KTM 790 Duke launched with a price which seems to be on the higher side, how it will pit against its rivals
Austrian motorcycle manufacturer, KTm just launched its flagship street naked bike, the 790 Duke in India. It is priced on a higher side of the segment at Rs 8.64 lakh ex-showroom. Currently, the bike is available in only 9 metro cities but the company has made sure that by April 2020 more than 30 cities will be served. The rivals of KTM 790 Duke in India includes Suzuki GSX S750, Kawasaki Z900, Triumph Street Triple 765, Ducati Monster 821 and Yamaha MT-09.
Engine and Performance
In this comparison, the smallest engine is owned by Suzuki GSX S750 and the largest in terms of displacement is with the Kawasaki Z900. KTM 790 Duke develops 103bhp power which is on par with all the rivals. Z900, however, has the highest output in terms of horsepower and torque as well due to its larger 948cc engine.
Street Triple has offers the least amount of twisting force of just 73Nm but if we take the weight of the bikes in consideration, Street Triple 765 is the lightest among all at 166 kg. Duke 790 is in the same league with 169 kg dry weight which not only makes it quicker but also super agile.
MT-09 makes nearly same torque as that of Duke. However, Duke being lighter could turn out to be more fun. The naked bikes from Suzuki, Ducati, and Yamaha develops similar power figure but differ in the torque department. GSX S750 is the heaviest at 215 kg kerb weight while Monster weight in at 206 kg wet. In between these two lies the Z900 at 210 kg.
Components
Speaking about the chassis, the 790 Duke uses a tubular steel frame, unlike other KTMs which make use of Trellis frame. Z900 and Monster, on the other hand, uses the Trellis frame.
All the bikes are hung on front USD Forks and rear monoshock units sourced from different makers. Braking department in all the bikes is taken care of by dual front discs and rear single disc. At 320 mm the Monster 821 has the largest front discs while the Yamaha possesses the smallest at 298 mm. KTM 790 Duke is equipped with radial calipers.
Electronics and Features
In the middleweight segment, electronic play a vital role. THis is because you are getting a motorcycle which is too hot on power when can be more than you can handle. Here is where all the bikes in this comparison are different.
Starting from Kawasaki Z900 which is equipped with ABS and nothing else. The GSX 750 has ABS and three-level traction control to help you avoid unwanted rear slips. Street Triple has ABS, traction control and two riding modes – Road and Rain.
When it comes to 790 Duke, the bike is heavily equipped with electronic wizardry. The naked bike gets 9-level traction control, ABS, Cornering ABS, Wheelie Control, two-way quickshifter, Steering damper, Motor Slip Regulation (MSR), four riding modes. The four riding modes are – Road, Race, Rain, and Track. Track mode is the most comprehensible riding mode as the throttle response is increased and option to switch off wheelie control and rear ABS is on rider’s hands.
What does all this mean?
KTM priced the Duke 790 at Rs 8.64 lakh which is nearly a lakh rupees more than what we anticipated. However, of the lot, only Suzuki and Kawasaki are offering bikes at a cheaper price. Triumph, Ducati and Yamaha were too optimistic about their pricing. At Rs 10.99 lakh, Ducati Monster 821 is the most expensive naked bike here. One must not forget that Monster is one hell of an exotic like Street Triple 765.
KTM is made for those who are looking for outright fun and for riding on the track. Z900 is good for highway riders as the bike has incredible straight-line stability even at high speeds. If you are corner craving personality most of the bikes are a perfect fit for you. All comes down to your taste for choosing the best one from the lot.
Also Read: KTM 790 Duke launched in India at Rs 8.64 lakh
KTM 790 Duke vs Rivals Specification sheet
| Specs | KTM 790 Duke | Suzuki GSX S750 | Kawasaki Z900 | Triumph Street Triple 765 | Ducati Monster 821 | Yamaha MT-09 |
| Engine | 799cc, Parallel-Twin | 749cc inline 4-cylinder | 948cc inline 4-cylinder | 765cc, inline 3-cylinder | 821cc, L-Twin | 847cc, inline 3-cylinder |
| Cooling | Liquid Cooled | Liquid Cooled | Liquid Cooled | Liquid Cooled | Liquid Cooled | Liquid Cooled |
| Valvetrain | 4-Valve per cylinder, DOHC | 4-Valve per cylinder, DOHC | 4-Valve per cylinder, DOHC | 4-Valve per cylinder, DOHC | 4-Valve per cylinder, DOHC | 4-Valve per cylinder, DOHC |
| Bore X Stroke | 88 mm X 65.7 mm | 72 mm x 46 mm | 73.4 mm x 56 mm | 78 mm x 53.4 mm | 88 mm x 67.5 mm | 78 mm x 59.1 mm |
| Compression Ratio | 12.7:1 | 12.3:1 | 11.8:1 | 12.65:1 | 12.8:1 | 11.5:1 |
| Max Power | 105bhp @9000rpm | 114bhp @ 10500rpm | 123bhp @ 9500rpm | 113bhp @ 11250rpm | 109bhp @ 9250rpm | 115bhp @ 10000rpm |
| Max Torque | 87Nm @8000rpm | 81Nm @ 9000rpm | 98.6Nm @ 7700rpm | 73Nm @ 10421rpm | 86Nm @ 7750rpm | 87.5Nm @8500rpm |
| Gearbox | 6-Speed | 6-Speed | 6-Speed | 6-Speed | 6-Speed | 6-Speed |
| Fuel Tank | 14 Liters | 16 liters | 17 Liters | 14 Liters | 16.5 Liters | 14 Liters |
| Weight | 169 Kg dry | 216 kg wet | 210 kg wet | 166 kg dry | 206 kg wet | 193 kg wet |
| Length | – | 2130 mm | 2070 mm | 2070 mm | 2170 mm | 2080 mm |
| Width | – | 785 mm | 825 mm | 735 mm | 800 mm | 815 mm |
| Height | – | 1055 mm | 1065 mm | 1085 mm | 1055 mm | 1120 mm |
| Wheelbase | 1475 mm | 1455 mm | 1450 mm | 1410 mm | 1480 mm | 1440 mm |
| Seat Height | 825 mm | 820 mm | 795 mm | 800 mm | 785-810 mm | 820 mm |
| Ground Clearance | 186 mm | 135 mm | 130 mm | 165 mm | 180 mm | 135 mm |
| Front Suspension | 43 mm USD Forks | 41 mm USD Forks | 41 mm USD Forks | 41 mm USD Forks | 43 mm USD Forks | 41 mm USD Forks |
| Rear Suspension | Monoshock | Monoshock | Monoshock | Monoshock | Monoshock | Monoshock |
| Front Tyre | 120/70-ZR17 | 120/70-ZR17 | 120/70-ZR17 | 120/70-ZR17 | 120/70-ZR17 | 120/70-ZR17 |
| Rear Tyre | 180/55-ZR17 | 180/55-ZR17 | 180/55-ZR17 | 180/55-ZR17 | 180/55-ZR17 | 180/55-ZR17 |
| Front Brake | 2x 300 mm Disc | Dual Disc | 2x 300 mm Disc | 2x 310 mm Disc | 2x 320 mm Disc | 2x 298 mm Disc |
| Rear Brake | 240 mm Disc | Disc | 250 mm Disc | 220 mm Disc | 245 mm Disc | 245 mm Disc |
| Price (ex-showroom) | Rs 8.64 lakh | Rs 7.52 lakh | Rs 7.70 lakh | Rs 9.19 lakh | Rs 10.99 lakh | Rs 10.55 lakh |
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