Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1517587
P84 RIDE REVIEW I 2024 KTM 990 DUKE sheer fun of it all. That's why the chassis has this extra stiffness built into it—it's all about carrying more speed into, through, and out of the corner while keeping the chassis composed and reducing that mid-corner flex. About the only carryover from the 890 is the J.Juan four-piston brake calipers that work just fine. It's a decent quality master cylin - der on the 890, although I'd hope that when/if a 990 R becomes available, it'll be graced with at least Brembo Stylema calipers and a corresponding master cyl- inder for extra braking prowess. The brakes house disc carriers that are 2.2 pounds lighter than on the 890, contributing to less unsprung mass and helping the you'll feel significant differences between each setting without needing to dial in 10+ turns of rebound or compression. In standard settings, the ride is a little soft for my 200-pound frame, so two turns of preload on the back and one click of compression on the fork was the order of the day to help the 990 hold itself up a little under my vastly expanding weight. The ride can be a bit stiff even in its softest setting because this is a very focused motorcycle. The 990 Duke is still a real streetfight - er at heart. Yes, it'll cruise along at sedate speeds happily enough, but it's more at home going for a good, hard scratch-up on your favorite mountain road for the rider's knees out more and mak - ing it easier to grab and latch onto under braking. Load the front Bridgestone S22 up on the street (the latest S23 rubber was released after the development for the 990 Duke was finished) and charge into the corner, and the 990 will sit there and laugh at you. You need to get this thing to a track to get anywhere near the outer reaches of its performance. The 990 comes with heav - ily revised suspension via the 43mm WP Apex fork and shock. Both are fully adjustable (save for preload on the fork), but they only have five possible set - tings each for compression and rebound damping adjustment, so A h, yes, the all-important 1390 Super Duke R. What of this magnificent beast? Well, at the launch held at the Almeria circuit in southern Spain, I got four paltry laps on it before the Spanish weather threw a foul ball and dumped rain on the circuit, ensuring all meaningful testing for the revamped, renewed SD was completely useless. Not only that, but the bike I was on wasn't even the bike we are getting in America (we get the one with electronic suspen - sion; mine was just the one with conventionally adjustable suspension). So, I will reserve my judgment on the 1390 Super Duke until we can do a complete and thorough test back here in America. From my brief four laps, dur - ing which I was trying to learn the track, I can tell you just how much more top end the 1390 has over the outgoing 1290. Whereas the old 1290 would taper off quickly when the revs got into the last quarter of the range, the 1390 pulls like a freight train. The crazy thing is that the Super Duke didn't need more power, but that's what you've got now. Stay tuned for a proper review when we get the bikes in the next month or so. At least KTM insisted that instead of proper in-depth testing in the rain, we just go and do burnouts instead. Thanks, KTM. That was jolly nice of you. HANG ON! WHAT ABOUT THE 1390?