Kandahar is a 2023 spy thriller starring Gerard Butler as a CIA operative operating in the Middle East. After he and a teammate insert a malware virus into an Iranian nuclear research facility, their operation is compromised. Butler flees the country and is on his way back to London when he accepts a lucrative CIA contract in Afghanistan. However, his identity is soon discovered as the operative behind the sabotage operation in Iran, and he suddenly finds himself on the run with a flurry of pursuers on his tail: Iranian Special Forces, Pakastani ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence), Taliban, and more. He’s trying to make it to an extraction point in Afghanistan’s Kandahar Province with his translator in tow.
We’re always interested in what motorcycles are used in today’s releases, and Kandahar devotes significant screen time to chase scenes involving a motorcycle. Gerard Butler is a long-time motorcycle enthusiast who suffered a serious crash in 2017 when a Mercedes pulled out in front of his Triumph Bonneville, resulting in several foot fractures, a torn meniscus, and significant hospital time.
During production, several media outlets mistakenly reported that Butler was riding the motorcycle seen in various teasers and trailers. However, it’s actually Indian actor Ali Fazal’s character — Kahil Nasir — who rides the blacked-out KTM 390 Adventure in the film.
“We couldn’t fake a lot of this stuff. So I learned about dirt biking. I landed up 25 days before shoot and started learning these tricks. Of course, first learning how to just ride plainly on the sand and then, doing different kinds of skids and the brakes, different kinds of turns. And ultimately, no matter what stunts you pull off, you have to make the character come alive. There’s body language and everything. So me and my stunt double, we had to work together all the time because there were some shots like riding on top of a very steep cliff…I never did.” -Ali Fazal
Fazal goes on to report that dirt biking has become a passion in his life…and a way to avoid the dangerous, crowded streets of his home nation. He also says the production chose the KTM 390 Adventure because it’s much more subtle and common than a Ducati or other exotic, which would be much too conspicuous for an intelligence operative.
The KTM 390 Adventure appeared in 2020 as a sibling to the naked 390 Duke and sport-focused RC390. The 373cc single-cylinder engine puts out a respectable 43 bhp, and the bike has 170-180mm of travel at either end from the adjustable WP APEX suspension. The seat height is fairly tall — 33.7 inches — but the bike weighs only 348 pounds. The aesthetics resemble the 790 and 1290 Adventure models, if scaled down to middleweight size.
While it certainly isn’t the bike to tackle Dakar, it’s earned the respect of veteran adventure riders.
“Would I own it? I honestly thought about it after it proved a tough, capable mount for several hundred off-road miles and some short highway jaunts. Clearly, the 390 Adventure is a great choice for beginning ADV riders who also want to wander far and wide on and off the tarmac. I see no reason someone could not take the 390 Adventure on a horizon-chasing adventure, no matter their experience level. It won’t get there especially quickly, but it will get a rider and gear there in time, and you’ll be comfortable with enough off-road capability to arrive with a smile.” -William Roberson, ADV Rider
Since Kandahar‘s release, KTM has followed up with the more capable, more powerful 390 Adventure X and 390 Adventure R models, which have more of a rally bike look.
We highly recommend giving Kandahar a watch — and let us know if it motivates you to pick up one of KTM’s middleweight adventure bikes!
