The KTM 790 Duke needs no introduction. The Austrian streetfighter has won hearts across the globe and the KTM fanboys in India have been waiting for the ‘Scalpel’ for quite a while now. Recently, the bike was spotted with the Karnataka registration, adding fuel to the fire. KTM will be launching a new bike on September 23 and we think that it is going to be the 790 Duke. Few dealerships have also started accepting the bookings at Rs 30,000.
The KTM 790 Duke is powered a 799cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine belting 103bhp at 9500rpm and 86Nm at 8000rpm. This engine is mated to a six-speed gearbox. The Scalpel gets a ride-by-wire with four riding modes—Sports, Road, Rain and Track, traction control, cornering ABS along with Supermoto mode. Bring in the dry weight of just 169kg to the package, the 790 Duke promises a typical manic KTM performance.
The bike’s hardware include all-LED illumination, 43mm WP USD forks with 140mm travel, a WP monoshock with preload adjustability offering 150mm travel. Braking duties are handled by 300mm twin discs at the front and a 240mm disc at the rear with J Juan calipers.
The KTM 790 Duke is likely to come to India via the CBU route. And if that is the case, the company will probably not invest much and bring in limited units to the country, especially with the BS-VI norms around the corner. Recently, the Austrian company was also spotted testing a mid-level streetfighter (890 Duke, maybe) that is BS-VI/ Euro 5 emission standards compliant.
The bike is likely to be priced under Rs 10 lakh which would pit it against the Triumph Street Triple S which carries a tag of Rs 9.19 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).