And it doesn’t matter if you have never gone trail riding, or do it every other Sunday; if you own an Adventure, it’s certainly worth the experience.