KTM 250 Duke

We’re happy to report that the single-cylinder 248.8cc liquid-cooled DOHC motor hasn’t lost any output in the quest for cleaner emissions. You still get the same 29.91PS at 9000rpm and 24Nm at 7500rpm as before. The motor is mated to a 6-speed gearbox via a slipper clutch. To help it meet BS6 standards, the motor now exhales through an additional catalytic converter. The ECU maps have been revised as well. Everything is held together by a KTM signature steel-trellis frame. The rear sub-frame is a bolt-on design to make accidental damage repair easier. It’s suspended on an upside-down fork and preload-adjustable monoshock, both from WP. Stopping duties are handled by a 300mm/230mm disc brake combo. Dual-channel ABS is standard and non-switchable. The 250 Duke gets a reasonable 13-litre fuel-tank unlike the smaller units seen on earlier Dukes, and at 150kg dry, it’s about 4kg heavier than before.

Up until recently, if you couldn’t afford a 390 Duke, the 250 Duke was the only bike available if you wanted something that mimicked the Super Duke design language. For 2020, it retains the same butch streetfighter looks with a full-LED headlight and some new colour schemes which keep the bike relevant.

In terms of features on the 250 Duke, you get fully-digital LCD instrumentation, which in addition to all the standard info also shows you things like distance-to-empty, real-time fuel consumption, and average speed. The tail lamp and turn indicators are LED units, and safety is provided by a dual-channel ABS.

When grouping by price, the 250 Duke competes against the likes of the Bajaj Dominar 400 and Apache RR 310, while in terms of specifications, it goes up against the Suzuki Gixxer 250 and the upcoming Bajaj Dominar 250.