2018 KTM 790 Duke launch review

Twenty-four years ago, KTM released its first nakedbike – the Duke 620. That machine heralded the start of a family which has endured to this day, made up of single cylinder and V-twin configurations – until now.

KTM has sensed an opening in the middleweight naked market, and the end result is the 790 Duke parallel twin. Those last two words are the most poignant, as KTM has invested heaps of money and time – a combined 1.5 million dyno and ‘real world’ endurance testing hours – on the all-new LC8c engine to make sure it was cherry ripe to power the all-new performance street bike.

Related reading
2017 KTM 1290 Super Duke R launch review

Tip of the iceberg
We’re going to be seeing a lot more of the 799cc engine over the next few years – the 790 Adventure most certainly the next in line – but let’s first just soak up all the magnificence that is the KTM 790 Duke.

The machine has just been launched in the Canary Islands, the archipelago that offers so much for motorcyclists with a never-ending supply of narrow, twisty roads – as well as placing a premium on handling, braking and acceleration. And the roads do test your wits occasionally, too, thanks to dawdling tourist buses, thousands of cyclists, and visitors who don’t realise that it's a Spanish outpost and you’re required to drive on the right side of the road. Hello to our British friends!

Bikesales rode the 790 Duke around the island of Gran Canaria, and it’s a superb little master blaster. At 174kg (wet), it’s light and agile, goes like the clappers, and stops, turns and steers exactly like you’d expect from a company which has racing and winning in its DNA.

For me, it was a reaffirmation that middleweight naked bikes with all the go-fast attributes are the Sugar Ray Leonards of motorcycling. Pound for pound they provide the ideal blend of performance, practicality and entertainment – and that’s where the 790 Duke now takes pride of place at the table.

The 790 Duke will go on sale in Australia in June 2018, with price to still be announced. Colours are orange or black.

Adventurous elements
KTM’s a company that thrives on pushing the powered two-wheel boundaries – it’s MotoGP campaign the latest example of that – and just getting out there and doing it. To say the 790 Duke embodies those adventurous elements is an understatement, and for one we look forward to seeing American ace Chris Fillmore use it to defend his title in the famed Pikes Peak International Hillclimb in just a couple of months.

Pikes Peak has 156 frenzied turns, but that was chicken feed compared to the number of corners we devoured on our 260km road ride in Gran Canaria – before ‘retiring’ to a local race track to ride some hot laps and engage in an agility special test on a purpose-built gymkhana course.

This was no ordinary launch and, not only did we hit our first twisty roads just a couple of kilometres from our starting point, but the pace throughout the day would have left our Aussie constabulary ashen-faced…

So the ideal environment to test out a feisty street bike – and the LC8c engine was the prime mover to keep things churning along at such a strong pace. With 105hp at 9000rpm and 86Nm of torque at 8000rpm, the parallel twin really turns it on, especially from about 5000rpm with that standard-issue quickshifter maintaining the rage. Spinning up the 790 Duke provides a good deal of satisfaction, but short-shifting is also a viable course of action with all that meaty torque.

The quickshifter also works for downshifts as well, when there’s a lovely crackle from the stainless steel exhaust system on the overrun. KTM had Akrapovic silencers fitted to a number of press units and, apart from only a mild aesthetic improvement, I couldn’t really pick a difference in sound. I’d save my money on and stick with standard.

It’s a fairly flat torque curve, but this engine certainly isn’t lacking in character – and it’s even a bit lumpy down low, which means slow-speed work takes some getting used to.

There are also a few vibes as a reminder of what’s happening underneath, although the dual counter-balancers keep things in check nicely.

KTM has broken new ground by using the engine as stressed member on the 790 Duke, so if there was any excessive vibration it would quickly – and uncomfortably – come to the fore.

Other features of the ride-by-wire engine include single spark plugs per cylinder, chain-driven camshafts, and the airbox is positioned behind the engine in the cast-aluminium subframe – which KTM says “is the key for the exceptional mid-range power”. The subframe is a striking piece of metal, and helps make the 790 the best looking in the Duke family.

The 790 Duke offers are four riding modes: Sport, Street, Rain and Track (with customisable throttle response and traction control), and there’s the popular ‘supermoto’ ABS mode to allow rear lock-ups – which would come in very handy at the race track later in the day. The modes are also easy to change on the same navigation system KTM has been using for a while now – and everything can be seen on the excellent TFT screen which automatically adjusts for ambient light levels and has multiple layout options.

In fact, KTM has thrown the electronic kitchen sink at the 790 Duke, with lean-angle sensitive traction control, cornering ABS and motor slip regulation also a part of the mix.

Company first
The 790 Duke is a taut machine, but the biggest narrative about compactness is with KTM’s decision to go with a parallel twin engine instead of a V-twin. Recently, Ducati  opted for a V-four rather than a V-twin to power its new Panigale superbike, and now KTM has taken its own epochal route to put the cylinders next to each other – a company first.

For what KTM ultimately wanted – a low-ish seat height and longer swingarm just some of the clean sheet objectives – the V-twin wasn’t going to cut the mustard, so that’s when the parallel twin got the rubber stamp.

No issue from our end because, as soon as we started climbing into the arid-looking mountains, the last thing on our minds was engine configuration! Instead, the fuel tank spoilers acted as contact patches for the knees as we hunkered down and reeled off the kilometres, that 760mm tapered handlebar also offering a superb compromise between aggression and comfort.

The 790 Duke is a very front-end biased machine – the rider’s certainly wedged against the tank in that compact cockpit – and, with a wheelbase of 1475mm, it twists, turns, slices and dices in such a pin-sharp manner. However, the biggest plusses for me were stability under heavy braking and on corner exit.

The WP suspension may not offer much in the way of adjustment – there’s only preload on the rear – but it’s impressive hardware. The 43mm upside-down forks could not have absorbed much more, but they held firm time after time – even when the J.Juan-made KTM-branded radial brakes were on full squeeze.

Meanwhile, the gas-assisted shock connects directly to the swingaem – ie no linkage – but there’s obviously a real harmony between the two as the back end was impressive as well.

The suspension is just the right fit for the 790 Duke – some rougher roads may upset the applecart, but that’s going to cause issues across the motorcycling spectrum.

Track time
Save for a 30-minute afternoon final ‘shakedown’ at the end of the day, part two of the 790 Duke launch was on a local race track. The hot laps reinforced what we had already learnt about the 790 Duke, but the biggest revelation was a gymkhana course setup to test the bike’s agility.

It was a tough little nut to crack – well it was for me, but motorcycle craftsmen such as Jeremy McWilliams and Japan’s Hikaru Miyagi made it look easy. The last time I saw Miyagi-san was in 1984 at the Calder Park round of the Swann International Series. His main is now grey, but geez can he still ride.

Miyagi finished third overall in the gymkhana, while the Aussie connection was left, err, holding up the ladder. We did everything we could, too, including turning the supermoto mode to ABS!

Blushes aside, the gymkhana was another reference point for the new bike, because it displayed a phenomenal level of agility in a more extreme setting.

The Maxxis tyres also came out with a positive report card at the track after a few eyebrows were raised when they were first announced as the OEM rubber.

Commuter or scratcher?
The 790 Duke can do both, although commuting certainly wasn’t the focus of the launch – it’s hard to do that on Gran Canaria! However, all the attributes that make for an adept city slicker – upright riding position, soft clutch, wide handlebar, comfortable seat, punchy engine, adjustable levers, strong brakes, short wheelbase and wide steering lock – are there. And there are other nice touches like illuminated menu switches, as well as the optional KTM MY RIDE smartphone integration.

The mirrors are the weakest part of the equation, offering only moderate visibility, while the blinker switch feels a little sloppy.

There’s a 805mm low seat option for the 790 Duke in the KTM PowerParts catalogue, as well as goodies like bar-end mirrors, a carbon fender, the aforementioned Akrapovic slip-on, and CNC milled brake and clutch levers.

Summing up
The 790 Duke now joins the lineup between the single cylinder 690 Duke and 1290 Super Duke R. Before this launch we said that if the 790 Duke’s front end could be pushed as hard as the 690’s – on top of the obvious gain in performance – we’d be happy.

The 790 Duke has surpassed those expectations and, if you can’t wrest total control over this bike in a short period of time, there’s something amiss. It’s such a comprehensive package, and the next part of the puzzle is awaiting a retail price.

That will come, but the middleweight nakedbike segment has just become a more thrilling place than ever thanks to this magnificent piece of hardware from KTM.

SPECS: 2018 KTM 790 DUKE
ENGINE
Type: Liquid-cooled parallel twin four-stroke
Capacity: 755.cc
Bore x stroke: 88.0mm x 65.7mm
Compression ratio: 12.7:1
Engine management: Electronic fuel injection with Dell ‘Orto 42mm throttle body

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 105hp at 9000rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 87Nm at 8000rpm

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six speed
Final drive: Chain
Clutch: Wet, multiplate, slipper assist

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Steel with engine as stressed member
Front suspension: 43mm WP upside-down forks, non-adjustable, 140mm travel
Rear suspension: WP shock with adjustable preload, 150mmm travel
Front brake: 300mm discs with radial mounted four-piston calipers
Rear brake: 240mm disc with twin-piston caliper
Wheels: Cast aluminium, 3.50 x17 front, 5.5 x 17 rear
Tyres: Maxxis – 120/70-17 front, 180/55-17 rear

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Trail: 98mm
Claimed dry weight: 174kg
Seat height: 825mm
Ground clearance: 186mm
Wheelbase: 1475mm
Fuel capacity: 14 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: TBA
Local availability: June 2018
Colour: Orange or black
Test bike supplied by: KTM AG
Local distributor: KTM Australia
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres