Austrian firm releases standard version of the 890 Duke R, KTM Duke 890.
KTM’s 2018 790 Duke was an incredibly exciting middleweight roadster, besting the likes of the Kawasaki Ninja 650 and Yamaha’s MT-07 – and almost matching fancier kit like the Triumph Street Triple. For last year, the Austrian firm bumped up the capacity of the lively parallel twin from 799cc to 889cc, in the 890 Duke R – a premium version with high-end chassis gear and electronics. And for 2021, the standard version gets the bigger motor too.
That 889cc engine gets the capacity increase from a slightly wider bore, up to 90.7mm from 88mm, and a longer stroke, up to 68.8mm from 65.7mm, while the compression is up to 13.5:1 from 12.7:1. That all means more power and torque, up 10bhp to 115bhp and 5Nm to 92Nm. It’s also now Euro5 emissions compliant – essential for new bikes from this year.
The chassis is also tweaked throughout, with revised USD forks and rear monoshock from inhouse suspension brand WP, a WP steering damper and KTM-branded four-piston radial brakes with 300mm discs up front. It sticks with the trademark Duke steel tube trellis frame plus a cunning cast aluminium rear subframe – which incorporates the airbox structure.
KTM’s worked hard on its electronic rider aids, and there’s a host of upgrades here too. A full six-axis IMU-equipped setup integrates cornering ABS and traction control, wheelie control and anti-lift brake control. A quickshifter is an option, as is the MSR motor slip regulation engine braking control. It’s all controlled via a new full colour 4.3” TFT LCD dash and KTM’s excellent switchgear setup, and includes three standard riding modes – Rain, Street and Sport, with an optional Track mode to switch off the anti-wheelie and customise all the other settings.
Impressively, KTM has kept the weight as it was on the 790 Duke – 169kg dry. It’ll be in dealers next month, with a suggested price of £9,649