EXCLUSIVE: Upcoming 2024 KTM 390 Duke - All Details Spotted

(Update: KTM has launched the 2024 390 Duke in India at a fantastic price! More about it in our launch story.)

We’ve been spotting test mules of the upcoming 2024 KTM 390 Duke doing its testing rounds around Pune and even in Austria for quite some time now, and we were able to spot quite a few details so far. However, recently our man Jehan spotted one such test mule refuelling, and although the test rider requested him not to take any pictures, he did allow him to do a much closer visual inspection of the bike. So here are all the new details Jehan was able to capture using his mental camera.

New Design

Ever since we got the first spy shots from Austria, we’ve known that this third-gen 390 Duke will sport a revised design. But our closer inspection revealed that while the tank’s shape is more-or-less similar to the current one, it does seem a bit wider, possibly upping the capacity to 14-and-a-bit litres. The tank extensions are much longer and wider now and not as sharp as the ones on the current Duke. So rather than looking sleek, the whole front end of the bike now looks more muscular as well.

It still retains a sharp LED headlight, but its internal layout has been revised, and according to Jehan, it looks pretty decent. However, he mentioned that the pilot lamps surrounding this new headlight look just about okay. The tail section and taillight though, are strongly reminiscent of the KTM 790 Duke.

Obviously, with a camouflaged bike, it was impossible to discern any new paint schemes (but we have spied orange as well as blue paint schemes before), but all the mechanicals, such as the engine and transmission have a much darker finish than before, which contrasts really well with the orange frame members.

On top of that, what really caught our fancy was the cockpit. It’s running all-new switchgear, which doesn’t get the typical switch-cube setup that we’re used to on the current 390s, but still looks super premium — almost Ducati-like in design and feel as Jehan described. The mirrors too are more premium now, with a fancier design and sleek aluminium stalks.

New Console

But something that will interest most of you is the new colour TFT console. We originally thought that it’s running a much larger screen, but it turns out that it’s only slightly larger. It’s now got a much larger housing, possibly to accommodate more tell-tale lights as well as aid in cooling. The layout, on the other hand, has been completely revised and Jehan tells us it’s almost identical to the TFT from the current Yamaha R15 V4, with a large rev counter band curving from the bottom left to the top right of the screen. It still packs all the info you need, but it isn’t as cluttered and much better laid out. We’re certain that it will have Bluetooth connectivity, but there was nothing to indicate that it could have any navigation aids.

Electronics

The console did reveal that this new 390 Duke is running with electronic aids that we’ve seen on the new RC390 as well as the 390 Adventure such as traction control, cornering ABS as well as a quick shifter. But a closer look at the shift lever made it clear that this isn’t using a conventional load sensor and instead uses a mechanical unit like on the other 390s and honestly we don’t have high hopes for this quick shifter. 

Bigger Motor?

Jehan did mention that this single-cylinder liquid-cooled motor sounds very different from the current 390s, and it’s very likely that it’s actually gone up in capacity (mostly to 399cc), which should hopefully give it more bottom-end grunt. The motor mounting has changed too, with the cylinder tilted forward. This has freed up more room for routing the exhaust header from under the motor yet having a large exhaust box behind it, which has allowed for the bike to run with an underbelly exhaust yet again, just like the OG 390.

Revised Ergonomics

At least on visual inspection, the new 390’s seat height looked significantly lower, maybe as low as 810mm, which should make the bike more accessible to shorter riders. And both rider and pillion seats are more spacious too, with the latter not being too tall to access either.

Updated Hardware

FINALLY! The 2024 390 Duke will get adjustable suspension at both ends — something Indian riders have been waiting for. Just like the new KTM 390 Adventure Spoke Wheel version, this will have compression and rebound adjustability for the upside down fork and preload and rebound adjustability for the monoshock. It also seems to get the lighter alloy wheels along with slimmer 320mm brake rotor which mounts further out on the wheel, just like we’ve seen on the new RCs. This should reduce unsprung mass and make the bike even quicker to steer. That said, the new 390 Duke is no longer running on Metzeler tyres. But don’t worry, it won’t get MRF tyres. The bike we spotted was running with Continental Conti Road tyres, like the ones on the new Triumph Street Triple R. So canyon carvers, rejoice!

 

 

 

 

 

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Expected Price & Launch date

With all these new updates, we expect the 390 Duke will become much more expensive than the current model’s  already high 2.97 lakh (ex-showroom) sticker price. We think its price might shoot up to Rs 3.5 lakh (ex-showroom), not just due to all the new hardware, but also because Bajaj will try and carve out a space for the upcoming Triumph-Bajaj Roadster and the Husquvarna 401s below the 390 Duke.

As for launch timelines, we expect KTM to show off the 2024 390 Duke at this year’s EICMA show in Milan, and launch it in India shortly after that. But for all you know, this launch might just get pushed to early next year as 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of the Duke brand (the original Duke 620 was launched in 1994). And what better way to celebrate that landmark than with a brand new 390 Duke?