KTM has just unveiled the RC 250 and 250 Duke at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show. The motorcycles will be put on sale by June in Japan. If you’re wondering what the purpose of this odd displacement is when they already have a 200 in production is, read on.
What are they?
The RC 250 and the 250 Duke are essentially sleeved down versions of their 390 siblings. The 250cc motor now makes 31 bhp and 2.4 kgm of torque. The chassis and suspension specs are the same as the other bikes. Steel trellis frames, upside down WP fork and the sticky Metzelers all make it to the new bike. They both get slipper clutches and ABS as standard too. They are priced at Rs 3.24 lakh and Rs 2.87 lakh for the RC and Duke respectively (in Japan, of course).
Why a 250?
The 250s have been created to cater to the Japanese market. Japanese regulations require that all motor vehicles above 250cc have to be inspected at regular intervals to ensure their road worthiness. This is also done in order to make sure that no illegal modifications are done on the vehicles. Everything including the bodywork, instrumentation, wheel alignment, brakes, electricals, emissions and suspension are inspected at these ‘Shaken’ tests.
Motorcycles over 250cc have to be first inspected at the time of registration. Following this the first inspection has to happen after three years and subsequently every two years. By having a motorcycle under this 250cc cap, the owner can save money on the various fees that are required to be paid for the inspection and the general hassle of taking these bikes in for the tests can also be avoided. So it’s really a question of convenience.
