Bajaj teases the upcoming KTM 790 Duke: Launch expected soon

Bajaj is now looking forward to extending the KTM brand lineup in India. For the same, the company recently shared a teaser of the KTM 790 Duke which is the bigger brother of the 390 Duke. The RC and Duke series bike available on sale currently have become a hot favourite among the enthusiast crowd who vouch for their performance and handling among other things. The 790 Duke will be the flagship bike of the brand in India upon its launch. However, internationally KTM has a long product lineup which includes some of the wildest bikes in the world like the 1290 Super Duke R among others.

KTM will bring the 790 Duke in India via the CKD route. Reportedly, 100 units of the bike have already reached the company’s Akurdi plant for research and development and service training purposes. The bike will be powered by a newly developed 799 cc LC8 liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine that churns out 104 PS of power along with 87 Nm of torque. The engine will come mated to a six-speed gearbox with a two-way quick shifter, which will further enhance the riding experience for enthusiastic riders. When launched, it will rival the likes of the Kawasaki Z900, Ducati Monster 797, and the Triumph Street Triple S among others. It carries the same shard design DNA as on the other bikes by KTM which has earned the brand quite a lot of fan following.

The KTM 790 Duke, as already mentioned, will be brought here as a CKD unit. Parts like the engine and other cycle parts of the bike will be imported while the other parts such as the headlamp, levers etc will be sourced at a local level. As for the suspension, the KTM 790 Duke gets 43 mm WP upside-down fork in the front and a WP mono-shock absorber at the rear. For stopping power, KTM has equipped it with 300mm dual disc setup with radially mounted four-piston callipers while the rear wheel gets a 240mm disc with a single-piston floating calliper. The bike is equipped with ABS which has a supermoto mode and can be switched off completely.

The pricing of the KTM 790 Duke is expected to be around Rs. 7.5 to 8 lakhs, which will put it amongst many similar priced naked bikes. Though there has been no confirmation for an exact launch date, expect it to happen soon during the coming months. Apart from the 790 Duke, KTM is also preparing the 390 Adventure for its India launch. The much-anticipated bike is most likely to be powered by the same 373cc, single-cylinder, liquid cooled motor that powers the 390 Duke. The engine churns out 43.5 PS of power and 37 Nm of torque. However, the engine tuning could be different on the 390 Adventure to make it better for using it off the road.