Upcoming KTM 800cc Motorcycle Spotted

Pictures of the production ready KTM 800cc motorcycle undergoing testing in Austria have been posted on the internet. The new bike will most likely be called the 790 Duke, with the unveil taking place at the 2016 EICMA bike show

Pictures of the upcoming 800cc KTM motorcycle undergoing testing have been posted on the internet since last year. But the latest pictures show a near-production ready motorcycle undergoing testing on roads near KTM’s Austrian headquarters in Mattighofen. The new KTM motorcycle which is likely to be christened the 790 Duke carries forward the same basic yet aggressive design language which is synonymous with the Austrian brand. The bike sports a petite headlamp along with a chiselled fuel tank with sharp looking tank extensions. The test bike also sported a unique looking single-sided exhaust muffler from the units seen on previous prototypes. KTM boss Stefan Pierer had confirmed that the company is working on an all-new 800cc twin-cylinder motor with the first offering being a street bike while an adventure bike based on the same power plant is expected to be introduced in the near feature to take on the Triumph Tiger 800, BMW F800GS and the Honda Africa Twin.

There are no details regarding the 800cc power plant but we expect the new KTM 790 Duke’s liquid-cooled, twin-cylinder motor to churn out between 90 and 100PS. The engine will be mated to a 6-speed gearbox and slipper clutch will come as standard fitment Another aspect of the new twin-cylinder engine that would excite many bikers will be the fact it would be significantly refined than the single-cylinder mill. Given the additional bump in power, KTM engineers have equipped the 790 Duke with dual front disc brakes for better stopping power and a single disc unit at the rear. 

Two-channel ABS will be standard while damping duties will be handled by WP sourced USD forks at front and a monoshock unit at the rear. The tubular space frame crafted from chrome-molybdenum steel as seen on the 690 Duke will be most likely carried forward with a few tweaks on the new KTM bike. There were rumours that the new 800cc KTM motorcycle would be built in India but it seems unlikely and it will be built in Austria. The KTM 790 Duke looks set to make its debut at the 2016 EICMA motorcycle show in Italy later this year. We can expect the KTM 790 Duke to land on our shores via the CKD route with a probable launch by late 2017 and a sticker price of around Rs 6 lakh and Rs 7 lakh ex-showroom. The new KTM 800cc bike will rival the likes of the Kawasaki Z800, Triumph Street Triple, Ducati Monster 821 and the Benelli TNT899.