KTM 390 ADV & 790 Duke India Launch: More Details Emerge

Our sources have confirmed that while the 390 ADV will be built in India, the 790 Duke will enter the country via the CKD route

• KTM to make a formal announcement about the launch in March 2019
• Company focused on increasing localisation before launching the 790 Duke
• 790 Duke will be the first KTM bike to be sold as CKD in India

The KTM 390 Adventure is one of the most eagerly anticipated bikes around the world. That said, enthusiasm for the upcoming bike is especially high in India as the bike will be manufactured here by Bajaj. What further added to the hype were several spy shots of the bike being tested. So when KTM didn’t unveil the baby adventure bike at this year’s EICMA, there was all round disappointment. However, our sources have confirmed that KTM will indeed make a formal announcement on the launch of the 390 Adventure by March 2019. Our sources have also revealed that the 790 Duke will be coming to India in mid-2019, although via the CKD route.

Although KTM did reveal the 790 Adventure instead, we were thoroughly disappointed by the 390 ADV’s no-show. But with this latest development, it looks like KTM will debut the 390 ADV in India in 2019, which is the timeframe it had originally announced earlier this year. The bike will share many of its underpinnings with the 390 Duke, albeit tweaked to aid off-road performance. For instance, it will get longer travel suspension and a slightly reworked steel trellis chassis. The motor too is likely to be tweaked for a better low-end than the Duke. The 390 Duke is powered by a 373.2cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that produces 43.5PS of power and 37Nm of torque. When launched, the KTM 390 Adventure will slug it out with the BMW G 310 GS and the Royal Enfield Himalayan.

We also learned that KTM is working on localising the 790 Duke before launching the bike here. Since the company will be bringing the bike to India via the CKD route, higher localisation levels will allow it to price the 790 Duke competitively. When launched, the 790 Duke will become KTM’s flagship offering in India and will compete in the mid-capacity performance segment. If KTM does manage to achieve a high level of localisation for the bike, we expect the 790 Duke to be launched at under Rs 7 lakh (ex-showroom).

The 790 Duke features a 799cc parallel-twin LC8 engine that churns out 105PS of power and 86Nm of torque. Transmission is handled by a 6-speed gearbox while suspension duties are taken care of by WP USD forks at the front and a gas-charged WP monoshock at the rear. When launched, the KTM 790 Duke will go head-to-head with the Suzuki GSX-S750, the Kawasaki Z900, the Triumph Street Triple RS and the Ducati Monster 821.