Good news, 250 fans – there will be 250 cc versions of their KTM RC250 and Duke 390 motorcycles.
Brit mag Visordown is reporting KTM has confirmed the quarter-litre variations of their small-capacity sportbike and naked bike. At first, the move might not make sense, as KTM is already making sub-390 bikes, with their 125 and 200 series. Those bikes (based around the same motor design) aren’t available in North America, but other markets have them as entry-level options, while the 390s would be considered a big bike in markets like India.
In some developing countries, particularly Japan but also including other Asian markets, the 250 class is considered an important market segment, as it’s the biggest bike that’s easily available under licensing restrictions or other governmental interference (see our Tokyo show report for more proof).
So, a bike like the Duke 250 would actually have appeal to someone in that case. Buyers might get less horsepower than the 390 (31 hp, down from 44 hp), but they’ll still have the same chassis design and handling, in theory.
APRIL FIRST?
Nope. The 250s are legit. They may not see the light of day in North America, though.
KTM had the 250s on display at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show: https://canadamotoguide.com/2015/03/30/special-tokyo-motorcycle-show-report-more-bikes/