KTM will not upgrade the Duke 790 to BS-VI norms; may roll out Duke 890 instead

Late last year, KTM brought the 790 Duke to India. The company’s rolled out 100 units of its first middle-weight motorcycle in our shores and all the units were sold out. However, the bike was only BS-IV compliant and KTM has decided not to upgrade it to the new standards.

This could be a reason to fret, but there is still a good chance the KTM will bring the newer 890 to our shores. Essentially the bigger sibling to the 790 Duke, the 890 Duke R still looks almost identical to the former. So, all of the super sharp lines and cutting edge corners still remain.

What is different however is the engine. Sure, it is the same parallel-twin, but the bore has been widened and the stroke has been lengthened. This means a displacement of 890cc. This also means an 18 PS increase in power to 119 PS and a 12 Nm increase in torque to 99 Nm.

The 890 Duke R also gets a few more changes to go alongside this of course, like a tweaked frame, better brakes and also added electronics. Overall, the 890 Duke R is just a whole lot more than the 790.

The old 790 Duke was priced at Rs 8.64 lakh, ex-showroom, so expect a bump up to say about Rs 10-11 lakh. Unfortunately, we do not know when KTM will bring the ‘Super Scalpel’ to India and it may just be a while like the 790 Duke. But if the trends are anything to go by, it will make its way here. Competition for the 890 Duke R will come mainly from the Triumph Street Triple RS.