Get Ready For The Scalpel Arriving Tomorrow!

[Update: KTM has launched the 790 Duke in India. Know prices and more details here]

• The 790 Duke is likely to arrive via the CBU route.
• It is powered by a 798cc LC8 parallel-twin engine making 104.7PS and 87Nm.
• KTM has kitted the 790 Duke with serious electronic aids like wheelie control!

With the KTM 790 Duke arriving on our shores tomorrow, the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle will be completed i.e. its price. It looks most likely to arrive via the CBU route, making it a bit pricier than anticipated. Rs 8.5 lakh is what we are expecting it to be priced at. We had spotted it at dealerships a while back and KTM has already begun accepting bookings at certain outlets across India.

KTM dipped its toes in the middleweight naked segment with the 790 Duke as it bridged the gap between the manic single 690 Duke and ‘the Beast’ 1290 Super Duke R. The 790 Duke was also KTM’s first motorcycle powered by a parallel-twin engine. Its 798cc motor is tuned in such a manner that it almost delivers its power like a single. It also sounds quite like a single cylinder motor too. 104.7PS and 87Nm might not sound like much, especially among esteemed company like the Triumph Street Triple RS, the Yamaha MT-09 and the Kawasaki Z900 (check out how it stacks up against the competition here), but the KTM is one of the lightest motorcycles in the segment.

Electronic goodies like Supermoto mode, cornering ABS wheelie control, launch control and bi-directional quickshifter are absent in the aforementioned rivals, making the KTM the most technologically superior motorcycle of its class. The WP suspension units do not offer full adjustability with only the monoshock receiving preload adjustability. Twin 300mm discs are anchored by four-piston J Juan radial calipers. The 17-inch alloy rims come shod with Maxxis Supermaxx ST rubber, which are ideally touring-biased tyres.

KTM India is only planning to get 200 units to India and that is a bummer. However, with emission norms like Euro 5 and BS6 kicking in next year, KTM is likely working on upsizing the engine to keep the potent power-to-weight ratio intact. Hence, an 890 Duke is in the works which should ideally replace the 790 and also make it down to India next year.