2019 K TM 790 DUKE
FIRST TEST
P60
WE TEST KTM'S FIRST EVER PARALLEL-T WIN
ndisputedly
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BY ALAN CATHCART
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESTY KTM
K TM has made a key roll of the
dice with the introduction of the
790 Duke, its first ever parallel-
twin, powered by the all-new LC8c
(standing for liquid-cooled eight-
valve compact) engine.
Previously, KTM had only its
690 Duke single-cylinder niche
model to compete in the significant
segment that is the middleweight
marketplace. Now, with the 790
Duke twin—aka "The Scalpel," on
account of its focused design and
pared-to-the-minimum weight and
bulk—KTM has a mainstream con-
tender for marketplace supremacy,
making this a vastly important
bike for the company that's both
competitively priced, and highly
distinctive. What's more, in transfer-
ring production of this and all other
future middleweight KTM—and
Husqvarna—models powered by
the LC8c engine to China in 2020,
KTM president Stefan Pierer will
ensure that the 790 Duke, its forth-
coming 790 Adventure due in a
year's time, and other later models
will all be even more affordable.
With its typically sharp-edged styl-
ing by Kiska Design, the 790 Duke
fills the gap between the 690 Duke
single and 1290 Super Duke V-twins
in the Austrian firm's street bike
range, and in doing so brings an en-
tirely new level of electronic sophis-
tication to the middleweight sector,
with features that some Japanese
one-liter sport bikes don't even have.
Delivering maximum power of 105
bhp at 9000 rpm with a dry weight
of just 373 pounds, it's a typical KTM
in terms of adding performance via
reduced pounds. And in addition to a
comprehensive and easily readable
TFT dash and two-way quick-shifter
as standard, it features electronics
previously seen only on bigger bikes,
including IMU-controlled traction
control and cornering ABS.
