KTM is gearing up for the challenges before the launch of the Duke 790 in India.
What a time to be alive in a country where a motorcycle was synonymous to fuel efficiency and big capacity motorcycles were a novelty. But not anymore. The past decade has seen a lot of new motorcycles coming up, with increasing capacities and performance. The one major game changer was KTM’s arrival in India with their local partner Bajaj Auto. The Austrian motorcycle manufacturer has its spread all over the world including some of the biggest motoring events like the Dakar Rally and MotoGP. Not only this, KTM is already selling their Duke and RC series of motorcycles. Now after the launch of the youngest KTM Duke 125 street motorcycle, it’s time for the launch of the KTM Duke 790 in India.
KTM is gearing up for the launch of the Duke 790 in India and that could happen by April 2019. Not only this, a new advanced assembly-line is also being setup as per the company’s standards and a team of KTM officials will supervise the complete process at Bajaj Auto’s Akurdi plant.
The KTM Duke 790, also dubbed as the ‘Scalpel’ will be offered through the CKD route in India. However, certain parts for the Duke 790 will be locally procured. The components like indicators and wiring will be sourced locally along with headlights from Minda. The other major components like the engine, chassis and suspension will be directly imported. Sources say that the first hundred units of the Duke 790 have already arrived at the Bajaj plant for research and development and tooling purposes. Technicians are also being trained to handle the service department for the Scalpel. With operations said to begin in mid-April, we can expect a launch soon after that.
The KTM Duke 790 is powered by an all-new 799cc LC8c parallel-twin engine, where the ‘c’ in the LC8c refers to ‘compact’. The engine lays down a staggering 105 HP and 87 Nm of maximum torque. It comes with a 6-speed gearbox. The Duke 790’s motor consists of a 75-degree offset crank and the engine gets two counter-balancing shafts on the crank and one on the camshaft to minimise the vibrations created by this compact twin-cylinder motor. The engine is very compact and also acts as a stressed member for the chassis. The horizontally split crankcase is designed to keep the overall dimensions and weight of the motor to the minimum.
The transmission is aided by a two-way quickshifter and the engine is nestled inside a chrome-molybdenum steel frame. The rear sub-frame is also made of aluminium and looks in line with the overall design of the motorcycle. The suspension duties are taken care of by WP units, with non-adjustable USD forks upfront and a preload-adjustable rear monoshock unit. The front forks are separate function, which means one of them will handle the compression while the other will handle the rebound allowing a better shock absorption. The brakes will be sourced from J. Juan, a Spanish company which is the brake supplier for Moto2 teams.
The Duke 790 is one cracker when it comes to electronics. KTM has decided to throw everything at the Scalpel, including that kitchen sink. The Duke 790 gets a two-way quickshifter which can be turned off. The Bosch IMU engine management system offers four riding modes on the 790 – Sport, Street, Rain and a fully-customisable Track mode. There is Ride-by-wire too which would provide a crisp throttle response. Not only this, a five-way rollover sensor will constantly monitor the Duke 790’s movement and provide information to the nine-step Traction control system. There is cornering ABS, wheelie control and an electronically assisted motor slip regulation. This also helps the mechanical slipper clutch to reduce rear wheel-hopping when suddenly decelerating
The traction-control system can also be turned off completely and yes there is the ‘Supermoto’ mode as well which disengages the ABS in the rear wheel. The Track mode also gets launch-control for those track junkies. The riding position is also customisable on the handlebar side to suit the rider’s necessities. The list is too long for a middle weight motorcycle.
The KTM Duke 790 is going to be a game changing motorcycle when it arrives in India. However, pricing will remain on the forefront for this middleweight motorcycle. With the likes of the Triumph Speed Triple RS and the Kawasaki Z900, the Duke 790 has its fair chances to be one of the most sought after motorcycles by motorcycle enthusiasts all over the country. But less can be said about the price until KTM decides to drop the bomb themselves.
KTM Duke 790 India Launch
– The KTM Duke 790 could be launched by next month
– It is powered by a new parallel-twin engine made by KTM
– The 790 Duke will be offered via CKD route with part localisation
– It boasts of an extensive electronics package
– The KTM Duke 790 will be the biggest in the Duke lineup in India.
Source – Motoringworld.in