KTM 250 Adventure: How does the budget-friendly ADV motorcycle fare in the segment? – Times of India

NEW DELHI: There has been a recent surge in the market in the adventure motorcycle segment and this spike was quite eminent after the BS6 norms were rolled out. Now, most of the bike makers are trying their hands in the segment and KTM 250 adventure is the latest one to join the club.
Although the adventure tourer segment is still quite niche in India, some entry-level motorcycles like the Hero Xpulse 200, Royal Enfield Himalayan and the BMW G 310 GS have managed to garner a lot of attention and remain the key rivals to the KTM 250 Adventure. TOI Auto takes a closer look at the 4 rivals and finds out which one is actually worth investing in.
KTM already has the 390 Adventure in the market but the 250 Adventure plugs the gap as an entry-level tourer and making the category much more accessible. In terms of performance, the KTM 390 Adventure and the 250 Adventure, more or less share the same rivals in the ADV segment, but when it comes to pricing, the 390 Adventure locks horns with rivals slightly up the ladder.
Price
Beginning with the most decisive aspect, the KTM 250 Adventure starts at Rs 2.48 lakh (ex-showroom) whereas the Hero Xpulse starts at Rs 1.13 lakh (ex-showroom), Royal Enfield Himalayan starts at Rs 1.91 lakh (ex-showroom) and the BMW G 310 GS boasts a price tag of Rs 2.85 lakh.
In terms of price, the Hero Xpulse is the most affordable entry-level ADV motorcycle and the KTM 250 Adventure sits right in between Royal Enfield Himalayan and BMW G 310 GS.

Engine and performance
The KTM 250 Adventure boasts a 248.8cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that offers 30 PS of power and 24 Nm of torque and the engine is paired to a 6-speed gearbox. Compared to that, the Hero Xpulse 200 is powered by a 199.6cc single-cylinder, oil-cooled engine that offers 17.8 PS of power and 16.45 Nm of torque and the engine is paired to a 5-speed gearbox. The BMW G 310 GS comes with a 313cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that offers 34 PS of power and 28 Nm of torque paired to a 6-speed gearbox.
The Royal Enfield Himalayan leads the pack with a 411cc single-cylinder, air-cooled engine that churns out 24 PS of power and 32 Nm of torque paired to a 5-speed gearbox. The entry-level adventure tourers are closely grouped to each other in terms of pricing, but when it comes to the performance aspect all the four rivals are miles apart and the KTM 250 Adventure falls somewhere right in between the category.

Underpinnings
The KTM 250 Adventure underpins a tubular steel trellis frame and comes with a USD fork and an adjustable mono-shock. The KTM 250 Adventure flaunts a 19-inch alloy wheel in the front and a 17-inch alloy at the back. The motorcycle also offers a confident braking performance with a 320 mm front disc and a 230mm rear disc. Now the BMW G 310 GS too, underpins the same components as the KTM 250 Adventure except the brakes as it boasts a 300mm front disc and 240mm disc.

The Hero Xpulse 200 underpins a tubular diamond chassis and comes with a telescopic fork and a mono-shock rear suspension. The Xpulse 200 offers a 21-inch front wheel and an 18-inch wheel at the back and the 276mm front disc and 220mm rear disc offer a decent braking performance.
The Royal Enfield Himalayan uses a half-duplex split cradle frame and offers a telescopic fork and an adjustable mono-shock. The Himalayan flaunts classic 21-inch and 17-inch spoked-wheels at the front and the rear respectively. The Himalayan gets disc brakes exactly the size of the one boasted by BMW G 310 GS.

In terms of ground clearance, KTM 250 Adventure comes with the lowest figure of 200mm whereas the other three rivals come with a ground clearance of 220mm. And taking a look at the fuel tank capacity, the KTM 250 Adventure fares quite decently in the category with a figure of 14.5 litres and it stays ahead of Hero Xpulse 200 at 13 litres and BMW G 310 GS at 11 litres. However, the Himalayan is slightly better than the KTM with 15 litres fuel tank capacity.
The ADV motorcycle segments’ entry-level offerings do stand out in their own way and come with their own share of pros and cons. Though these four motorcycles can’t directly be compared due to the varied engine capacities, it is up to the consumer to decide which one to go for according to their needs and wants. However, the KTM 250 Adventure sits somewhere right in the middle of the entry-level category bridging the gap between the lower-range and the upper-range offerings. KTM 250 Adventure takes on much-established rivals and seems to be giving a tough fight to them all on paper. It will be interesting to see how the newcomer manages to stand out in the market in the coming time.