2017 KTM 250 Duke review, road test

The 250 Duke tries to bridge the gap between the 200 and the 390.

Published on Apr 27, 2017 11:50:00 AM

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The Dukes have always been about handling, and the 250 is no exception. Its chassis gives it impressive dynamic ability, making cornering almost intuitive. The wheelbase has been shortened to 1,357mm as compared to the 200’s 1,367mm, which makes the 250 very ‘flickable’. Changing direction is very easy, whether it is on back-to-back corners or while making your way through a labyrinth of traffic. In fact, this is where the 250 Duke’s handling shone brightest: it was so easy to snake through traffic jams to end up at the front to call dibs on the green signal.

The MRF Revz-C1 tyres provide decent amounts of grip on tar roads after they have heated up a bit, though grip levels are poor when they are cold and when they are being ridden on concrete roads. The rubber compound used, it seems, is still too hard to complement the handling abilities of the 250 Duke.

Stability on high speeds is okay, though we did feel the front becoming light and unsettling over imperfections encountered at high speeds.

Braking is not as effective as we would have liked. The front brake lacks bite, both initial and late, and feels spongy instead. You have to really clamp the lever down hard to pull the bike to a stop. Our braking tests revealed a 80-0kph time of 3.32sec and distance of 39.15m.

What KTM has really nailed with the 250 Duke, though, is the seating position. You are seated completely upright, with no lean-in towards the handlebars whatsoever. The pegs too have been moved behind slightly to make for a less cramped and more comfortable riding position. So, the 250 Duke will do just fine on longer rides, though we strongly suggest the fitment of a windscreen.
Ride quality, on the whole, is well-balanced. The suspension is slightly soft in its setup, which allows the 250 Duke to handle our bad roads fairly well. At low speeds, up to around 20kph, this ability does not shine so bright, but things do improve substantially as you pick up pace.