The bodywork and the beaky headlight make the motorcycle look lighter and smaller from the size while the flat planes and sharp edges clearly mark out a Kiska design. The SuperDuke inspiration is obvious but the effect is of a more upmarket, slightly better-finished motorcycle.
The new 250cc engine is based on the new KTM 390 Duke engine. This brings a noticeable improvement in both torque and refinement. And both changes are welcome. The 250 Duke goes quiet and smooth from 4, 000rpm to 8, 000rpm in ways the old KTM engine just couldn’t. This brings a level of smoothness that I think a lot of people who found the old KTMs a little too frantic and angry-sounding will think the 2017 KTMs are calmer and sweeter and perhaps more to their liking.