KTM has silently revealed the new 250 Adventure that sits below the 390 Adventure unveiled at the EICMA 2019. The KTM 250 Adventure hence assumes the position of being the entry-level adventure motorcycle in the KTM family.
The KTM 250 Adventure looks identical to the 390 Adventure and it shares the same chassis and body panels as the bigger 390. The fuel tank, the extensions, radiator shroud, belly pan and tail section are also exactly the same. What's different is the use of a halogen headlamp instead of the full-LED setup on the 390 and the 250-specific paintwork.
The steel-trellis frame, subframe, and alloy wheels are the same as the 390, with the same 63.5-degree steering head angle. KTM has also gone with identical 100/90-19 front and 130/80-17 rear wheel sizes. However, the 250 runs on MRF Mogrip Meteor FM2 tubeless tyres instead of the 390’s Continental tyres; this must be in the interest of saving costs, considering the 250 Adventure is expected to sit at a much lower price point. Keeping this in mind, the 43mm WP Apex front fork is not adjustable, and at the rear, the WP Apex monoshock gets only preload adjustment. The suspension travel (170mm front/ 177mm rear), however, is identical to the 390’s suspension.
In terms of electronics, the 250 Adventure only gets off-road ABS, which should allow the rider to lock the rear wheel and slide the bike, without going overboard. Also, the 250 Adventure seems to get the same TFT display as its elder sibling.
Like the 390 Adventure, the 250 Adventure is powered by the same engine from its street naked sibling, the 250 Duke, which is the 248.8cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine making 30hp and 24Nm. We expect the gearing to be similar as well.
The KTM 250 Adventure is expected to go on sale soon after the 390 Adventure hits the showrooms in India. There’s also a possibility of KTM showcasing the 250 Adventure alongside the 390 Adventure at the 2019 India Bike Week.
Pricing is expected to be competitive and we suspect that the gap between the 250 Duke and the 250 Adventure won’t be as wide as that of the 390 Duke and 390 Adventure. If KTM manages to price it around Rs 2.30-2.50 lakh, it will go up against the Royal Enfield Himalayan.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
