KTM Duke 790 launched in India priced at Rs 8.63 lakh

Austrian motorcycle maker KTM has launched much-awaited naked sports bike Duke 790 in India, with prices starting at Rs 8.63 lakh (ex-showroom). KTM Duke 790 is currently available only in 9 cities -- Mumbai, Pune, Surat, Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad.

The new KTM Duke 790 will go up against the likes of the Triumph Street Triple, Ducati Monster 821, Suzuki GSX-S750 and Kawasaki Z900 in India. Bookings for the new KTM offering are now open at company's dealerships.

Owned by KTM Industries AG and Indian manufacturer Bajaj Auto, KTM Duke 790 is the company's first high-performance motorcycle launched in the country. The new KTM Duke 790 will be available in India as a CKD (completely knocked down) unit and will be restricted to just 100 units for 2019.

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KTM Duke 790, which falls between KTM's global line-up -- the 690 Duke and 1290 Super Duke R -- gets a trellis frame with a single piece aluminium rear subframe. The Duke 790 also gets 17-inch alloy wheels with Maxxis Supermaxx ST tyres.

In terms of features, the KTM Duke 790 receives a fully digital TFT instrument console panel, LED head and tail lamps along with turn signals. The bike has four different riding modes -- Sport, Street, Rain and Track.

KTM Duke 790's electronic rider aids include a stability control system, cornering ABS, Motor Slip Regulation, traction control unit with lean angle, and ride by wire. The bike's dry weight stands at just 169kg, thus making the new Duke 790 one of the lightest in the segment.

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The new KTM Duke 790 gets an LC8 799cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine, which offers 105 PS power at 9,500 rpm and 86 Nm torque at 8,000 rpm, paired to a 6-speed transmission. The new Duke 790 also gets a bi-directional quick shifter for clutchless up and downshifts. The naked sports bike gets a WP sourced USD fork for the front suspension and a mono-shock at the rear. The bike's braking is managed by a 300mm dual disc in the front and 240mm single disc at the rear with J.Juan callipers.