VOL. 55 ISSUE 45 NOVEMBER 13, 2018 P63
I
n short, the 2019 KTM 790
Duke is basically the moto-
version of your psycho
ex-girlfriend, but one your
current significant other still
lets you hang around and get
frisky with—and getting frisky
is this Duke's forte.
Ever since KTM unveiled
the 790 Duke prototype at
EICMA in late 2016, the news
spread like wildfire amongst
sport bike enthusiasts all over
the world. Work on this all-
new middleweight destroyer,
however, dates back to 2012,
when KTM began engineer-
ing its first ever parallel-twin—
the heart of what they call
"The Scalpel."
KTM engineers have
predominantly relied on
singles and V-twins to power
their orange bikes, but to
achieve the slim, compact
and lightweight design they
were after with the 790, the
parallel-twin configuration
was deemed the ticket. Over
111,111 man-hours were spent
researching and develop-
ing this all-new motor, with
375,692 intensive miles
tuning it on the dyno, and
another 560,000-plus miles
in actual on-road testing and
application.
For those counting, that's
over 37 trips around the
world before a consumer
would even get a chance to
lay eyes on the thing. Need-
less to say, the Austrians
did their homework before
delivering this newest, and
possibly most anticipated,
middleweight to the naked
sport bike segment. And
believe us when we tell you,
the hype is real.
CHRIS FILLMORE
MADE IT FAMOUS,
NOW WE GET TO RIDE
THE PRODAUCTION
KTM 790 DUKE AT
THE U.S. LAUNCH
IN SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA. THIS IS
GONNA BE GOOD!
S C A L P E L
BRENT JASWINSKI
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SIMON CUDBY
