KTM 390 Adventure vs KTM 250 Adventure Whats Different

A test mule of KTM’s upcoming 250 Adventure was spotted recently. This upcoming motorcycle will be positioned below the larger 390 Adventure, providing a more affordable entry point to KTM’s adventure motorcycles. 

From the spy images, it is easy to mistake the 250 Adventure for the 390 Adventure. However, if you look closer there are key updates that help us differentiate the two. 

Halogen headlamp:
While the 390 Adventure test mule has been seen running an LED headlamp unit, the 250 Adventure was seen with a halogen headlamp setup. The illumination units are most likely the same units found on their Duke siblings, where the larger 390 Duke gets an LED headlamp while the 250 Duke gets halogen bulbs with LED DRLs. This could be to keep costs low as well as to maintain a visual distinction between the two bikes. 

We were pleasantly surprised to see the same colour TFT screen that is available on the 390 Duke (and will subsequently make its way on to the 250 Duke) on this 250 Adventure test bike. One of the main reasons why KTM could be kitting this bike with this fancy feature is that this is more likely to be a premium alternative to the 250 Duke. This added feature could earn it some brownie points. The TFT console is already kitted with a Bluetooth connectivity module and being an adventure bike, it would make sense if KTM introduces a navigational assist module within this system.

Non-adjustable front suspension:

The 390 Adventure test mules we spotted came with adjustment knobs on the front fork. To keep costs low, KTM has instead equipped the 250 Adventure with non-adjustable units. Thankfully, the suspension is the long-travel kind like the 390 Adventure. The rest of the underpinnings like the trellis frame and 19-inch front/17-inch rear wheels and dual-purpose tyres seem to be carried over from the 390 Adventure. It even gets a dual-channel ABS setup and might probably get a switchable off-road ABS mode.

A smaller 250cc motor:

That's obvious. A lot of you might be wondering why the 250 for a smaller adventure motorcycle though? Making a 125cc or a 200cc ADV is not a viable business proposition. In case KTM wanted to tap into developing markets, a 250 would serve as a good platform. The current 250cc motor’s 29.91PS and 24Nm outputs might sound impressive for a small-capacity ADV but the linear power delivery and peaky nature might seem inadequate for off-road use. Hence, expect shorter final gearing on the motorcycle. 

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New exhaust:

That's another difference we have noticed on the 250 Adventure. We believe the new 250 Adventure will have a BS6-compliant motor and could have revised power outputs. Even though the 390 Adventure was running a unique end-can layout of its own, suggesting that it will be BS6-compliant, the end-can on the 250 was smaller and slimmer for obvious reasons.