KTM 890 Duke: The Scalpel Is Sharpened

As you can see, the performance has been bumped up and is now on par with the Triumph Street Triple R and the Ducati Monster. Our recent adventure with the Triple R gave us a great insight of just how good an all-rounder the Triumph naked is in 2021. Expect the 890 Duke give it a good run for its money.

No skimping in the electronic aids department on the 890 Duke. It has four riding modes -- Rain, Road, Sport and Track -- each mode arriving with their own predetermined settings of traction control, available power, throttle response, wheelie control and cornering ABS. A bi-directional quickshifter is optional on the bike, which we guess will be standard for the India-spec 890.

One area where we felt the 790 Duke severely lacked in comparison to the Street Triple RS (and now even the R) was in the suspension department. It didn’t offer any form of adjustability and was not as sophisticated. While the former bit of criticism still holds true for the 890 Duke, KTM claims that the new WP Apex USD fork and monoshock have been updated and are better than the 790’s suspension components.

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Braking hardware comprises 300mm dual rotors on the front wheel with improved radial calipers and better brake pads for more fierce stopping power. Lastly, KTM has ditched the Maxxis Supermaxx ST tyres for new Continental ContiRoads. The new rubber is said to offer better wet weather grip and get up to temperature quicker than the Maxxis tyres.

So, when is it coming India? That’s something which we have very little idea about. Since the 790 engine is still being produced at CFMoto’s plant in China, India is likely to get a few units of the 790 Duke first. They will be homologated to meet the BS6 norms locally and will be sold in 2021. Come late-2021 or early-2022, we should see the 890 Duke arriving on our shores. It is a long wait but will it be worth it? Let’s hope it is.