KTM 250 Adventure

There was a time when the quarter-litre space in the Indian two-wheeler market was made up of two-three motorcycles. Cut to 2020 and you'll be spoilt for choice with the variety of 250s on sale. From naked to faired motorcycles, a cafe racer, a scrambler and a power cruiser, the list is long. What the segment was missing is an adventure tourer and the new KTM 250 Adventure plugs that void.

About the Reviewer

1- The buying experience was smooth i got to test ride it twice from the same store, staff was helpful in deciding my purchase
2 - Switching from R15V3 this bike is intimidating & appreciates the commanding stance and the ease of covering bad roads. I learned to drive this machine over time it has its own character & the way it rides & responds is quite different from the vehicles I owned before. You need to be a more mature & experienced rider to handle this one I would not suggest for beginners.
I have used it for long rides which it does with ease
the difficult part is to maneuver in the city for that you need to get used to the weight of the bike & get in sync with the engine,
It has low torque in lower revs as most KTMs, it idles at 2k Rpm. 4k-5k Rpm is the sweet spot within the city with good fuel economy & power
3- Coming to looks, it's subjective everyone has their own taste. I find it aggressive & committed & designed purposefully. It can take a pillion & load luggage not a problem
4- I find service to be pricey. general service costs 4.5k & the service interval is 4months, you do the math.
5- Pros:
Good mid-range & pulls great it has surprised me with its performance and I have grown to like it more
It's by no means underpowered looking at the 250 tag, do not underestimate looking at the spec sheet
It behaves like a sports cruiser, used to munch miles with ease. Felt like a sports bike engine mounted on an ADV
Can do mild offroading, But you should be a capable rider to do so, do not just take it off-road without prior experience
Decent fuel economy i get 29 in the city & 40 on highways with 90-100 cruising speed
Cons:
WEIGHT- this is a heavy bike, you need to be strong enough to handle it, recommend you do some weight training
Commuting can be difficult as this is a BIG bike squeezing through traffic is not possible, it is more like you are on a 2-wheel car & go calmly
Need to keep up the revs at low speeds as the torque doesn't come in low revs.
As the bike is Tall you will feel it heavier than the REs but in reality, it is almost 180kgs, i took off the Saree guard to reduce weight
The front feels heavy due to the bigger front wheel, Due this you can feel the Gyro effect & the wheel tries to get back straight while steering
The Halogen Headlight looks lame, and doesn't fit with the bike's design language I changed it to the KTM 390 ADV headlight. Looks sick now.
The wiring is too open, could have been better organized
Verdict
I learned to handle this bike, Again it comes from the passion I have for my machines. If you do not have such a thing you may end up hating it.
Remember! We have to get in sync with the machine only then we can tame it.
This is a great-rated Bike in the KTM lineup.
It has a purposeful chassis design & world class suspension coming from an offroad king like KTM collab with WP
Here I put in all the info I have on my bike so it may help your buying choice.

About the Reviewer

The on-road cost 3.20l Bangalore.
Pros:
A good amount of power for long rides. You can easily cruise at 120kmph on highways. And you will not get bored while riding this beast.
Fuel economy is decent, you can expect a mileage of 33-36 on highways and 28-29 in the city.
No heating issues.
Switchable abs.
Cons:
The price is quite high for 250cc bike.
No led headlamp and TFT display is missing.
The seat is on the quite harder side. Struggles at the low end.
Would have given more torque like at least 27nm.

About the Reviewer