P98
RIDE REVIEW I 2027 KTM 790 DUKE
KTM's goal wasn't to reinvent
the 790 Duke, but rather to make
it a more polished, more pre-
mium machine without sacrific-
ing the playful personality that
made
it famous. This is, after all,
going to be many riders' entry
into the KTM Duke family, so
getting it right was an absolute
non-negotiable.
The heart of the 2027 machine
remains KTM's 799cc LC8c paral
-
lel-twin engine. Thankfully, the
engineers resisted the
tempta-
tion to chase bigger horsepower
numbers,
retaining the proven
package that already struck an
excellent balance between per-
formance and usability.
Producing
a claimed 105
horsepower at 9500 rpm and
64 lb-ft (87 Nm) of torque, the
liquid-cooled DOHC eight-valve
twin continues to use its dis
-
tinctive 285-degree crankshaft,
giving it a
V-twin-like firing order
and plenty of character under
acceleration. A revised Euro 5+
exhaust system keeps emis-
sions in check while maintaining
the engine's
lively personality,
though it can sound overly flat
when the throttle is pinned.
The sound is one thing, the
experience another. On the
road, the motor feels every bit
as energetic as before. The 790
has never relied on outright
horsepower to impress. Instead,
The orange one is nice, but the
black one is proper nasty.
