KTM 790 Duke vs Triumph Street Triple RS vs Kawasaki Z900: Real-world Numbers Compared

Published October 14, 2019
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Does The Scalpel slice open its more powerful competition or does having extra cylinders make more sense?

The KTM 790 Duke has been a revelation of sorts. On paper, it does not have the numbers to match its rivals nor does it pack top-notch hardware. However, after riding the motorcycle we were simply stunned. We put it through our usual series of performance tests and the numbers sure are surprising, to say the least. When compared to its rivals – the Triumph Street Triple RS and the Kawasaki Z900 – the differences were quite marginal. Here’s what the numbers say:

Acceleration:

	KTM 790 Duke	Triumph Street Triple RS	Kawasaki Z900
0-100 kmph	3.68 seconds	3.59 seconds	3.70 seconds

We are yet to test the new Street Triple RS which is claimed to have a better mid-range which should reflect in the acceleration figures. Nevertheless, the previous-gen RS is the quickest motorcycle of the three here. It is also the lightest motorcycle on test here and its rev-happy engine allows you to wring the throttle open till its redline of almost 12,500rpm. The 790’s and the Z900’s numbers are nearly neck and neck. Despite having more power on tap, the Z900’s heft proves to be its shortcoming in standstill acceleration to 100. However, post 100kmph, we expect the inline four motor to overpower the parallel-twin quite easily.

Roll-on acceleration:

	KTM 790 Duke	Triumph Street Triple RS	Kawasaki Z900
30-70kmph in 3rd gear	2.66 seconds	2.63 seconds	2.61 seconds
40-80kmph in 4th gear	3.26 seconds	3.15 seconds	3.00 seconds

The Z900’s inline four mill is extremely tractable, allowing you to cruise at ridiculously low speeds in higher gears. No wonder it is the best when it comes to in-gear roll-on accelerations, bettering its competition in both tests.

KTM 790 Duke vs Triumph Street Triple RS vs Kawasaki Z900: Real-world overview

Braking:

	KTM 790 Duke	Triumph Street Triple RS	Kawasaki Z900
100-0 kmph	41.56m	42.45m	45.57m
60-0 kmph	15.67m	15.95m	16.68m

This is a shocker. Despite boasting of the best braking hardware in the segment, the Triumph Street Triple RS took nearly a metre more to come to a halt from 100kmph than the 790 Duke, which runs a simpler setup, but from J.Juan. The Kwacker is no match for these two nakeds in this department as it is heavy and bears a basic four-pot axially mounted caliper setup.

KTM 790 Duke vs Triumph Street Triple RS vs Kawasaki Z900: Real-world gallery

Fuel efficiency:

	KTM 790 Duke	Triumph Street Triple RS	Kawasaki Z900
City	20.15kmpl	21.48kmpl	15.26kmpl
Highway	24.47kmpl	23kmpl	22.4kmpl
Fuel tank capacity	14-litres	17.4-litres	17-litres

As far as daily commuting goes, the RS returns slightly better figures than the 790 and is incredibly more fuel efficient than the Z900. The Z900’s efficiency improves slightly on the highway but even then the KTM and the Triumph are better. However, considering the fuel tank capacity, the Street Triple RS should give you an extra range of roughly 70km more on the highway than the 790 Duke.

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