KTM Duke 790

KTM has begun delivering the 790 Duke to customers after it was finally launched at Rs 8.64 lakh (ex-showroom India) last month. Primary competitors of the flagship KTM motorcycle include the Kawasaki Z900 and the Suzuki GSX-S750. The streetfighter is available in nine cities only. From a design standpoint, the 790 Duke sports the same aggressive styling that's seen on the Duke series. Compared to its cousins, it gets a side-mounted upswept exhaust and a slightly stretched out wheelbase. In terms of features, the 790 Duke gets a full-digital TFT instrument console, LED headlights, taillight and turn signals. It also gets a number of electronic rider aids like stability control with cornering ABS, supermoto mode and ‘Motor Slip Regulation’ (MTC), which is essentially an engine brake control that works to balance off high revs while aggressively downshifting. Additionally, the 790 Duke features a traction control system with lean angle sensitivity and ride-by-wire over and above four rider modes: Sport, Street, Rain and Track -- which opens up a plethora of other rider aids like anti-wheelie control, launch control, traction control with a spin adjuster and throttle response. 

Powering the mid-displacement streetfighter is a new LC8 799cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin motor that pumps out 105PS of power at 9500rpm and 86Nm of torque at 8000rpm. It comes with a 6-speed transmission and a bi-directional quick-shifter for clutchless up and downshifts. 

The 790 Duke employs a Chromoly trellis frame and single-piece aluminium rear subframe which helps keep the weight down to 169kg (dry). The bike’s suspension setup comprises of a 43mm upside-down fork and a monoshock which gets 12-stages of preload adjustability, both from WP. Anchoring the 790 Duke are twin 300mm front and a single 240mm rear disc brake. Dual-channel ABS comes as standard.