KTM’s new sharp side

By Réhann Coetzee

 

KTM has just launched what it calls The Scalpel. That might sound like too much hype, but this really is an apt description of the bike. It feels… sharp!

KTM held the launch at the Kyalami racetrack, where preparations for the Auto Trader SA Bike Festival was in full swing.

The presentation was a fairly detailed explanation of where the newcomer fits into the line-up, as well as a technical talk on the new engine. Because KTM has done the unthinkable: the 790 Duke has two cylinders, but it is not a V-twin!

This is quite a departure, as KTM has always been known for its V-twin engines. For the 790 Duke they decided a parallel twin engine with a 75-degree firing order, which not only makes it sound like a V-twin, it also has the same power-delivery characteristics.

Torque output is fairly flat, but supremely usable. Although the torque curve made wonder during the presentation, riding the bike showed that there was no need.

KTM had booked the racetrack for the launch, but there was a catch: we were going to ride after dark. And it was unsettling, to say the least. I have virtually no riding experience on the new track and that probably would’ve meant little in the dark in any case.

I was feeling my way around the track for the first two or three laps and battling a little with the spotlights that had been put on the corners’ apexes, so I was not exactly going fast. And I was still getting a feel for the bike too, so I was not gunning it either.

When I got to Turn Three, I realised I had misjudged how steep the track gets after the corner and I was in third gear – instead of second. But the bike amazed me by simply reacting to the roll-on of the throttle with a smooth increase in power and speed.

I am not the lightest rider, but it seemed to make no difference to the Duke. The torque was surprisingly strong and smooth – at what I thought would be too low an engine speed. This bodes well for the application of the engine in an adventure bike.

Riaan Neveling, KTM marketing manager, says the design brief was to create a bike with the power of an 800, but handled like a 690. And after our short ride, I reckon they got it right.

This is also the first time that KTM designed a bike where the engine is used as a stressed member – in other words, the frame “hangs off” the engine, instead of the engine being mounted inside a frame. For that reason, the engine has two balancer shafts to reduce vibration caused by the engine.

The engine is the new LC8c (small C for “compact”). The engine has a surprisingly low and narrow profile, due partly to a semi-dry sump. This makes it possible for the bike to corner surprisingly sharply. Riaan showed us silhouettes of other engines to compare the LC8c engine’s profile and we were all quite impressed.

Engine braking is controlled by KTM’s motor slip regulation (MSR) through the slipper clutch. The quickshifter (what KTM calls Quickshifter+) allows for very smooth up and down shifts and this certainly contributes more to the pleasure of riding this bike than one would expect.

LED lights and a full-colour TFT instrument display add to the making this bike feel as modern as it is. KTM says the lean-angle sensor is a key data source for a few systems, such as the traction control (MTC), cornering ABS and motor slip regulation (MSR).

The 790 Duke has four riding modes as standard: Sport, Street, Rain and a configurable Track mode. In Track mode the rider can set the traction control (nine possible settings), disengage the anti-wheelie sub-function. The launch control is only accessible in the Track setting.

Suspension is by WP and the steering damper is also a WP product.

The 790 Duke fits in between die 690 and the beast of a 1290. I cannot wait to get a 790 Duke for a proper road test, because this is the most exciting bike I have ridden so far this year.

 

Technically speaking: KTM 790 Duke

Engine: 799cc, inline-2-cylinder, single-overhead cam, 4 valves per cylinder

Power: 77kW @ 9 000rpm / 86Nm @ 8 000rpm           

Gears: 6 speed, chain

Fuel tank: 14 litres

Seat height: 825mm

Tyres: 110/80/19 front, 150/70/17 rear

Brakes: 300mm double disks (front); 240mm single disk (rear)

Wet weight: 174kg

Price: R147 999