Yamaha YZF-R250 in the wings?

As entry-level sports bikes like the Honda CBR250R, Hyosung GT250R and Kawasaki Ninja 250/300 continue their march towards world domination, selling in strong numbers in all corners of the globe, Yamaha is still yet to answer the call for a global 250cc sports bike for the masses, but new reports suggest this is about to change.

Sporting a design expected to be inspired by the 599cc YZF-R6 (first image), Yamaha is believed to be working on a new YZF-R250 in order to capitalise on the massive demand for 'premium' entry-level sports bikes in emerging markets such as India.

Yamaha offers two lower-capacity sports bikes in Australia -- the $3999 (plus on-roads) YZF-R15 and the sportier-looking $6999 (plus on-roads) YZF-R125 -- so there is clearly room in the market for a sporty 250 priced between the two.

According to Indian and UK reports, the upcoming Yamaha YZF-R250 sports bike will likely be a 2014 model, before being teased as a 'concept' at an upcoming motorcycle show, possibly even EICMA in Milan in two weeks' time.

Few details of the new motorcycle are known, but as the popularity of 250cc sports bikes continues to grow rapidly in both established and emerging markets around the world, major motorcycle companies have to take the segment seriously.

It's entirely possible that Yamaha could simply re-engineer the current YZF-R15 and cram a larger 250cc engine into the frame (second image) in order to minimise development costs, but whatever the Japanese company decides to do, the more it delays, the further entrenched its rivals will become.

With Yamaha reportedly entering the fray with Kawasaki and Honda, the only major manufacturer left to develop an affordable 250cc sports bike is Suzuki. Bring on the Suzuki GSX-R250.