KTM 990 Duke: A Sign Of Things To Come?

[advrider]

KTM is big-boring the LC4c engine again! To mark the 30th anniversary of the introduction of the Duke lineup, we saw a new KTM 990 Duke debut at EICMA this week, moving the machine even further into the performance bike category.

Note that this is still a standard Duke model, not the Super Duke series. But now, thanks to an engine top end overhaul, the 990 makes 123 hp and 76 lb-ft of torque, claims KTM. And that overhaul was more than just a new set of pistons stuffed into larger jugs. KTM also tweaked the cams, the balancer, the valve springs, the radiator, the exhaust, even the engine casing itself to build this new version of the liquid-cooled parallel twin. The new 990 engine is actually 947 cc capacity.

So, presumably the made-in-China 790 Duke will remain in the lineup going forward, serving as the budget-friendly option, but the 890 engine will probably continue to serve in the Adventure lineup for a while before fading away. In the next year or two, the ADV bikes will likely join the 990 series as well.

Photo: KTM

Photo: KTM

Photo: KTM

Along with the engine updates, KTM also re-worked the Duke’s frame. There are several changes to the swingarm design. KTM used a gravity die-cast manufacturing process to knock 4.8 lb of weight off the swingarm; the new design is also more flexible, although reshaping the frame to fit outside the swingarm’s mounts builds some stiffness back into the chassis. The old trellis subframe design is gone, replaced by die-cast subframe; the seating position moves around a bit, and there are new aluminum footpegs with rubber inserts. Not massive changes, but little improvements.

The braking system is built around 330 mm discs mated to J Juan calipers. The suspension, as you’d expect, uses WP APEX components. The fork is five-click adjustable for compression and rebound damping, while the shock is five-way adjustable for rebound, with spring preload adjustability. This is probably all that most riders need in the real world, but no doubt others will complain about the reduced tweakability. Will that affect sales? Probably not noticeably. KTM appears to have still made a machine that has what its buyers want: Lots of muscle, sharp handling, and a hooligan attitude.

That attitude even extends to the safety systems, as this machine comes not with your humdrum “slow you down and stop you” antilock brakes, but with a Supermoto ABS system, which allows you to slide the rear wheel around. IMU-governed traction control is also standard, and of course you get such niceties as all-round LED lighting, a 5-inch TFT screen and ride modes (Sport, Street, Rain,with Performance and Track as options).

We’ve seen no US price tag yet, but will update you with more info on this series of machines as it comes in (surely, there’ll be an R version soon! And maybe an ADV version?).

 

 

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