2019 K TM 790 DUKE
FIRST TEST
P72
hardly have to use the brakes
climbing a twisty mountain pass—
just backshift a couple of times
for a slow bend, and the residual
engine braking invariably takes
care of slowing the bike in normal
use. Okay, start going for it, and
you need to work the lever, but
not otherwise. The clutch action
is super light and positive when
you do have to use it. This won't
cramp up your left hand riding the
790 Duke to work each morning.
Even braking hard at the end
of the Maspalomas main straight
after enjoying the extra perfor-
mance of the street-legal Akrapo-
vic silencer available as an op-
tion fitted to the bike I was riding
there, the 790 Duke remained
stable and well-controlled, and
the Maxxis front tire was hard to
fault. The Bosch 9.1MP ABS did
activate occasionally, but after
proving to myself that it did cut
in, though not too intrusively, I
switched it off as you can do in
Track mode only. The non-adjust-
able suspension didn't misbe-
have too much, and you have
plenty of warning when the tires
started to approach their limits.
KTM is planning a series of 790
