We broke the news about KTM’s plans to launch a 250 Adventure a little over a month ago. And the motorcycle you see in these images may well be our first look at it. While the bike in the new spy shots may look similar to the 390 Adventure that has been spotted numerous times, there's one difference that is a big giveaway.
The picture clearly reveals that the KTM spotted in the image appears to be running a halogen-bulb-powered headlight in place of the full-LED unit we have seen on the 390 Adventure prototype. The 390 Duke already runs a full LED headlamp and we expect no less from the upcoming 390 ADV, as well as the updated RC 390 that was also spied testing recently. It is highly unlikely that KTM will go back to halogen with the 390 Adventure, which is what leads us to believe that the bike here is the 250 Adventure, especially since the 250 Duke uses a similar halogen headlamp.
Almost everything else remains identical to the 390 Adventure seen testing. Interestingly, the test bike also appears to feature the TFT display, which was something we initially thought the 250 Adventure would miss out on in an attempt to bring down price. While it’s not clear, it does look like the bike in the pictures uses the same Continental-branded tyres as the 390 Adventure. Similarly, you can spot the comprehensive crash guards and pannier stays. What remains to be seen is if the equipment will make it to the production version as standard or as optional extras. How far KTM will go to differentiate between the two models in terms of cost also remains to be seen. The difference could simply come down to different engines and headlights.
We expect the bike will be sold in BS6-spec, as will the 390 Adventure when it is launched. For reference, the 250 Duke’s motor currently makes 30hp and 24Nm of torque in BS4 form. Changes made to meet the more stringent emission norms could bring a small difference in the power figures. The KTM 390 Adventure is slated to be unveiled at EICMA later this year, and the 250 Adventure could be by its side.
We expect KTM to launch the 390 Adventure in India soon after at the 2019 India Bike Week. However, it is unclear at this moment if the 250 will be launched at the same time or if it will go on sale later. The 390 Adventure is likely to cost close to Rs 3 lakh mark (ex-showroom), which is still quite a high price point in our market.
The addition of a 250 Adventure to the range will help KTM offer an ADV at a lower price while still offering a decent level of performance for the Indian riding environment.
Vishal Venugopal
Ved Janve
Azaman Chothia
