New look emerges in Chinese type-approval filing
A revamped version of KTM’s 790 Duke is heading for production this year with the redesign leaking early thanks to Chinese government filings showing the model’s type-approval details.
With the debut of the bigger 990 Duke, powered by KTM’s second-generation LC8c parallel twin, you might have thought the 790’s days might be numbered, but it appeals to a slightly different market segment and as such KTM has seen fit to bring the original 799cc version of the LC8c motor into line with modern emissions rules and now the new look confirms the 790 Duke is being ushered into another model cycle.
The styling, unsurprisingly, brings the 790 Duke into line with KTM’s latest design signatures. The complicated nose, with a central LED headlight bracketed by strips of DRLs on either side, each in their own pods, is similar to the 990 Duke’s design but not an identical part. Instead it’s unique to the 790, and the same applies to the side panels and fuel tank behind it, now more angular and sharply creased than before. In fact, the new 790 manages to look even more aggressive than the 990 Duke.
At the back, the subframe is also new, and appears to be a self-supporting cast alloy unit, topped by a heavily stepped seat that perches the pillion much higher than the rider.
Mechanical changes are relatively few, but the redesigned bike sports WP’s new brake calipers – a theme set to spread through KTM’s range, since it owns the WP brand – instead of the old KTM-badged J.Juan calipers of the previous generation. The discs, too, are new, along with their carriers, and the document confirms the brakes are controlled via an Indian-made Bosch 9.3MP ABS system. WP also supplies the suspension, of course, and both it and the main chassis structure appear to be carried over from the existing 790 Duke. The TFT instrument pack is also similar to the current model’s, but the mirrors are borrowed from the 990 Duke.
As before, the new 790 Duke is manufactured in China at KTM’s joint venture with CFMoto, which explains both why the bike has been approved in that country first, and why it carries ‘KTMR2R’ badging on the tank, which is the firm’s Chinese branding.
The approval specs show that the next-gen bike puts out 77kW and has a curb weight of 185kg, 2kg less than the existing bike. The power output is likely to be reined in to 70kW for European markets, allowing the bike to comply with their ‘A2’ licence rules like the current model does. At 1476mm, the new bike’s wheelbase is 1mm longer than the spec for today’s version, but that’s close enough to be a rounding error or a chain adjustment difference rather than indicating any substantial change to the chassis or setup.
