KTM 790 Duke and KTM 1290 Super Duke R comparison test

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KTM 790 Duke and KTM 1290 Super Duke R in the test

Middle class versus power naked bike

9,790 or 16,995 euros? 105 or 177 hp? Inline twin or V2? During an intensive test drive, we try to clarify which of the two is a super Duke – the KTM 790 Duke or the KTM 1290 Super Duke R.?

R.ole the decision from the bank statement. It can be turned and turned however you want. There is therefore no more balance on it. And you can only spend each mark once – at least Grandpa always used to say. And that’s why the question is right here at the beginning. Will I buy it or not enough dough? So far you didn’t have to do the math, it was pretty obvious. At least if it should be a naked Austrian for unrestrained joy on the country road. There was the light 690 with its aggressive 73 HP Ballermann on one side, the 1290 with its huge V2 engine and gigantic 177 HP power range on the other side in the showroom. Which one it should be was hardly decided here. Depending on the equipment, one costs almost twice as much as the other.

KTM 790 Duke and KTM 1290 Super Duke R in the test

Middle class versus power naked bike

More extreme proportions vs. sharper chassis geometry

Anyone who has been looking around the KTM dealer with well-filled pockets since 2018 is more likely to start pondering. Does the surcharge of at least 7,205 euros for the most powerful of all naked bikes really have to be? Sure, the 1290 will be – if you look at it soberly – the better, nobler, probably more mature motorcycle. But the new 790 Duke offers a damn alluring package for 9,790 euros. Especially if you still want to indulge in civil sloping sport on public asphalt in halfway legal forms. Conversely, this does not mean that Super Duke drivers always burn outside of these rules. But anyone who turns the throttle valve of the V2 on the autobahn at 100 km / h, floods the displacement and lets the crankshaft fly, it is easy to wonder whether he will ever be able to fully utilize this power on the country road – or have an increased one Self-confidence.

KTM 790 Duke in the sound check

But let’s look deep into the eyes of the two KTM naked bikes. Examined from all angles, the KTM 790 Duke and 1290 Super Duke R have one word left in the end: Kiska. As has been the case for decades, the extravagant design accompanies the KTM philosophy. Polarization included. That doesn’t change in any way with these two two-cylinder engines, whose relationship is revealed by the flat, steeply mounted, centrally separated, diamond-shaped headlights. The glaring LED light acts as a kind of civilian road clearer, like the blue light of the oranges. They give the Dukes an aggressive aura. Whereby the 1290 with the towering 18-liter tank and the staged tubular space frame appears even more emphatically. Undoubtedly, the 1290 Super Duke R has the more extreme proportions, the 790 Duke the sharper chassis geometry. In direct comparison, the latter looks like an exemplary A student. But one who has it all behind the ears. The middle-class duke might like to eat the soup with a spoon and skewer the noodles with a fork. But the knife is also stuck between her teeth – exotic tank shape (14 liters) and the unusual design of the stainless steel silencer. One thinks it is terrific, the other one that is terrific.

KTM 790 Duke for beginners from 1.65 m

The sporty attitude gives way to a relaxed existence when sitting at 820 (790) and 830 millimeters (1290) heights. You can find your way around easily, looking forward to relaxed knee angles and narrow knees on both dukes. With its weight of a wiry 187 kilograms (with a full tank), the smaller one feels almost like a bicycle, is already nice and slim, and does not overwhelm beginners as long as they are over 1.65 meters tall. At 218 kilograms, the Super Duke is anything but overweight, and behaves in a finely balanced manner even at walking pace, but the driver still feels the small prosperity gap when switching. Both KTMs position their pilots in a forehead-wheel-oriented and active way without straining. There is no wind protection, but there are tight benches that are quite suitable for long journeys. The fact that the KTM 790 Duke has such a smooth cover that at least the leather suit is slipping around like on soft soap – well, that should be touched up as soon as possible. But otherwise: everything fits!

Rivas, Arturo

On their own, no one has a big belly. In direct comparison, however, the 790 is noticeably more wiry.

As for the extra pounds of the Super Duke, you can’t refer to the equipment as usual. Because the 790 sets the new benchmark in its vehicle class. The two-cylinder in-line bike comes off the production line with a pleasant all-round carefree package: cornering ABS, four driving modes, traction control, launch and anti-wheelie control, quickshifter with blipper function, engine drag torque control, supermoto ABS mode – all This comes as standard, a module for smartphone coupling and a tire pressure control system are optional. The Super Duke is equipped ex works with ABS cornering including Super Moto mode, traction control, keyless ignition system (including tank unlocking), cruise control, tire pressure control system, automatic turn signal reset and smartphone coupling. Quickshifter with blipper function, the track pack (track mode, launch and wheelie control) and the engine drag torque control are charged extra. You are amazed here and there.

The 1290s also shows high-end elsewhere: With fine forged pistons (the little one also has), titanium inlet valves, double ignition in the engine. The elaborate single-sided swing arm, as well as the high-quality WP fork with adjustable rebound and compression stage and shock absorber with separate compensation tank (compression stage in high and low speed as well as rebound stage adjustable) make a real difference when you look at it. On the 790 only the spring base can be adjusted.

108 HP of the 790 Duke is absolutely sufficient

A quick click on the button, the pistons flicker up and down immediately, deliver a full beat and make the driver’s hands twitch nervously. Sure, the 1290s orchestrates their combustion rate even more powerfully, even more profoundly. But the Duke’s 799 cubic meters are no less attractive. Acoustically, also thanks to the 75 degree crank pin offset, as well as in the power delivery. The row winches for speed, has a surprising presence right from the start, plows between 2,000 and 5,000 tours with motivation, from then on blows to the limiter to attack. Like a wonderfully cold beer after a heated racing bike stage, the Twin shoots through the rev range so refreshingly and appetizingly that you never want more. Not even the noticeable load change reactions and the slight constant travel jolting spoil the show for this light-footed drive. Actually.

Then the big sister comes around the corner, hums even more casually from the lower speed, storms forward like a tornado, fires well-behaved towards the performance zenith and feels so playful, so cool, so mature that you believe with all the power and bass that the V2 was wrapped in down duvets. Heaven, how they managed to run this smoothness in this performance spectacle is simply fascinating – and even more so than on the mid-range Duke. These 177 hp and 139 Newton meters are engraved in the soul. And yet with the measured maximum of 108 hp of the 790s you may feel more comfortable, more earthly, closer to reality.

Super Duke R tires and ABS better

What impresses both of them are the automatic gearshifts, the gearbox and the short gearshift travel. They make driving a lot easier, ensure smooth gear changes and more comfort in most speed ranges. The latter is especially important for the 790, which turns neutrally, thanks to its weight advantage, sticks into the corner more nimbly and has sufficient cushioning at the front and rear for lively country road fun. But in terms of response behavior, the spring elements have to give way to those of the 1290s. The Super Duke filters out bumps more sensitively, also offers greater cornering stability and, with the numerous setting options, more reserves for the individualization of driving behavior.

Rivas, Arturo

The Dukes are like iced coffee in summer: refreshing, stimulating and always welcome.

When the roads get worse and the level of grip seems Spanish to the driver, the Super Duke driver also benefits from the better tires and feedback. The Maxxis tires on the KTM 790 Duke do their job well, but the Metzeler M7RRs on the 1290 operate at a higher level and deliver immense confidence after a few corners. However, anyone who thinks that the 790s would quickly disappear from the rear-view mirrors of the 1290s is wrong. Because despite the small inadequacies that only come to light in direct comparison with the more mature, big sister, you can really let it go with both KTMs, the adjustable traction controls help effectively and reliably when riding the cannonballs.

The steering dampers largely prevent fidgeting deposits, which the Super Duke tends to do when in doubt. The Bosch ABS delicately decelerates on both bikes, preventing the rear wheel from rising in nine out of ten cases. In terms of brake dosage and effect, the 1290 justifies its price premium again. The Brembo brake system decelerates more linearly with increasing pull on the lever compared to the 790 brake, has the crisper pressure point. And as in almost all chapters, it can be seen that the Super Duke is the better finish, the higher quality vehicle. The question remains: do you need it? Well, the good news: No matter what is on the account, the KTM dealer has at least two grin grenades with guaranteed fun. The bad: you can only spend each euro once.

Technical data in comparison

Data KTM 790 Duke KTM 1290 Super Duke R.
design type In-line two-cylinder 75 degrees V2
injection 2 x Ø 42 mm 2 x Ø 56 mm
coupling

Multi-disc oil bath clutch
(Anti-hopping)

Multi-disc oil bath clutch
(Anti-hopping) Boron x stroke 88.0 x 65.7 mm 108.0 x 71.0 mm Displacement 799 cc 1301 cc compression 12.7: 1 13.6: 1 power 77 kW (105 PS) 130.0 kW (177 hp) Torque 86 Nm / 8,000 141 Nm / 7,000 frame Steel bridge frame Steel space frame fork Upside-down Ø 43 mm Upside-down Ø 48 mm Steering damper hydraulically hydraulically Brakes v / h Ø 300/240 mm Ø 320/240 mm Systems assistance ABS, traction control ABS, traction control bikes 3.50 x 17; 5.50 x 17 3.50 x 17; 6.00 x 17 tires 120/70 ZR 17; 180/55 ZR 17 120/70 ZR 17; 190/55 ZR 17 Tires Maxxis Supermax ST
front "J", back "G" Metzeler Sportec M 7 RR wheelbase 1,475 mm 1,482 mm Steering head angle 66.0 degrees 65.1 degrees trailing 98 mm 107 mm Suspension travel v / h 140/150 mm 125/156 mm Seat height 820 mm 830 mm Weight with a full tank 187 kg 218 kg Payload 243 kg 188 kg Tank capacity / reserve 14 / 3.2 liters 18 / 3.5 liters Service intervals 15,000 15,000 price 9,790 euros 16,995 euros Price test motorcycle 9,790 euros 18,221 euros Additional costs 360 euros 360 euros

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