Benelli gave us the keys to their most important motorcycle for India yet, the TNT 25. We took it for an exclusive ride some time back. Still in the works, its rough edges are being polished, and its horses are being trained. While out for a spin on it, we kept wondering how the finished motorcycle would fare against its direct competition, specifically KTM’s orange-blooded Duke 200. Unfortunately, we cannot comment until we get to ride the finished product. But for now, how the bikes compete with each other on paper is worth evaluating.

The Benelli gets a 249.2cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that puts down 24.1bhp at 9,000rpm. The Duke 200 makes a marginally higher 24.7bhp at 10,000rpm from its 199.5cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine. With the larger engine, the TNT25 generates 2.1kgm of twisting force, while the Duke 200 makes a slightly lower 1.94kgm.

The TNT 25 is slightly longer, measuring 2,080mm, while the KTM measures 2,002mm. Here the KTM is the broader one, at 873mm, while the Benelli measures 805mm. The KTM Duke 200 is also taller at 1,274mm, and the TNT 25 stands at 1,090mm. As one might expect, the KTM is lighter too, weighing 136.4kg on the scale; almost 23kg lighter than the Benelli that weighs 159kg.

Suspension on the motorcycles are in the form of USD forks up front and mono-shock springs at the back. The KTM Duke 200 gets an alloy swingarm, while the Benelli TNT 25 gets a box section one. Both the motorcycles are brought to a halt using disc brakes, and don't get the ABS feature. At the front, both the motorcycles have 280mm disc brakes. While the Benelli gets a 240mm at the back, the KTM gets a 230mm unit.

The pricing for the Benelli TNT 25 is not known yet, but it is likely to be priced around Rs 1.70 lakh. The Austrian manufacturer has priced all its products very aggressively, and same is the case with the Duke 200. It retails for Rs 1.45 lakh in Delhi.