Re: 2017 Duke 250

Drop all your plans, get a Himalayan BS6 eyes closed. If you already ride a TB350, going to a 250cc is downgrade in the first place and you'll get bored of the 250cc soon. Trust me TB350 >> D250 >> Gix250

Once you experience a RE 350cc engine, sometimes even my 373cc KTM feels less exciting and less refined. Until 100-120kpmh RE350/TB350 can easily keep up with my RC390 and even beat the same in initial pickup as a power cruiser, but a D250 cannot do the same, Gix250 will be dead midway. I mean going above 130kpmh anything in India is like risking your life, I mean you can if you want to if are unmarried, no kids and dont care about throwing away your life.

I am not being a fanboy insipte of being a owner KTM RC390 so no favoritism here, but the even new 250ADV cannot hold a candle against the Himalayan. Trust me 390Adv is not worth the extra 1-2L over the normal Himalayan/D390/RC390. Heck if I had choice and had parking space I'd go and buy 2 extar bikes right now I'd buy one xPulse 200 for beater(getting milk, groceries etc), another Himalayan for rough city riding and my RC390 for fast weekend thrills.

If you dont want to regret in the long run and going by your requirements you want to have only one bike (good ground clearance, good faster speed) Himalayan will be the perfect choice.

Re: 2017 Duke 250

Not sure about the suzuki, but the D250 with the DOHC setup feels at home at high speeds. It can be done, but those speeds are near the factory top speed of the bike. would recommend a 390 to do those speeds comfortably.

Re: 2017 Duke 250

Hi Guys. New here & my first ever query. I currently ride a TB350. Have clocked 70k on it. I need a faster bike to cruise on. TB350 is best at 90-95, with 110 being too tiring due to vibrations. Over the years had started to ride the cruiser as if it was a naked bike! 😂 🤡
Currently unable to decide between Gixxer 250 and Duke 250. Requirement is a cruising speed of 120-125, can duke 250 riders suggest if this is possible? I understand the bike can do 145-150 top end, but what about the cruising speed? The friend I often ride with, owns a 390 adv.; wanted to buy one as well but was recently hit with budget constraints. Additionally, the friend mentioned that it's not that easy to maneuver in bumper to bumper traffic given the size. So the adv is a no go.

The Gixxer is around 40k cheaper, is it a worthy substitute? I don't like the riding position on it as compared to the Duke but that should be modifiable and managed accordingly. The speeds are almost the same on both bikes. Off-road will mostly be rough roading only, hence the GC on Duke bs6 is a concern, or should it be?

Usage: office ride daily (20kms to and fro), rough roading on weekends on trails around mumbai, long rides Highway cruising once a quarter 700-800 kms+ range.

Appreciate your views in clearing my confusion! Need to make a buying decision soon.

Re: 2017 Duke 250

Yes, Ground clearance is slightly more on the 250 (151mm) than on the TB (135mm). Lesser weight on the 250 should help with this too.

Re: 2017 Duke 250

Surely it will be more than TB500, right??!! Since commute through pot hole and huge bumper filled roads.

Re: 2017 Duke 250

BS6 units have reduced clearance apparently. One canister has been moved to the bottom of the bike which seems to be the issue.

Re: 2017 Duke 250

Just a thought- How can you scrape the underbelly if the KTM site is claiming the GC to be of 185mm. I ride a TB500 which has 135mm GC, I have never scrapped TB's underbelly. I am planning to purchase a Duke250 that's why I want to understand this things.

Thanks.

Re: 2017 Duke 250

There's a whatsapp group mentioned in the first post, link seems to have reset or expired, can anyone post the updated link to that 250 Duke Ownership group here again?

I've been scraping by 250 ever since i bought, you are right to hear that...even minor speed breaker need to be crossed with utmost caution, and if you're with a pillion, then for sure you're gonna scrape the bottom pan. This is the only down side in my opinion, other mechanical glitches can sorted with service, this was an engineering design choice which i don't how how to come about...

I have my 250 Duke's 1st service in 3 days, already done 1009kms. My questions are 1) How many more kms can I travel before I void any kind of free service or warranty? 2) What are the checks I need to keep an eye out for during my first service?


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Also, can anybody recommend me good crash guards? are KTM powerparts available in Kolkata?

Re: 2017 Duke 250

With the BS6 update, there is a slight decrease in GC. But it won't scrape the underbelly in the city of Speedbreakers . Plus this is not an ADV, so you should be slightly careful.

Re: 2017 Duke 250

Many owners seem to be complaining about the low ground clearance issue with the skid plate scraping even for small humps. Saw one video of it going over a small flatter hump and it barely passed over it without scraping. The place I stay is filled with big humps and I guess my daily commute to office will be a bummer if I keep scraping it.

I am kinda confused as well, considering KTMs official spec maintains the old 185 mm ground clearance. Can existing BS6 owners shed some light on how their experience has been so far?

It pains me a lot anytime my bike scrapes its belly, especially with a pillion onboard and this factor alone is kind of a deal breaker for me currently .

Re: 2017 Duke 250

GROLLER is a great addition to one's arsenal in cleaning the chain and basically makes life easier. Youtube has great content with G roller, especially with KTM on how to use it, I'd suggest you look into that for more in depth info.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: 2017 Duke 250

The refinement levels has to go down little bit beacause its very smooth and iam not getting the feel that iam driving a KTM machine.

Can you suggest me regarding the chain cleaning and its maintanence part, Since this bike has no center stand which one would be better
Paddock stand or some thing called G ROLLER.

Re: 2017 Duke 250

[MENTION=23756]truelypulsarian[/MENTION], the refinement levels will degrade over time to an extent. Periodic maintenance, especially of the chain and engine oil will help retain the smoothness for a long time to come.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: 2017 Duke 250

Good to know the refinement has increased. That and better brakes are probably the only things that this bike really needed.

2017 Duke 250

Duke 260 BS6 review after 1000kms (Post 1st service)

Bought the bike in the month of may the intention of buying this bike is only for highway touring purpose thats it.
Initially tought if buying the 390 but later tought that its an over kill for my usage.
1) Buying experience:- its an ok ok type of experience at the begumpet KTM showroom nothing much excited. The PDI could have been better because after i came to home from the showroom i observed that the saree guard screw is loose and its making banging noise when ridden on uneven roads. So immediately tightened the screw at the local mechanic shop.

2) comfort:- The bike is very comfort the seats are well built and they wide enough to accomodate our full body posture without any issues.
Seating position is not fully upright but its comfortable enough to ride for long distances. The slightly rear set footpegs are little bit discomfort for me not a major concern just a little bit minor one.

3) Looks:- The bike surely a eye catchy one on the road especially the grey colour in the BS6 lineup. Lots of headturns at the traffic signal.
I think it looks much better than the 390 [emoji6]

4) Performance:- The 250 cc 30 BHP single cylinder motor is punchy enough to satisfy our power thrust, In no time it reaches speeds above 90 kmph just like a mini rocket. Thr top speed achieved by me till now is 122 kmph.

5) Refinement Levels:- Belive me its much refined than the hondas and yamahas i bet my words. I own a yamaha fz version 2 which is more than 2 year old, The bs6 dukes engine is much much refined than my fz. Dont trust me?? just have a test ride of it thats it you will fall love with its refinement levels.

6) Gear shifts :- The gear shifts are precise and very smooth i think its because of slipper clutch. No false neutrals or harder gear shifts.
Kuddos to the slipper clutch as it works like a charm[emoji1305][emoji1319][emoji1303]

7) Quality of the bike :- The ktm’s quality is good but not that great. My cusion brother owns BMW G310 R the quality of that bike is superb. I know its not fair to compare bmw with the KTM, But for the price we are paying the build quality can be some what better.

8) Instrument console:- Yes its a dated speedo meter but provides a lot of information to the rider. But ktm should have updated a little bit interms of desgin and functionality in the BS6 lineup.

9) issues faced till now:- The issue i faced right after my bike delivery is that irritating plastic buzzing sound at the lower rpms. Forget to mention this issue during the first service. Just a few days back went to the svc and reported the issue the mechanic opened the front headlight assembly and he had put some double sided tape no more sounds after that.

Some times the rear brake makes slight hiss sound at lower speeds dont know whats the reason.

Apart from this i havent faced any issues with the bike. The first service costed me about 1700 rs and its ok for a 250cc bike.

10) Fuel Economy:- Iam getting around 30 kmph till now which is not at all bad for this kind of bike. Have to test on highways for accurate and precise results.

Value for money :- I think yes its the most powerfull 250 cc in the current market and also the after sales of the ktm improved a lot, I can see many service centers in my hyderabad city.
Even across our country the ktm service centers are plenty enough.


Any doubts and suggestions to me are always welcome[emoji1303]