The new engine is expected to produce somewhere around 100 HP and an adventure bike will also be built on this platform to fill the gap between the 690 Enduro and 1190 Adventure.
Rumours about KTM working on a parallel-twin engine in the middle-weight segment are around since a while now but we did not have anything to support the statement. That won’t be the case anymore, a Duke powered by a parallel-twin engine has recently been spied testing in Spain and now that we have seen the new platform we believe it will be shared with an adventure bike too.
The parallel-twin engine is expected to come with a displacement between 800cc and 900cc while it is expected to be called the 890 according to KTM’s naming system that adds a 90 at the end like the 390, 690 and 1190. Without knowing the displacement it is hard to forecast output figures, however, looking at KTM’s performance history it will be safe to expect a number around 100 HP.
The major attraction about the twin-pot motor is the size which appears to be dashingly compact from front to rear with the countershaft sprocket placed exactly behind the crankshaft. The engine will be equipped with all the modern technology such as double overhead crankshaft (DOHC), liquid-cooling, four valves per cylinder and a ride-by-wire fuel injection system.
The spied bike powered by the parallel-twin engine appears to be built on a steel trellis subframe mated to a trellis frame true to the KTM lineage. The suspension department consists of WP sourced front forks and a swingarm with WP monoshock at the rear while the wheel sensors indicate the availability of ABS and traction control.
The spied bike looks near-perfect as only the engine will have to be tested and tuned, so we can expect this new Duke at the next EICMA show while production is expected to begin in 2017. If reports are to be believed, the new parallel-twin powered Duke will be manufactured at the Bajaj-KTM plant in Chakan near Pune.
KTM Duke 890 Spied
– A KTM Duke powered by a parallel-twin engine was recently spied for the first time
– The engine will have a displacement of 800-900cc and hence it is expected to be called as Duke 890
– An adventure bike is also expected to be built on this platform
– It is expected to be on display at the next EICMA motor show while the launch will be in 2017
Source – Motorcycle.com