KTM 690 Duke Archives

New KTM 790 Duke now in Malaysia – Priced at RM64,800!

KTM Motorcycles Malaysia has officially announced the price of the new 790 Duke.
New 790 Duke offers the most bang for the buck when it comes to onboard features.
Features include cornering ABS, quickshifter +, colour TFT screen, traction control, and more!

After months of speculation, the day has finally arrived and KTM Motorcycles Malaysia has officially announced that the much awaited KTM 790 Duke is now available in Malaysia for an unbelievable RM64,800 with zero rated GST, excluding insurance and road tax.

Dubbed ‘The Scalpel’, the new 790 Duke continues on the success of its single-cylinder 690 Duke, this time powered by a new 799cc, LC8c DOHC, 8-valve, liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine featuring a 75 degree crankpin offset. The offset was chosen to mimic the firing of order of its manic 1290cc 75-degree V-Twin big brother. KTM reverted to a parallel-Twin instead of a V-Twin for a more compact packaging, in aiming for better weight distribution and weight savings, hence a better power-to-weight ratio.

The new engine produces 105bhp at 9,000rpm and 87Nm of torque at 8,000rpm. It now features two balancer shafts to dampen vibration for a smoother ride.

The engine is mated to a six-speed gearbox with KTM’s PASC power assist slipper clutch, that allows for ultra fast downshifting or decelerating without locking up the rear wheel, thus improving safety.

The new 790 Duke engine is then set in an all-new frame as a stressed member. The new frame comes with unique sections that have thinner-walls with molybdenum steel sections. KTM says the frame has a finely tuned rigidity distribution to offer the best possible sporty feel with maximum feedback to the rider.

A consequence of the new frame gives the 790 Duke an attribute which Malaysians will love: Its seat height is only at 825mm. It’s very light, too, weighing in at 169kg dry.

As for the suspension, the 790 Duke uses specially-developed WP 43mm open-cartridge upside-down forks up front with 140mm of stroke. The rear suspension is a gas-assisted WP shock absorber and adjustable for preload. A WP steering damper keeps front end movements in check.

Other than that, the aluminium triple clamp has been tuned to match the flex of the forks. Steering rake angle is at 24 degrees while trail measures in at 98mm. Note that those are sporty numbers for a nimble handling bike. As with all KTMs, the handlebar is adjustable in four positions.

As for the electronics, the 790 Duke features ride-by-wire technology (RBW), lean angle sensitive Motorcycle Traction Control (MTC), cornering ABS, Motor Slip Regulation (MSR) for controlled engine braking, Quickshifter + for quicker up and downshifts with auto blip, and a full-colour TFT display with the optional KTM MY RIDE smartphone integration.

The new KTM 790 Duke is available in Malaysia as a CBU model and priced RM64,800 with 0% GST without insurance and road tax.

Read more about this awesome machine here.

EICMA 2015: Thumping new 2016 KTM 690 Duke

Though Austrian brand KTM have already made headlines with its new 1290 Super Duke GT adventure-sport, the firm also had a sharpened new 2016 KTM 690 Duke naked model that made its debut as well.

Previewed just weeks ago in prototype form, the new 2016 KTM 690 Duke boasts several enhanced new features and hardware starting with its powertrain. The heavily revised 690cc LC4 single-cylinder now thumps out a higher output of 73hp and 73.8Nm whilst gaining a powerband that is 1,000 rpm wider than before too.

Part of the major changes made in the engine included the revised intake camshaft that now doubles up as an additional balancer shaft, resulting in lower vibrations. KTM states that both the intake and exhaust systems have been also been optimised for Euro4 emissions compliance too, making it KTM’s first engine to comply with Euro4 as well.

Apart from that comes the addition of new a cornering ABS suite, making the 2016 KTM 690 Duke the first bike in class to feature it. The naked also underpins a newly redesigned chassis frame with increased handling stability, followed by the adoption of new and re-profiled seats, LED rear lighting, as well as a nifty new TFT instrument display.

Sitting at the top of the range is the racier 2016 KTM 690 Duke R variant. Besides the offer of a bigger 75hp punch, it is set apart from the standard 690 Duke thanks to its orange-painted frame and wheels, not forgetting the signature Akrapovič exhausts system added into the package as well.

As it is, this is one nutty middleweight that we know many around the world will be anxiously waiting for.