KTM Duke 890 – Will KTM bring another Scalpel to India?

KTM has gained a very stable fan following in India. It has certainly captured the tagline of the best value for money very perfectly. Even the higher cc models are also making a very nice sales number. KTMs latest arrival Duke 790 has been successfully bagged over 70 customers in just five months of its launch. Looking at the price tag that’s quite astonishing figures. it been now suggested that KTM will also bring a more powerful Duke 790 that is the KTM Duke 890.

Design

As the bike is based on the KTM Duke 790, it possesses similar design and styling as of Duke 790. However, to differentiate both these bikes, they have been offered with different colour schemes and graphics.

Engine

The Duke 890’s engine is basically a bored-out version of the Duke 790’s liquid-cooled, two-cylinder engine. It has an increased displacement from 799 cc to 890 cc. This results in rise of power from 103.5 bhp to 119 bhp and peak torque from 87 Nm to 99 Nm. If the KTM 890 makes way to India, it will have BS6 tweaks to comply with emission norms. The KTM Duke 790 will also have BS6 upgrade, recently the BS4 model was available at a discount of Rs 2.5 lakhs.

Hardware

The bike is premium than the Duke 790 so it has many improved features over the Duke 790. The bike comes with fully adjustable WP Apex suspension on both ends which were absent in the smaller sibling. It also has superior braking than its younger brother, it gets Brembo Stylema radial callipers at the front wheel that holds 320 mm discs. The rear braking is managed by 240 mm disc. It also gets a Michelin Power Sport tyres that provide better grip than Duke 790’s Maxxis Supermaxx ST rubber.

Now to handle more power and additional changes, the bike comes with modified ergonomics. The handlebar of the bike is flatter, lower set and also been shifted towards further. The footpegs are more rear set and also the seat is an increase compared with Duke 790. These changes make the bike to have committed riding position than the smaller sibling. All these changes help the rider to push the bike around the corner more easily.

Price and Launch Date

The launch date and price of KTM Duke 890 is yet to be confirmed by the manufacturer. We can expect it to launch around September 2020, just like Duke 790’s launch in 2019. It should arrive at the price tag of around Rs 10 lakhs (ex-showroom) that will make it premium over 1.5 lakhs over Duke 790. The major rivals will be Triumph Street Triple RS, Kawasaki Z900, and Yamaha MT-09.