2018 KTM 790 DUKE PROTOTYPE
FIRST RIDE
P76
We won't be
going out on a
limb when we
say that KTM
is going to sell
of bunch of
these things.
able for those who want to stunt
their way to the next traffic light.
The chance to try all this
out for myself came in a brief
20-minute ride in semi-wet
conditions aboard the Duke,
which has a 270ยบ crank that
delivers an offbeat lilt to the
ultra-distinctive flat, droning ex-
haust. What's more, equipped
with copious rider aids includ-
ing TC. I had to take care not to
get too enthusiastic because of
the pair of Maxxis Supermaxx
ST tires KTM had fitted to the
bike. I'd never ridden on these
before, but they seemed to heat
up well in the foggy, dampish
conditions, and there was good
feedback from the front via the
well dialed-in WP fork.
The 790 Duke has quite an
upright stance, more streetrod
than streetfighter in the sense
that it's not a superbike with the
bodywork stripped away, but
rather a specifically tailored,
sharp-steering package in its
own right.
The Austrian parallel-twin is
indeed a twin that thinks it's
a single, whereas another of
its key rivals, the BMW F 800
R that's also a parallel-twin,
is much more half a four. You
have trouble actually seeing
that the 790 Duke indeed has
two cylinders, not just one, and
that visual conundrum is du-
plicated when you hop aboard
and start riding it hard. For it
feels so light and agile to flick
from side to side climbing twisty
mountain roads.
The flat-set handlebar gives
great leverage for carving cor-
ners from side to side, and the
KTM is indeed practically intui-
