790 Duke test: KTM takes on the bestselling roadsters
KTM currently dominates the segment of "maxisportifs" maxiroadsters in France, thanks to its 1290 Super Duke R. In 2018, the Austrian brand is entering the court of medium-capacity roadsters with this brand new 790 Duke… So, success in sight? Test !
790 Duke test page 1: The missing link
Who would’ve believed that ? KTM managed to impose its in the clan of maxisportifs maxiroadsters in France in 2017! Thanks to his, the "Beast" of Mattighofen overwhelmed the (831 immats), the (814), the / F (499), the (455), the (446), the (316), the (253) and the (104)…
- Video test :
A phenomenal tour de force, insofar as KTM’s first "on-road" motorcycle model only dates back to 1994. The 620 Duke then led the way! , the little "duchesses" (400 and 640) were joined by the 990 Super Duke, the brand’s first multi-cylinder roadster.
The Duke family has evolved considerably in 24 years: the "Mechanical Oranges" gradually derived from the Supermoto niche, the most logical and legitimate for KTM in the "so fun" 90s, towards the juicier segments of the roadsters of small or big displacement.
In 2018, KTM threw itself into the most contested battle in the motorcycle market: that of medium-capacity roadsters, which represent huge sales volumes in Europe and have even greater potential in emerging markets (India, Indonesia , Brazil, China, Thailand, etc.).
The objective is twofold for this brand new 790 Duke, from the Site readers that KTM presents to us in the Canaries – rather than in Austria, compared to the weather, we do not explain to you: crunching market share in Japanese and English bestsellers , German and Italian on the one hand, and complete the Katoche range on the other.
Until now – or rather until March 29, 2018 when the last born will be officially presented in KTM dealerships in France – a deep chasm separated the and the: LC4 of 73 horses – all the same -, 148.5 kg dry and 7995 euros on one side, LC8 177 hp, 195 kg dry and bank account dry also once the check for 16,990 euros has been cashed !
Realizing that this big gap could not be achieved by all bikers, even the most flexible and wealthy, KTM decided to release a brand new motorcycle loaded – on its own, for the moment – to bridge this gap: the 790 Duke and its LC8c 105 hp, 169 kg dry, priced at 9,690 euros.
“We had a great demand for a mid-displacement multicylinder,” says KTM press manager Luke Brackenburry. A request to which – all! – the other manufacturers responded willingly, instead of the Austrians…
According to projections and surveys carried out by the Mattighofen firm, the customers of the 790 Duke will be largely bikers who dream of acquiring, one day perhaps, a 1290 Super Duke R. Hence the attitude of this 790 modeled on the "bestial" big sister.
Eye that kills, shoulders sharp as razors ("Scalpel" is the nickname of the 790, precisely), prominent tank, colors in tone … We believe it! KTM must however be careful not to abuse the formula: Aprilia has not been successful by sticking RSV4 faces on all of its production (sports, roadster, trail, maxiscooter, 125)…
The Austrian manufacturer also hopes that a large number of owners of or 690 Duke will pass on the 790. They are logically targeting the old A2 licenses, but also the new ones since an "L" version of the 790 Duke will develop "only" 95 horses (70 kW) in order to be limited to the regulatory 35 kW.
"Experienced bikers who know they don’t need a Super Duke R are also part of the customer base," KTM predicts: "they are looking for the perfect package, the right balance" …. to looking for the 790 Duke with 799 cc, 105 horsepower and 86 Nm for 169 kg dry ?
"Our studies prove that these customers have the means to afford bigger motorcycles, but voluntarily choose a medium displacement because they see no point in owning a machine that is too powerful and too heavy", specifies Luke. Brackenburry.
For this last category of buyers, the € 10,000 will not be difficult to get out. And for bikers with less full budgets who only fantasize about the Super Duke R, a credit should do the trick. The other prospects, on the other hand, will hesitate: the competition offers very convincing motorcycles from 9,000 euros…
KTM cheek thin against Z900, MT-09, Street Triple, etc.
"The 790 Duke will undoubtedly be compared to a wide range of motorcycles in the segment," KTM predicts without citing the,,, (S or R?),, Or. "What matters is that this bike will be able to compete with more powerful motorcycles in terms of agility and fun".
For this, KTM has developed a brand new engine called LC8c for "Liquid Cooled 8-valve compact" (see our). Unlike the big LC8 twins, this latest addition is a parallel twin, but wedged at 75 ° in order to keep the tone of the V-Twins … open at 75 °, yes !
Austrian engineers also made sure that their bike was as light as possible. And "as we started from a blank page, we were able to do what we wanted", they point out to us..
From the start of the project – which required 60 people and 111,111 hours of work (i.e. one year of non-stop labor at a rate of 35h / week) – the new engine was considered as a supporting element of the chassis, thus drastically reducing the size of the essential tubular steel trellis.
Likewise, the use of an aluminum rear buckle made it possible to lighten the bike – on the scale, because visually it is more massive than a buckle made of fine steel tubes..
The part, manufactured in one piece, is also devoid of fairing, illustrating KTM’s desire to limit the number of parts to the maximum on the 790 Duke: "purity is one of our four pillars along with performance, the extreme and a (d) venture ".
"As always, performance is one of our priorities", continue our hosts. With the 790 Duke, on the other hand, the extreme aspect is more noticeable in the fact that KTM explores a new and highly competitive segment thanks to it, than in the bike’s own design….
First of all, the original WP suspensions – "naturlich", this is a mark of the KTM group! – are extremely basic: at the front there is an inverted fork with separate hydraulic functions without any adjustment, and at the rear a shock absorber mounted directly on the swingarm and adjustable only in preload.
These choices are however entirely assumed by the engineers, since they make it possible to reduce the weight of the machine … and its invoice. In addition, the absence of rods frees up space for the – ugly – cooking pot of the pot. Fortunately, the silencer in the high position is much more successful, both aesthetically and acoustically..
In terms of braking, the 790 Duke does without the services of the Brembo brand, which is very popular with bikers. The Austrian manufacturer has this time collaborated with the Spanish specialist J. Juan and signs the large calipers himself – radial-mounted monoblocs! – a big "KTM".
The tires also mark a new "on-road" collaboration: like KTM a quarter of a century ago, the Taiwanese manufacturer Maxxis – specializing in off-road and Supermotard – wishes to embark on the open road and team up with Supermaxx ST la 790 Duke as it leaves the Mattighofen factory.
However, there is one point on which Katoche made no compromise: the electronics, which still come from Bosch and manage traction control (MTC) and ABS taking into account the angle of the motorcycle, the engine brake ( MSR), the quickshiter ("up and down" as standard), four driving modes … The top of the "mid-size" class, in short !
Finally, if the fourth value claimed by the Austrian brand will be more driven by the future 790 Adventure R (see you next year at the same time for its launch!), The 790 Duke promises to offer its own dose of adventure to his pilot.
"After all, every motorbike outing is an adventure!", Say the managers of the Orange brand just before making us test this new machine on the magnificent roads of Gran Canaria, unfortunately crowded on this Sunday morning … Engine, action and !
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