The KTM Duke 790 will most probably launch towards the month of September 2019 and likely to be priced at around Rs 8.5 Lakhs (ex-showroom)
KTM has never officially revealed the exact timeline of when they are planning to launch the Duke 790 in India. Until now we all thought that the motorcycle will launch around the month of April or May 2019. Now, the launch date has been postponed and KTM will launch the Duke 790 in India during the month of September 2019 as per some dealers.
The upcoming motorcycle will arrive in India via the CKD route. It will be assembled under supervision of by a team of officials from Austria at Bajaj Autos advanced assembly plant in Akurdi. That said, the middleweight naked roadster from KTM will be powered by a new LC8c 799 cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine.
This unit is capable of producing about 105 PS of peak power at 9,000 rpm and a peak torque of 86 Nm at 8,000 rpm. The engine is paired with a 6-speed gearbox. The motorcycle also gets a PASC slip-assist clutch and quick shift assist. Additionally, it also features a ride-by-wire throttle that also offers four different rider modes including sport, street, rain, and track.
The motorcycle also offers plenty of other rider aids as well in the form of motor slip regulation (MSR), traction control, cornering ABS, and wheelie control. For those of you who are not aware, the motorcycle also offers a supermoto mode as well that allows the rider to switch off the ABS safety feature at the back wheels.
The suspension setup of the upcoming motorcycle is carried by a WP-sourced 43 mm upside-down non-adjustable front forks and preload adjustable monoshock at the rear. The braking duties are carried by a double disc at the front and a single disc at the rear. Just like the smaller Duke 390 the Duke 790 also gets a full LED lighting setup, an advanced TFT instrument cluster with Bluetooth connectivity for Smartphone just like the smaller Duke 390.
The upcoming Duke 790 will rival directly against the likes of the Triumph Street Triple, Suzuki GSX-S750, Kawasaki Z900, and the Ducati Monster when it finally launches here.