After being shown as a concept motorcycle in EICMA, and touted for the KTM Duke 690, much-loved amongst the hooligan set, it appears that the 2018 KTM Duke 790 will be in Malaysia soon. As the first sub-900 cc motorcycle in KTM’s range to use a two-cylinder engine, the Duke 790, also known as the Scalpel, is an important direction for the Austrian bike manufacturer.
News of the Scalpel coming to Malaysia came from a Facebook posting by KTM dealer CA Cycle, and when contacted by paultan.org, said the Duke 790 will be in Malaysia in a few months, and be priced at around RM60,000, with refundable deposits being taken now.
Given the moniker of LC8c, the Duke 790’s engine displaces 799 cc, and is said to be capable of producing 105 hp and 86 Nm of torque. Power gets to the ground via a six speed gearbox and KTM’s PASC slipper clutch.
Inside the engine room is a DOHC head with eight-valves, and a single spark plug per cylinder, with the cam chain tensioned automatically using a hydraulic tensioner. To reduce vibration, there are two counter-balancer shafts, one located in front of the camshafts and another in-between.
The 2018 KTM Duke 790 is a completely new model, superseding the previous generation Duke 690 with the addition of traction control, four ride modes, switchable ABS with Supermoto mode, a quickshifter and that distinctive split LED headlight, which we first saw on the KTM Super Duke R. In Malaysia, rivals to the Duke 790 in the naked sports category include the Monster 821 at RM66,999, the Triumph Street Triple 765RS at RM66,900, the MV Agusta Brutale at RM87,331 and to a lesser extent, the Yamaha MT-09 at RM47,388.
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ABS & Electronic features seems good but 790cc dual cylinder for 60k sounds expensive.