The 990 Duke is a big step up from the 890 it replaces, but it comes at a cost.
KTM’s resurrected 790 Duke arrived too soon. It was presented last year with some confusion: what good is a 790 Duke when we had the 890 Duke?Sure, it’s less expensive in components due to its manufacture in China, but not by much. However, at EICMA 2023 it all made sense, as the Austrian company had everything up its sleeve to usurp the 890 Duke: the KTM 990 Duke.
Suddenly, diversity takes on a lot more meaning. The 790 Duke provides the hotspot, and the 990 proves to be a bigger leap forward than the 890 in terms of engine, generation, and, yes, price. We will soon return to all this.
The 990 Duke sits neatly between the 790 Duke and the crazy (and also new) 1390 Super Duke R and Super Duke R Evo. So is this the sweet spot or a more productive compromise on behalf of your more or less beloved brethren? To find out, we drove a 990 Duke for several hundred miles in the UK, taking in motorways, dual carriageways, winding country roads and urban environments.
Here’s what might sting a little: while the old 890 Duke costs £10,699, the new 990 Duke starts at £12,999. That doesn’t come with the Technology Pack, which you’ll surely want, which costs £887 and adds various features that will otherwise disappear once the era of 930-mile tests ends.
KTM Duke 990 – headlight
That said, being KTM, who loves discounts as much as the big chains in the market, there is (at the time of writing) an agreement that will always allow you to buy it for free and also get advantages from 0 with cent financing. . On the other hand, the logo also reduces £1,000 on the 2023 Duke GP and Duke R model; If you can find inventory, you can choose one for £9,669 or £10,599 respectively.
Now you’re probably wondering where the extra money goes, other than some new stickers that say “990” instead of “890,” but don’t worry, because a lot has changed. Let’s start with the explanation of why this new design name: the modern LC8c parallel twin engine.
Displacement increases from 889 cc to 946 cc, and familiar-looking crankcases are new pistons, new connecting rods, a new crankshaft and upper lift cams. The increase in capacity is due to a longer stroke and larger cylinder diameters. There’s also a larger radiator to keep everything cool, as well as a new exhaust and airbox.
KTM Duque 990 – engine
The result of all this is an accumulation of. . . 7 channels. You might be wondering why KTM bothered, but the new peak power/torque figures of 121 hp and 76 lb-ft only tell part of the story. The driving experience says the opposite. We will communicate about that soon.
The engine sits on a new tubular metal frame, from which KTM has suspended the suspension provided via the internal WP logo. This is where the 990 starts to feel more like a Duke R than a Duke GP, as the fork is fully adjustable. just like in the previous model. Offers 140mm from 43mm wide posts. At the rear is a WP Apex monoshock with adjustable preload and rebound.
Like the old Duke GP, you get dual 300mm front discs and branded four-piston calipers, but there’s a new mounting setup that shaves 500g off rotating mass. There is a 240mm disc and a two-piston caliper at the rear, while the floating discs are paired with radially controlled fixed 4-piston calipers via a radial master cylinder. And yes, this frame is now dressed in a body that divides opinions. KTM says the bike “is designed to look like an explosion on a frozen frame, mimicking immense power released with devastating force,” but all I see is Predator without its mask. It’s not boring, which fits well with KTM’s competitive “no” marketing scheme.
KTM Duke 990 – screen
The generation front is an area of important change. The five-inch TFT display features new graphics and a redesigned menu layout while offering tilt angle information and an optional tracking mode with telemetry and stopwatch. It now has a convenient USB-C charging port on the left.
There’s a clever provision of rider aids, adding WheelArray adjustable up and downshifts, cornering ABS (with a supermoto mode to disable it at the rear), cornering traction and ReleaseArray.
It’s surprising how unfamiliar the new 990 seems. Although the numbers look more or less the same, it’s a totally different game when you’re the bar stepping on the accelerator. On the one hand, it is smoother and more refined, especially in the mids.
This isn’t to say that 990s grew up, bought beige sweaters, and started watching Countdown. Quite the opposite: the updated unit has only cemented KTM’s position as the manufacturer of the most competitive parallel dual in motorcycling.
KTM Duke 990 – riding
As before, it uses a 285-degree crankshaft for a staggered firing order, unlike its cross-plane rivals like Yamaha’s CP2 that create the same effect with a 270-degree crank. It’s almost as far from the 180-degree double-parallel type. to a sewing machine on the motorcycle that you may have accessed directly, with a booming midrange and a more level-headed, screaming end.
In a fully tilted position, it feels faster than the numbers seem to recommend: overtake a dragging Honda Jazz and you’ll possibly find that your speed is a little higher than expected on the other end. You may also find yourself lifting the front wheel. But hey, own-brand brakes are effective enough to slow down when needed, even if the initial lever reaction is a little quick.
KTM 990 Duke – riding
The gentle mid-range punch means you can leave the 990 in a higher gear than you otherwise would, but that means missing not only the more practical end, but also the gear lever. It turns out to be a smarter formula than before, turning out magnificently every time and without a single unbiased fake appearing in our week and part of the bike.
But it is much more than just a missile in a straight line. It’s an agile bike, which is helped by the fact that it weighs 190kg on fuel: we rode the 990 consecutively with the new 1390 Super Duke R and the difference in mass is obvious when converting bikes.
The lighter 990 adjusts steering quickly, but in faster corners it feels more solid than the old 890 Duke. Meanwhile, the Bridgestone S22 tires give plenty of confidence at more extreme lean angles, which are of course now displayed for you. go, but you want to be in the Track mode demo to see the maximum lean angles. Otherwise just get real-time information that you don’t have to look at too much when concentrating on corners.
KTM Duke 990 – riding
The updated electronics package as a whole, however, is a triumph. This flatters the cyclist more than before, without having the impression that the devices take too much away from them. The interventions are friendly and there are many possibilities for adjustment along the way. other configurations that you will surely find the assistance point that best suits you.
However, you may also want to play around with suspension adjusters. As supplied, the damping felt too comfortable for our two rather friendly control riders, and while things are being adjusted with the adjusters (the compression and rebound at the front are gently replaced with manual adjusters, but you want a flathead screwdriver for the compression changes at the rear), The setup didn’t feel as sumptuous as expected.
KTM Duke 990 – riding
It’s something that steals a bit of confidence on the bumpier B-roads (and let’s face it, there’s a lot of that these days) in what is otherwise a hugely capable package. Another drawback is the throttle, which can be choppy at low speeds in all modes (Street, Sport and Track).
Such is the huge step forward that the 990 Duke represents that we strongly recommend that 890 owners take it for a test drive. And if you’re not sure between a 990 or a 1390 Superduke R, we recommend the former: it’s so much more usable on the road, while still being very ferocious and a little excessive, in the Triumph style. The Street Triple RS isn’t actually being emulated. It also feels like a much more serious motorcycle than the 790 Duke.
KTM Duke 990 – rear
The 990 is more expensive than the Triumph, and much more expensive than the new Yamaha MT-09 and MT-09 SP, although it is less expensive than all of them. Without the Tech Pack offering, add in the slots, the 990 comes uncomfortably close to the Ducati Streetfighter V2, a bike with less questionable looks, more praise for the logo and an even beefier engine that’s exciting to ride at any level of access to the accelerator, partly because of its low and characterful exhaust note.
The KTM, on the other hand, only shows its true character when you let go of it and then overtake it quite quickly. But of course, it is faithful to KTM’s philosophy. The 990 Duke is a rogue that turns you on as soon as you hit the start button. So we can forgive him for being a little pricey, too businessy, and a little complicated in the staring department, because he’s never, ever boring.