KTM 390 Adventure vs Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 Mana Black Images: Styling, Features, Colours

Royal Enfield recently launched a more offroad-focused Himalayan 450, called the Mana Black edition, at Motoverse 2025. It is priced at Rs 3,37,036 (ex-showroom, Chennai) and comes with a bunch of upgrades over the regular Royal Enfield Himalayan 450. Here’s a detailed visual comparison between the new Himalayan variant and its direct rival, the KTM 390 Adventure:

Design

Both the bikes get the typical ADV design with a tall windscreen, sculpted fuel tank and a long single-piece seat for better control while offroading. However, since KTM has a storied history in the Dakar Rally, the brand has taken inspiration from the rally bike. Hence, the 390 Adventure looks very sleek, and the vertically stacked LED projector headlight goes really well with the rally tower-like instrument console. The tail section is minimalist, with only the large number plate holder sticking out like a somewhat sore thumb.

On the other hand, the Himalayan Mana Black has clear retro roots, thanks to the circular headlight and simple body panels. We particularly love the revised tail panels in the Mana Black edition, as it makes the bike look a lot more slim, especially with the shorter licence plate holder. 

The overall design is an evolution of the Himalayan 411, so it looks every bit no-nonsense and purposeful, especially with the standard tank braces. The Himalayan Mana Black’s exclusive black and grey camouflage colour scheme also makes the bike look lean and mean, whereas the 390 Adventure is all about show, what with the Electronic Orange or Ceramic White colour schemes.

Engine

The KTM 390 Adventure is powered by the 398.63cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine that produces 46PS and 39Nm. The all-black powertrain nestles neatly inside the blacked-out trellis frame. It also gets an underbelly exhaust that looks quite neat.

The Himalayan’s 452cc Sherpa engine comes with liquid cooling too. It makes 40PS and 40Nm. The steel twin spar frame uses the engine as a stressed member, and it’s finished in matte black – in line with the darker theme of the Mana edition. The stubby upswept exhaust looks nice but the same variant sold in European markets gets a custom Arrow exhaust. It’s not as stubby as the stock exhaust but the matte-black and carbon fibre highlights look really cool, apart from offering slightly better performance. 

Underpinnings

The KTM 390 Adventure gets a WP Apex inverted fork with compression and rebound adjustability. The white and orange lower covers go well with the bright colour theme while keeping the muck out. The Himalayan too gets a premium Showa inverted fork but it isn’t adjustable. This one also gets a pair of lower fork arm covers, but in black colour, with bold ‘HIMALAYAN’ branding. 

While both these bikes get a 21-inch front and a 17-inch rear tubeless spoked wheel setup, the KTM has a centre-laced system with an inner seal. The Himalayan, on the other hand, comes with cross-spoke wheels. Since the spokes are not in contact with the tyre, they do not need a sealing system. We like the design of this one over the KTM’s deceptively conventional-looking spoke wheels. The Himalayan is also taller than the KTM with 860mm saddle height, compared to the 830mm on the KTM. 

Features

The KTM 390 Adventure gets a rectangular 5-inch TFT display with smartphone connectivity as standard for turn-by-turn navigation. It gets a ride-by-wire throttle, cornering traction control, bidirectional quickshifter, riding modes (Street, Rain and Offroad), cruise control system, and switchable ABS too. The KTM adventure bike has modern switchgear with directional buttons for menu navigation.

The Himalayan 450 Mana Black also comes with a TFT display, but it is circular. One thing it does better than the KTM is navigation – with its Google Maps mirroring feature. It also gets a bunch of electronics like the two riding modes (Eco and Performance), ride-by-wire throttle, and switchable ABS. But, we think it could have been better equipped with a traction and a cruise control system. The Himalayan’s switchgear is pretty unique, as it uses old-school rotary switches for engine kill and for the headlight. It also gets a small joystick on the left to move through the menu options.

Price Analysis

The KTM 390 Adventure recently had a price hike of Rs 26,999 due to the GST 2.0 regulations, taking the price to Rs 3,94,699 (ex-showroom, Delhi). On the other hand, the Himalayan 450 Mana Black is significantly cheaper, priced at Rs 3,37,036 (ex-showroom). It may not be as feature-loaded as the KTM in terms of electronics, but it still gets all the basic necessities. If you’re someone who loves touring and also off-roading every now and then, the Himalayan 450 is a great value-for-money choice, provided you’re able to handle the hefty 195kg kerb weight. 

On the other hand, the KTM 390 Adventure is a whole 13kg lighter and also comes with a more accessible seat, making everyday living with the bike a lot easier. That said, these aspects, along with the more sophisticated electronics package, come at a fair premium – close to Rs 60,000 over the Himalayan. This premium may not affect you that much if you’re buying the 390 Adventure on EMI.