2020 390 RR-S Ride Review
Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2020 9:30 am
I have the 1st real ride this past weekend in the mountains of Tennessee, First a base line of me and the bike:
I'm a senior rider / probably a "B" ability that is a lugger and not a revver (that's why I got the 390 over the 350)
All geared up I'm in the 240 lb. range so I went with heavier springs F&B
I have a Rekluse on the bike and a Seat concepts comfort seat (The stock one is HORRIBLE) at least for a sit down rider like myself
I changed the gearing to a 13/50 ratio
THE MOTOR:
It rained almost all weekend so I started off in rain mode. At first I was really disappointed as it felt like a XR 250 Honda it was so soft but soon found out that it was perfect for the slick conditions and it you rev it out past that soft bottom it has a nice surge. There is a big difference in the rain and sun modes, in the sun mode it rips for sure!! I had a 390 Husaberg and absolutely loved the motor and was hoping this this one would be as good motor wise and I can say it WAY better. With the Rekluse you can clime anything!!!!! I was in 2nd & 3rd all weekend and the trails were tight and hilly. On the short rode section to the trail head it ran like a top at 60MPH and 4,000 rpm
The Suspension:
I was told that the Sachs suspension took a while to break in but I have to say is was pretty dam good right out of the box !!! I set it at recommended settings and never touched a clicker all weekend. If it gets better with more time I'm going to be happy camper for sure.
Handling:
I've been on KTM products for 42 years so I was only going on the BETA PR as to the new frame and suspension for the 2020 models. As mentioned above all of the trails were 2-3 gear tight hilly trails and the bike handled great , even in the "really" tight stuff. On Saturday night it rained for 14 straight hours and on Sunday morning I almost felt like I was cheating it handled and tracked so well compared to the smokers I was riding with.
GAS Mileage!!!!!!
The only bad thing I can say about the bike other that the brick hard seat is that I only got 22-23 MPG, That just SUCKS, I had read that the 19's were getting 50-60 per tank and with the new twin injectors of the new motor and the increased tanks size (2 gal vs. 2.4 gal) I was hoping for at least 70 miles per tank. Looks like I'll have to get a larger 3.4 gal IMS tank.
Overall I am SOOO happy with the new bike, it usually takes me several rides to adapt to a new bike but with this new one I felt right at home within the first few hours. I hope this helps guys that are considering a new 390 BETA RR-S
I'm a senior rider / probably a "B" ability that is a lugger and not a revver (that's why I got the 390 over the 350)
All geared up I'm in the 240 lb. range so I went with heavier springs F&B
I have a Rekluse on the bike and a Seat concepts comfort seat (The stock one is HORRIBLE) at least for a sit down rider like myself
I changed the gearing to a 13/50 ratio
THE MOTOR:
It rained almost all weekend so I started off in rain mode. At first I was really disappointed as it felt like a XR 250 Honda it was so soft but soon found out that it was perfect for the slick conditions and it you rev it out past that soft bottom it has a nice surge. There is a big difference in the rain and sun modes, in the sun mode it rips for sure!! I had a 390 Husaberg and absolutely loved the motor and was hoping this this one would be as good motor wise and I can say it WAY better. With the Rekluse you can clime anything!!!!! I was in 2nd & 3rd all weekend and the trails were tight and hilly. On the short rode section to the trail head it ran like a top at 60MPH and 4,000 rpm
The Suspension:
I was told that the Sachs suspension took a while to break in but I have to say is was pretty dam good right out of the box !!! I set it at recommended settings and never touched a clicker all weekend. If it gets better with more time I'm going to be happy camper for sure.
Handling:
I've been on KTM products for 42 years so I was only going on the BETA PR as to the new frame and suspension for the 2020 models. As mentioned above all of the trails were 2-3 gear tight hilly trails and the bike handled great , even in the "really" tight stuff. On Saturday night it rained for 14 straight hours and on Sunday morning I almost felt like I was cheating it handled and tracked so well compared to the smokers I was riding with.
GAS Mileage!!!!!!
The only bad thing I can say about the bike other that the brick hard seat is that I only got 22-23 MPG, That just SUCKS, I had read that the 19's were getting 50-60 per tank and with the new twin injectors of the new motor and the increased tanks size (2 gal vs. 2.4 gal) I was hoping for at least 70 miles per tank. Looks like I'll have to get a larger 3.4 gal IMS tank.
Overall I am SOOO happy with the new bike, it usually takes me several rides to adapt to a new bike but with this new one I felt right at home within the first few hours. I hope this helps guys that are considering a new 390 BETA RR-S