KTM 890 Duke R – the super scalpel unveiled at the EICMA

KTM has beefed up their potency in the midweight segment with the new KTM 890 DUKE R. Foregoing some of the excellent daily capabilities of its younger brother – the KTM 790 DUKE – the KTM 890 DUKE R is a sportier and edgier naked bike for hard riding.

More power and more torque come from the new engine (119 HP @ 9,250 and 99 Nm @ 7,750 rpm), which has been teamed with ‘racier’ ergonomics, better brakes, and fully adjustable WP APEX suspension. It also has increased compression from the 12.7:1 of the 790 to 13.5:1. It is also 3 kgs lighter than the 790 at 166 kg dry.

Braking is done by the trust worthy radially-mounted Brembo Stylema four-pot calipers with dual 320 mm discs at front. Interestingly the the rear caliper is a single piston one but still sports the 240 mm disc. Electronics wise it gets the cornering ABS and cornering traction control all managed by the Bosch 9.1 MP IMU-equipped braking controller.

Other changes over the 790 Duke include a slightly increased trail lower handle bars and slightly longer wheel base at 1482 mm. The seat height is also now higher at 834 mm. The ground clearance is also now higher at 206 mm.

Will the 890 Duke R replace the 790 here in India next year? There are two possibilities in our opinion, either we will get a BS6 ready 790 or we will see a ‘non R’ version of the 890 Duke to replace the 790. Which one do you guys want?

KTM 890 Duke R specifications