KTM 790 Duke The Scalpel
KTM 790 Duke The Scalpel | |
Manufacturer | |
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Production | 2018 |
Engine | Four stroke, parallel twin cylinder, DOHC, 4 valve per cylinder |
Compression ratio | 12.7:1 |
Ignition | Bosch EMS with RBW |
Transmission | 6 Speed |
Frame | Chromium-Molybdenum-Steel frame using the engine as stressed element, powder coated |
Suspension | Front: 43mm WP upside-down Rear: WP shock absorber with preload adjuster |
Brakes | Front: 2x 300mm discs Rear: Single 240mm disc |
Front Tire | Maxxis Supermaxx ST 170/20Z R17 |
Rear Tire | Maxxis Supermaxx ST 182/20Z R17 |
Seat Height | 825 mm / 32.4 in |
Weight | 169 kg / 372.5 lbs (dry), 174 kg / 383 lbs (wet) |
Fuel Capacity | 14 Liters / 3.7 US gal |
Manuals | Service Manual |
Engine[edit | edit source]
The engine was a Liquid cooled cooled Four stroke, parallel twin cylinder, DOHC, 4 valve per cylinder. The engine featured a 12.7:1 compression ratio.
Drive[edit | edit source]
Power was moderated via the PASC antihopping clutch, mechanically operated.
Chassis[edit | edit source]
It came with a Maxxis Supermaxx ST 170/20Z R17 front tire and a Maxxis Supermaxx ST 182/20Z R17 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via 2x 300mm discs in the front and a Single 240mm disc in the rear. The front suspension was a 43mm WP upside-down while the rear was equipped with a WP shock absorber with preload adjuster. The 790 Duke The Scalpel was fitted with a 14 Liters / 3.7 US gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 169 kg / 372.5 lbs.
Photos[edit | edit source]
Overview[edit | edit source]
KTM 790 Duke The Scalpel
The new KTM 790 Duke, Nicknamed The Scalpel, is a smaller, more nimble sibling to The Beast, aka the KTM 1290 Super Duke R.
The LC8c as its known produces 102bhp @ 9,000rpm which is a
significant boost over the 73bhp from the single-cylinder belonging
to the 690 Duke and the new machine is expected to be far sportier
with extreme lean angles on offer.
Familiar WP suspension comes in the shape of 43mm USD forks, a
steering damper and an adjustable shock while the cornering ABS with
Supermoto mode is one were looking forward to trying. Four
configurable riding modes, launch control plus quickshifter+ for up
and down shifts.
An A2 licence option will also be available and the 790 Duke is
offered in two colors (black or traditional orange) while 30
accessory parts allow for customisation. Two pre-defined set-ups are
on offer, named RACE and STYLE.
Engine & Exhaust
Meet KTMs first inline twin: the LC8c. That c stands for compact,
LC8 for good times ahead.
Chassis
Purity is the focus here. All components have been reduced to the
bare essentials. There are no unnecessary parts or covers. The
engine, for example, doubles as a load bearing element, the frame is
made of extra strong CroMo steel so less material is needed, and
components were developed to combine functions wherever possible.
Ergonomics & Comfort
The bike has been made to feel as compact as possible while accommodating
a wide range of riders. The goal? Confidence.
Bodywork & Graphics
Purity is one of KTMs brand values, and in a design context it means not using unnecessary design elements when a simpler option is possible. Or when you can combine multiple functions in one part. Take the tank spoiler, which combines the functions of spoiler and ergonomic surface, for example. Or the taillight thats been mounted on the license plate holder, so it can be easily removed for a day at the track. This is a bike that looks and feels as compact as possible. Youll find no round shapes, but straight lines, clarity and the promise of a radically thrilling ride.
Software & Electronics
The KTM 790 DUKE comes with some serious brainpower as standard. Even when youre flirting with the limit, KTMs combination of the most advanced software and electronics in the world of motorcycling will have your back. All you have to do is focus on the road ahead and hold on tight.
Accessories & Luggage
KTM know its customers like to modify and to travel, which is why the PowerParts range boasts a huge variety of accessories and luggage options across its Street range of sportmotorcycles past and present. All PowerParts are developed alongside their chosen machine, meaning that KTM riders only get parts that perfectly complement their ride and provide that important factory fit straight from the dealer.
Key features
2-cylinder, 4-stroke DOHC in-line engine, eight valves actuated via DLC-coated finger followers, electronic fuel injection, two balancer shafts, semi dry-sump lubrication with oil cooler 6 speed transmission and PASC slipper clutch Max. output: 77 kW (102 bhp) @ 9,000 rpm, max. torque: 86 Nm at 8,000 rpm Ultra lightweight chrome-molybdenum steel frame with aluminum rear subframe, die-cast aluminum open lattice swingarm 43 mm open-cartridge upside-down fork with split function by WP Suspension High quality WP Suspension gas-assisted shock absorber with progressive spring and preload adjuster 12-stage, adjustable, tapered aluminum handlebar, adjustable levers Highly sensitive WP Suspension steering damper Two 300 mm front brake discs with radial 4-piston calipers and radial front brake master cylinder KTM ride mode technology including customisable Track mode Cornering ABS including Supermoto mode Lean-angle sensitive motorcycle traction control (MTC) and motor slip regulation (MSR) Quickshifter+ Launch control Multifunctional dashboard with full-color TFT display and illuminated menu switch LED lighting all around OEM Maxxis Supermaxx ST tires as standard Optional KTM MY RIDE
MCN Review
KTM is set to dethrone the naked middleweight class royalty with their new £8499 790 Duke. Yamaha and Triumph should be worried.
For years the Yamaha MT-07 has been the go-to choice for riders looking for a simple, fun, affordable roadster and the MT-09 offered more of the same, with extra chillies and sold in its droves. Triumphs Street Triple didnt even need an upgrade last year, but it got it anyway, making the 765cc-powered machine even more dominant.
KTM will upset the applecart when the 790 Duke arrives in dealers next month, because it manages to combine the best bits from all of its rivals. It has the speed and electronic sophistication of the Street Triple R and RS, the joyous punch and simplicity of the (much cheaper) MT-07 and the cheekiness of the MT-09 and MT-09SP with a dash of crazy 1290 Super Duke R thrown in for good measure.
In many ways the 790 Duke is actually more satisfying than it big bhp super naked brother. It delivers the same wild, slip-sliding mono-wheeling thrills as the 1290 Super Duke R, but its punchy new motor is easier to handle and more involving. It flatters you every inch of the way, instead of looking back at you and saying: is that all youve got?
The 790 Duke is cheaper than the £8999 MT-09SP and a £9100 Street Triple R and pricier than the value-tastic £6349 MT-07, £8199 MT-09 and base-model £8200 Street Triple S, but KTM gives you an awful lot for your money.
Standard equipment includes electronics not even standard on some Japanese superbikes, let alone middleweight nakeds: lean-sensitive ABS, traction and engine braking control, an up/down blipper and four riding modes (Sport, Street, Rain, Track). Theres also a color TFT screen with blue teeth, WP suspension, a steering damper, LED lights, adjustable levers and handlebars and a steering damper. You also get a machine thats the result of over half a million miles of testing, by 60 orange-shirted engineers and test riders, including former MotoGP legend Jeremy McWilliams. KTM are spoiling us.
In other areas the 790 is built down to a price: WP forks are non-adjustable and you can only twiddle the shock preload. It has own-brand four-piston radial brake calipers (actually made by Spanish experts J.Juan as seen on Rea and Sykes WSB leathers) and Maxxis tires.
Dont let any of that out you off because the 790 Duke is hard to fault and everything works perfectly. Theres a lot more detail in the flesh than pictures, too, from the Testarossa-style air induction strakes buried in the exposed steel subframe, to the inside out swingarm detail.
Of course KTM are no strangers to the warm waters of the
mid-weight/price/size/power lagoon. Their current single cylinder 690 Duke is a
riot of a machine
in small doses, but you need more than one piston to make a
truly special road bike and thats what theyve done with the new 790 Duke.
A new 799cc LC8c (c for compact) motor is the Austrian firms first parallel twin. Its pared to the bone and impossibly small. How such a tiny lump of metal, with bits whizzing around inside, can produce such grunt (64ftlb of torque) and free-revving power (105bhp) is astonishing. Crammed with forged this, lightweight that and DLC-coated the other, the racy, but refined motor looks no bigger than a single.
Unlike a ploddy one-pot, the new engine is as refined and vibe-free as an inline four, but its 75-degree crank offset and 435-degree firing intervals give the twin an added dash of drama. A deep, gurgling V-twin-like growl accompanies you as you whip out of corners and surge through the revs. Off the throttle the KTM gurgles and spits like a race bike. Even with its Euro4 exhaust the 790 Duke makes a wonderful, rhythmic din.
A new tubular steel dual backbone frame is shrink-wrapped around the new engine, so theres not an ounce of flab. The 790 Duke is as muscular as a pit-bull and weighing just 169kg dry, weighs about as much as its dinner.
With its narrow hips, small riders will find the KTM easy to get on and plant feet down, even with a 825mm high seat (theres also a 805mm accessory seat and 780mm lowering kit). Theres loads of legroom for six-footers, too. The bar position is natural in its standard position and its bath time-comfy, even after a days riding. But as youd expect from such an unashamed, exposed naked, wind protection is non-existent and your neck feels every mile an hour.
As KTMs nickname for the 790 Duke suggests, you can go nuts on The Scalpel. It happily slices through tight twists on the road and will hold its own on a small track, like Brands, Cadwell or Mallory. The chassis is balanced, stable, predictable and the brakes consistently strong. A canted forward riding, feet-back riding has a faint streak of wild supermoto about it.
With little to no means of adjusting the forks and shock the suspension will
always be a one size fits all compromise. Its on the firm side of push, but
even if there were clickers to play with, the set-up is so bang-on for most road
conditions and even the track, you probably wont bother anyway, unless you were
particularly heavy, or extremely fussy.
Cornering ABS lacks a little initial feel, as do most brake-by-wire systems nowadays, but the electronics never intrude unless absolutely needed. The slick autoblipper and quickshifter enhances an already sweet gearbox and you only need to use the light-action slip-assist clutch when youre pulling away or stopping.
Happily the KTM is less scalpel and more butter knife when you just want a normal, predictable, motorcycle, for the times youre just riding to work, or getting caught in the rain. It never strains at its orange leash, or tuts disappointingly when youre not surgically dissecting pieces of tarmac. The 790 Duke is as calm, reassuring and easy as the best of the middleweight nakeds.
Producing enough power to be fun, but not so much its taking you for a ride, a mid-size engine like this is the perfect size for a motorcycle. Think Suzuki GSX-R750, 765cc Street Triple, or any one of Ducatis baby superbikes. Now you can add the 790 Duke to that illustrious list.
Maxxis tires come standard on most of KTMs off-roaders and the Dukes Supermaxx STs, which are specially developed for this machine, work well. The Taiwanese (theyre owned by Cheng Shin) offer the kind of performance youd expect from sports touring rubber and are better in the wet and dry than most Japanese Original Equipment tires. Front grip is particularly impressive, as is the speed they warm-up time and how they roll sweetly in and out of corners.
Of course, fitting sportier rubber will always enhance the riding experience, but in any case you dont really have to worry about rear grip on a bike with such accomplished traction control. Its set more or less intrusively, depending on the riding mode youre in and its ten-way adjustable (from maximum to off) in Track mode.
Opening the throttle on some unexpected gravel during our road rider, the TC one hundred per cent stops me from crashing. Who said electronics are rubbish? Theyre worth their weight in orange gold KTM maybe late to the multi-cylinder middleweight party, but theyve made the kind of entrance thats stopped the music and made everyone gawp in amazement.
KTM's
rivals
Triumph lit up an otherwise dull naked middleweight class when it released its Street Triple in 2006. Only Yamahas fabulous MT-07 and MT-09 have given riders a reason to look elsewhere since.
KTM is set to change all that with the new 790 Duke. It handles and stops better than both MTs (even the MT-09SP) and is more electronically advanced. The new Street Triple R matches the 790s rider aids and trumps its suspension. Its a superb machine and will be the KTMs closest rival, but lacks the 790s playfulness. Our up-coming middleweight make shootout promises to one of the tests of the year.
MCN VERDICT - Five stars
KTM have got it so right with its new 790 Duke. Just like the cream of the middleweight naked crop it combines calm practicality with playful excitement. It can be a track tool one day and a commuter the next. Its new LC8c engine is a peach, the chassis predictably balanced and its all topped off with superbike-spec electronics. After 24 years of the KTM, why they didnt think of this before?
Source
Make Model | KTM 790 Duke The Scalpel |
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Year | 2018 |
Engine Type | Four stroke, parallel twin cylinder, DOHC, 4 valve per cylinder |
Displacement | 799 cc / 48.7 cu-in |
Bore X Stroke | 88 mm x 65.7 mm |
Cooling System | Liquid cooled |
Compression | 12.7:1 |
Exhaust | Stainless steel primary and secondary silencer |
Lubrication | Forced oil lubrication with 2 oil pumps |
Induction | DellOrto fuel-Injection |
Ignition | Bosch EMS with RBW |
Starting | Electric |
Max Power | 78 kW / 105 hp @ 9000 rpm |
Max Torque | 87 Nm / 63.4 lb-ft @ 8,000 rpm |
Clutch | PASC antihopping clutch, mechanically operated |
Transmission | 6 Speed |
Final Drive | Chain 520 X-Ring |
Primary Drive | 39:75 |
Secondary Gear Ratio | 16:41 |
Frame | Chromium-Molybdenum-Steel frame using the engine as stressed element, powder coated |
Front Suspension | 43mm WP upside-down |
Front Wheel Travel | 140 mm / 5.5 in |
Rear Suspension | WP shock absorber with preload adjuster |
Rear Wheel Travel | 150 mm / 5.9 in |
Front Brakes | 2x 300mm discs |
Rear Brakes | Single 240mm disc |
Abs | Bosch 9MP two-channel ABS (incl. Supermoto mode, diesengageable) |
Front Wheel | 3.50 x 17 in cast aluminum |
Rear Wheel | 5.50 x 17 in cast aluminum |
Front Tire | Maxxis Supermaxx ST 170/20Z R17 |
Rear Tire | Maxxis Supermaxx ST 182/20Z R17 |
Rake | 24° |
Trail | 98 mm / 3.8 in |
Steering Head Angle | 66° |
Handlebar | Aluminum, tapered, Ø 28/22 mm |
Dimensions | Length 2062 mm / 81.2 in Width 904 mm / 35.6 in Height 1059 mm / 41.7 in |
Wheel Base | 1475 ± 15 mm / 58 in |
Seat Height | 825 mm / 32.4 in |
Ground Clearance | 186 mm / 7.3 in |
Dry Weight | 169 kg / 372.5 lbs |
Wet Weight | 174 kg / 383 lbs |
Fuel Capacity | 14 Liters / 3.7 US gal |