KTM 125 and 390 Enduro R (2025) – Technical Review

KTM’s financial problems might be dominating headlines about the Austrian company at the moment but it’s pushing ahead with new model launches and machines like these – the new 125 and 390 Enduro R – might be a key element to getting the brand’s finances back on track.

Offroad-style machines are still the first thing that comes to mind when the KTM marque is mentioned, despite a couple of decades of developing a wide array of capable on-road bikes and even seeing success in MotoGP. Delving into the sales figures show that even when it comes to road-registered models, it’s often those with some all-surface ability that do best, and the 125 and 390 Enduro R offer precisely that at prices identical to the equivalent Duke roadsters and SMC R supermotos using the same engines.

Pros & Cons

2025 KTM 125 and 390 Enduro R - Prices & PCP Deals

With prices starting at £4899 for the 125 and £5699 for the 390, the Enduro R models cost exactly the same as the similarly-powered Duke and SMC R machines that they share many components with. For customers with a primary focus on road use, which means the Duke and SMC R might both be considered rivals, but of course neither of those sister models can offer the same offroad chops.

Given the performance chasm between the two versions – the 390 has three times the power of the 125 – while sharing the same physical dimensions and similar weights, it’s clear that the smaller version is aimed purely at L-plate riders. Anyone who’s passed their test is sure to lean towards spending the extra £800 for the 390.

If you want an enduro-style KTM but aren’t interested in competing the bikes make a lot of sense. For example, a two-stroke KTM 250 EXC costs nearly twice as much, starting at £10,199, while the four-stroke 350 EXC-F starts at £10,899. Money worth spending if you’re out to win races, but if you just desire an on-road enduro machine, it’s a huge outlay.

Like the 125 and 390 SMC R supermotos, launched a week before and sharing the same bodywork as well as the chassis and engines, the Enduro R models are due in dealers in March 2025.

2025 KTM 125 and 390 Enduro R - Engine & Performance

While KTM has been making 125 and 390 models for years, the latest variants use a completely new engine the debuted in the 2024 Duke range and we’ve never seen these capacities in Enduro R form before.

The LC4c engine in its current form is different to the previous version both internally and externally. The 390 model that’s going to appeal to full and A2 licence holders now measures 399cc rather than the previous 373cc, with a 4mm longer stroke than the old LC4 design, but it also has a new cylinder head, cases and cylinder castings. That results in 45hp at 8500rpm and 28.8lbft at 7000rpm, up from 43hp and 25.8lbft for the old 373cc motor.

The 125cc variant isn’t just smaller in capacity, with a 58mm bore and 47.3mm stroke (89 x 64mm for the 390), but it has a completely different cylinder head with a single overhead camshaft instead of the 390’s dual camshaft setup. Its power peaks at the 15hp limit enforced by L-plate rules, coming at 10,000rpm, with a max torque of 8.5lbft at 7750rpm.

Both versions have four valves and Bosch fuel injection, and put their power to the ground via a six-speed box and an slip-and-assist clutch.

Unusually for offroad bikes, they also both feature under-engine exhaust systems, with the silencer and catalytic converter tightly packed unto the space below the motor, and the use of the Duke’s trellis-style chassis means there’s no cradle underneath the engine to protect it from impacts. Contrast that with KTM’s competition-oriented enduro models, which use cradle-style tube frames and high-mounted, under-seat silencers, and you can see that despite the Enduro R’s genuine ability away from the Tarmac, the bikes are intended for customers who will use them on the road as much as off it.

That’s also reflected in the engines’ service intervals, which come at 10,000km (6000 miles) after an initial 1000km/600-mile service. Valve clearance checks aren’t needed until the 20,000km/12,000-mile mark. In comparison, expensive, competition-oriented enduro machines need much more regular maintenance.

2025 KTM 125 and 390 Enduro R - Handling & Suspension (inc. Weight)

The suspension on the new Enduro R models is essentially identical to the kit that’s used on the similar-looking but road-biased SMC R machines that they’re based on. Whether you opt for the 125 or the 390, you get 230mm of suspension travel at each end, with WP APEX 43mm upside-down forks at the front and a WP APEX monoshock at the rear, acting on an aluminium swingarm that’s substantially different to the one used on the 125 and 390 Duke.

Although visually and dimensionally similar, the suspension on the two bikes isn’t identical. The extra £800 you pay for the 390 doesn’t just score you an extra 30hp, it gets adjustable compression and rebound on the forks, each with 30 clicks of adjustment, as well as 20-click adjustable rebound and preload on the rear. The 125, meanwhile, lacks any damping adjustment at either end, with just a simple rear preload function on offer.

There’s no variation in the wheels and tyres between the two bikes, each getting a 21-inch front and 18-inch rear, wrapped in Metzeler Karoo 4 tyres measuring 90/90-21 and 140/80-18. The brakes are also shared, with a single 285mm front disc and axial-mount ByBre caliper at the front and a 240mm disc and single-piston stopper at the back. There’s ABS, of course, and it’s switchable with an offroad ABS mode that disables antilock on the back wheel. Conveniently, the mode remains selected even when the ignition has been switched off.

On top of that offroad mode, there’s an ability to entirely turn off the ABS on both wheels via a dedicated switch.

Despite their vastly differing performance, the two bikes’ weights are close to one another, with the 125 version coming in at 152kg and the 390 at 159kg.

2025 KTM 125 and 390 Enduro R - Comfort & Economy

Just like the related SMC R supermoto versions, comfort isn’t likely to be a big concern for customers of the Enduro R machines – you’re not really meant to be luxuriating on them – but controllability is vital so the wide bars, long seat and low pegs mean there’s a broad spectrum of riding positions available and they’re as capable when you’re standing on the pegs as when you’re seated.

Fuel economy might be a bigger concern – if you’re covering long distances offroad, filling stations might not be easy to access – and KTM’s official claims suggest the new Enduro R models are identical to the SMC R variants despite having different gearing, larger wheels and knobbly rubber. That means the 125 is capable of a claimed 117.7 mpg while the 390 can achieve 83mpg. With each bike having a small, 9-litre tank, which means the 125 can manage a theoretical 233 miles between refills and the 390 can cover up to 164 miles before running dry.

2025 KTM 125 and 390 Enduro R - Equipment

While you wouldn’t expect an enduro bike to be stacked with luxuries, the 125 and 390 Enduro R’s road-oriented bias means they have a bit more in terms of kit than you might expect to find on a competition machine.

That’s led by the same new 4.2-inch TFT dashboard that debuted on the SMC R machines launched a week earlier, complete with a bonded glass screen to reduce glare and improve viewing angles, which gives all the vital information including speed, fuel level and gear position.

The bikes also get new switchgear, with illuminated switch blocks, and the dash’s functions include Bluetooth connectivity allowing turn-by-turn navigation on the screen, as well as control over calls and infotainment.

The switch blocks also control the riding modes on the 390 model, which include an ‘offroad’ setting that relaxes the traction control settings to allow more rear wheel slip, or allow the traction control to be turned off entirely. As with the switchable ABS, the bike remembers the previously-selected riding mode even when the ignition is switched off.

2025 KTM 125 and 390 Enduro R - Rivals

The rivals really depend on whether you’re in the market for the 125cc version or the bigger, more powerful 390. The 125 enters a fairly saturated market, and one where most rivals are cheaper – either thanks to less sophistication, as with the Kawasaki KLX125, or because they’re from lesser-known brands, like Mondial’s SMX 125 Enduro. Perhaps the closest competitor is the Aprilia RX125, with similar dimensions and capabilities, although it’s currently discounted to £3530, making it much more affordable than the KTM.

 The 390 Enduro R operates in a less cluttered market, and its closest competitor is likely to be Suzuki’s new DR-Z4S – although we’re still waiting to discover what Suzuki will charge for that machine.

Suzuki DR-Z4S | Price: £TBA

Read more

Power/Torque

38bhp / 27.3lb-ft

Weight

151kg

Kawasaki KLX125 | Price: £2949

Read more

Power/Torque

10bhp / 7.4lb

Weight

113kg

Aprilia RX 125 | Price: £3530

Read more

Power/Torque

15bhp / 8.5lb-ft

Weight

136kg

2025 KTM 125 and 390 Enduro R- Verdict

Once we’ve had a chance to ride the two road-legal Enduro bikes from KTM, we’ll give a verdict but they’ve certainly got road presence and street style points in abundance.

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2025 KTM 125 and 390 Enduro R - Technical Specification

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