First impressions: KTM's 2018 790 Duke

AFTER a wet, rainy and cold ride North (I say North, but I only mean to Silverstone) this morning I swapped my KTM 690 Duke for one 100cc bigger, and a whole lot more powerful.

Despite sharing the same name, the two are chalk and cheese. While the 690 is tall, light and forgiving, the £8,499 790 is squat, solid and set in its ways, much like editor Alan...

And that isn’t at all a bad thing. Powered by KTM’s parallel-twin LC8c engine, the 790 Duke is, understandably, far more capable than its younger sibling. The twin powertrain is not only more potent, but also smoother, better balanced and altogether more exciting – there’s a reason why KTM dubbed it the Scalpel.

Making 105bhp and 63.4lb-ft at 8,000rpm (the 690 makes 72hp and 54.5 l-ftb), this unit is responsive, free-revving and bloody greedy – in Sport mode the range read 150 miles from full but it probably managed less than two-thirds of that. And even in the dulled down Rain mode it still drank like a fresher at an open bar.

But its thirst is offset by its performance. Arm-wrenching torque is available from low down the rev range (unlike the 690), while power builds steadily.

The 790 boasts a brilliant sounding, Euro4 compliant exhaust. Just shut the throttle and decelerate and listen to the gurgle, which offers a V-twin-like soundtrack thanks to a 75-degree crank offset and 435-degree firing interval. 

The non-adjustable WP suspension is as solid as the hard seat, but well suited to the bike’s aggressive nature. For my 56kgs it could do with a little softening for comfort on longer rides, but on twisties or tracks I imagine it would be perfect.

So far, I’ve only ridden around 130 motorway miles on the Duke, so I’ve yet to get a complete impression of its handling. But what I can say is that while the bars are adjustable to 12 different positions, the standard set up suits me spot on. A tubular steel frame using the engine as a stressed member allows the 790 Duke to be compact, boasting a wet weight of 174kg.

To my eyes, the 790 looks more like a transformer than a precise surgical instrument. The split headlamp has a very personified look to it, while the mish-mash of bodywork looks like something could well fold out from it. The colour TFT is akin to that of the 690 and riding modes are easily adjustable on the go.

That’s not to say it’s a bad look – not at all. But while the 690 has a basic charm to it, its bigger sibling is controversial – like marmite, you either love or hate it.