Small capacity machines are undoubtedly on the up, at least here in the UK, bringing us some brilliant bits of kit like the Honda GB350S, Triumph’s 400 range and of course, all new Chinese incomers.

KTM’s approach is one that caught my attention, though: take the already proven and A2-compliant 390 lump from the Duke, sling it in a capable off-road chassis, and you find the forgiving KTM 390 Enduro R!

And, at a tempting price of just £5,699 with a fully fuelled weight of 165kg – surely this is one of the best biking deals going, isn’t it?

As I’ve briefly covered above, the 399cc LC4c single cylinder in the Enduro R is taken directly from the Duke, meaning it produces a healthy 45hp and 39nm of torque, but not only this, as it’s a road-going engine to begin with, it’s surprisingly compliant and adaptable, giving it some rather decent road-going credentials too, despite initial appearances.

Performance-wise, 45hp doesn’t sound like a lot, but for everyday road use and UK speed limits, it never proved to be an issue whatsoever, proving to have nippy acceleration and enough grunt to get out of junctions in a hurry with ease and equally, maintaining speed without problem, even at 70mph.

The only downside I felt was that the engine wasn’t particularly inspiring; it gets the job done but isn’t particularly exciting. Although having said that, it is at the limits of A2 riders and with that in mind, it’s perfectly fine.

It’s also pretty frugal, and I was seeing around 60mpg regardless of riding fairly spiritedly, but I have heard you can get a lot more if you ride more sensibly. I mention this as the Enduro R only gets a tiny 9L fuel tank, especially small when compared to the 14L you get on the Adventure R, but it should still be good for around 100 miles or so and not cost a huge amount to fill up at the other end.

One of my favourite things about the KTM, though, would have to be the induction howl above 6k rpm, especially when combined with the quickshifter on the 6-speed box; it’s amazing how much quicker a bike can feel when it sounds half decent!

Put simply, the KTM delivers a totally different experience on the dirt than it does on the road, which is why it justifies another section dedicated to the ‘off-road’ performance alone, despite perhaps not being a true ‘enduro’.

You may also wonder why I’m saying it in quotation marks, too, and that’s because I tested it on some of Norfolk County Council’s Maintained Unsurfaced Roads (green lanes) – technically a ‘road’ in the legal sense (meaning you need a road-legal bike), but that’s where the likeness ends as they’re typically dirt tracks, wooded trails and muddy rutted lanes. Anyway, they can be a great laugh, and this is where the KTM really shines.

On the road (aside from the aggressive Metzeler Karoo 4 tyres), the KTM is a pretty impressive and somewhat soft machine, but take it to the dirt, switch it to off-road mode, which disables practically everything in the stock configuration, and it all becomes rather entertaining.

With 45hp, you’re not going to be spinning the back up as much as, say, the 690 Enduro R, but on loose surfaces with the revs up, it’ll properly play and make for tremendous fun. It’s also got enough go in it, too (with careful consideration to other green lane users around you), to happily zip along at 40mph on a tight, rutted woodland track - impressive stuff.

If we’re talking tyres to begin with, the Karoo 4 rubber does the job. I personally preferred the Mitas Enduro Trail set fitted to the Adventure R for its road feel and even its performance on the dirt. Still, the Karoo’s did have more of a playful feel to them when pushing on in tight wooded sections, so it really depends on how you ride and what you prefer, but the Metzeler’s certainly felt a lot less road compliant, especially in tight corners.

In terms of suspension, though, it was perhaps a little soft in the stock configuration, but, being WP Apex Open Cartridge units, they unsurprisingly performed exceptionally well. At the front, you’ll find upside-down 43mm forks, and at the rear, there is a split piston shock, amounting to a decent 230mm of suspension travel with plenty of adjustment.

Talking of adjustment, the front has 30 clicks of adjustment for compression and rebound, while the rear has 20 clicks of adjustment for rebound and preload with the top ring, so if the stock setup isn’t for you, there’s always likely to be a way to make it right, although I personally found that I didn’t need to touch it.

The big 21” front wheel also required a bit more counter steering on the road to get it to tip in, but once you get used to it, it was never an issue and can actually be quite direct on the asphalt within the limits of the Karoo tyres, of course.

Stepping away from the black stuff and into the woods, the 390 Enduro R, of course, performed exceptionally with precise, predictable handling, even when hitting unexpected ruts, scattered pinecones or branches at a fair pace of around 40mph.

Which leads me nicely into talking about the riding position, as that really aided its confidence-inspiring, sharp nature when hitting the rough stuff.

One of the best things about the Enduro for me was how comfortable it is standing up. Next to no pressure on my wrists, knees or ankles and on top of that, nice wide grippy footpegs that allow for easy gear changes and use of the rear brake to keep things controlled.

The narrowness of the seat also helped to direct the bike when standing up by using my knees to grip the tank, putting as much weight as I could into my legs and keeping the pressure on the bars lighter.

Naturally, the KTM was excellent for this and being honest, I wouldn’t expect any less from such an experienced company in the off-road sector, but nonetheless, it was impressive.

On the road, the seat is a little hard, but nothing too extreme, and even with the tall 890mm height, it wasn’t an issue for me. Being 5ft 9, as I could get the tips of my two feet down, or if I scooted to the side a little, I could practically flat foot one side.

If anything, I quite enjoyed the tall seat height; you can see a bit more of the traffic and, more importantly, can see a bit more of the countryside around you!

Unsurprisingly, being a KTM means it comes with a decent tech package.

Starting front to back, you’ll find a compact, but intuitive 4.2” TFT with a USB-C socket on the left side mounted behind a bright single LED headlight taken directly from the 690 Enduro R and surrounded by easy-to-use, simple switchgear. On the left side, you’ll find a single joystick mounted below an ABS button and on the right, the kill switch and starter. Very simplistic – but it works, and that’s exactly what you want if you’re stepping away from the tarmac.

In terms of the TFT itself, while small, it is pretty powerful; controlling the two ride modes (Street & Off-Road) and allowing for configuration of these modes with simple navigation to change settings such as your ABS mode, traction control settings, quickshifter setting and display mode as there is two to select from – street display & a much more simplistic off-road display.

Of course, it also shows standard data such as trips, bike info and service data, so it’s certainly plentiful even with the small size.

In real-world use, the ride modes work a treat. Reassuring tech on the road and a playful nature off the road, at the toggle of a switch.

I also liked how easily configurable it was, even though I left it standard – meaning everything is switched off in off-road mode aside from front ABS (which can also be switched off with the dedicated ABS button).

There were a few times the traction kicked in on the road, the worst one being when I left a fuel station. When it does kick in, it can be pretty aggressive, almost feeling like it goes from full or ¾ throttle to zero when the bike’s computer decides it’s a bit slick underfoot, almost surging you forward as it cuts power; but at the end of the day, it works and likely prevents a few spills, but just note that it can be quite sudden. If it’s not for you, though, it can also be turned off entirely, which is what I’d likely do if I owned one.

So, the KTMs have gone back, and I’ve had some time to think about my time spent with them. The 390 Enduro R is a very capable machine and not just ‘another A2 bike’.

Yes, it perhaps lacks a little excitement on the road if you’re used to bigger machines, but that doesn’t mean it’s slow. It’s got all the performance you’ll need for real-world use on all road types, while remaining a blast off-road, as you can use all that power with ease.

It’s not a very characterful bike and arguably (at least in my own experience) I found the 21hp GB350S a lot more fun and characterful in spite of being more than half the power so I suppose it goes to show that horsepower isn’t everything which makes me wonder if the 27hp Honda CRF300L for £200 more would be a better choice, but unfortunately, I’ve not had any experience on that model although I’d be keen to draw comparison.

I enjoyed the tech too, from someone who usually prefers bikes without any of it, and the riding modes worked really well. Naturally, being based on the Duke (with the exact same price too), the Enduro R has compliant road manners and will happily chug along without complaint, maintaining easy speed as much as any other road bike would happily do, and it was sometimes easy to forget its capability off-road, which is no bad thing.

Overall, the 390 Enduro R is a very versatile machine. It’s more than capable of spending a day buzzing around green lanes whilst also being contentedly exploring some single-track lanes or riding through city or town traffic. Yes, it may not be particularly comfortable on dual carriageways or motorways, but look at it, I don’t think anyone would expect it to be!

At £5,699, it's difficult to think of another A2-licence bike that delivers this much versatility for the money. If your focus is primarily off-road riding, yet you still want something that feels surprisingly close to a lightweight naked on the road, few alternatives realistically come close, but as always, if you’re interested in one, go try it for yourself at your local KTM dealer. Be warned though, you might like it too much!

I hope you’ve enjoyed the review. If the 390 Enduro R has you tempted, just make sure you’ve got the practical side sorted before you get carried away, insurance is part of ownership, so get your motorcycle insurance quote today over at Lexham. Thanks for reading, ride safe and we’ll catch you on the next one!