While KTM 250 Adventure offers the best performance, Suzuki V-Strom SX offers the best equipment at the lowest price
The entry-level adventure motorcycle segment has witnessed a boom in recent past with many manufacturers bringing exciting new products to this category. The latest one is Suzuki V-Strom which is the brand’s entry-level ADV slotted below V-Strom 650. It goes up against other 250cc adventure tourers like KTM 250 Adventure and Benelli TRK 251.
Other than cubic capacity of their engines, all three bikes share many similarities and ought to be compared with each other. Let us check out how the latest entrant stack up against its well established rivals in terms of specs, features and price, at least on paper.
Suzuki V Strom SX vs KTM 250 ADV vs Benelli TRK 251 – Dimensions
Starting with its dimensions, V-Strom SX is around 10 kilos lighter than its KTM counterpart at 167kg. However, TRK 251 is the lightest in this space with a kerb weight of 165kg. Suzuki outshines others in terms of ground clearance with 205mm. Benelli offers the most accessible seat of 800mm in comparison to KTM and Suzuki with saddle heights of 855mm and 835mm respectively.
V-Strom also trumps others as far as length, height and wheelbase are concerned. KM is the widest of the lot at 900mm. On the other hand, Benelli gets a class-leading fuel tank capacity of 18 litres. In comparison, V-Strom only gets a 12-litre tank.
Features
Suzuki is the clear winner here with plenty of bells and whistles at its disposal. All three bikes are laced with common features like LED taillights, LED DRLs, a digital instrument console and dual-channel ABS. However, Suzuki nails it with features like mobile app connectivity, in-built navigation, LED headlamp and a Bluetooth charging port.
In terms of hardware, KTM 250 Adventure gets the best equipment with upside-down forks and rear mono-shock both sourced from WP Apex. All three bikes get single disc brakes at both ends, although size of rotors on V-Strom hasn’t been specified by Suzuki yet. While KTM and Suzuki ride on a larger 19-inch alloy in front, Benelli makes do with a 17-inch unit.
Engine Specs and Price
All three motorcycles are powered by a single-cylinder engine with almost an exact cubic capacity of 249cc. However, while Suzuki and Benelli are air-/oil-cooled motors, KTM is a liquid-cooled mill and hence produces the maximum output among the three models. TRK 251 and V-Strom SX are closely matched to each other as far output figures are concerned. All three bikes are offered with a 6-speed gearbox.
Suzuki V-Strom SX is clearly the most affordable bike at Rs 2.11 lakh (ex-showroom) in this category and by a fair margin. It is followed by KTM and Benelli with respective prices of Rs 2.35 lakh and Rs 2.59 lakh (both ex-showroom).
