- Likely to be 390 ADV replacement
- Test mule still in prototype stage
- Could be unveiled next year
KTM has built a strong reputation in the adventure bike segment, especially in the middleweight category, by consistently offering well-timed and well-priced machines. Now, fresh spy shots suggest that the company could already be working on a replacement for the updated 390 Adventure that only arrived earlier this year.
Looking at the test bike, there are a few details that don’t match KTM’s 790 Adventure. It runs a single front brake disc, something more suited to smaller-capacity machines. On a 200kg bike with close to 100bhp, this would usually be seen as underpowered braking. The engine also appears smaller than the 790’s parallel twin, with compact casings and a thinner exhaust system that doesn’t seem to fit with the larger-capacity tag.
Another giveaway is the absence of the 790’s signature drooping side-mounted fuel tanks, a design feature shared with the 890 Adventure. While this prototype could simply be a stripped-down mule for testing, it raises questions about whether it could physically accommodate those tanks at all. All signs suggest this might not be a new 790 but instead a fresh model in the 390 family, possibly a 450. If that’s the case, it would slot neatly against BMW’s upcoming F450 GS and strengthen KTM’s foothold in the lightweight adventure segment.
There’s further weight to this idea when you consider KTM’s ongoing partnership with Chinese manufacturer CFMoto. CFMoto already offers the capable 450MT, and the dimensions of the prototype engine appear closer to that bike than to the 790. While not identical, the similarities are hard to ignore.
While the test mule is still in its prototype stage, we can expect it to be unveiled as a production model only in 2026.
Image source- Motorrad Magazin
