Revealed is the 2024 KTM 990 Duke, touted as the Mattighofen firm’s lightest, most responsive and precise middleweight motorcycle ever to carry the ‘Duke’ name. Intended for the aggressive, skilful rider, the 990 Duke makes no apologies for what it is, a hooligan streetbike.
The 990 Duke is almost all new, including a brand new chassis with a steel main frame and aluminium sub-frame. An aluminium swingarm is mated to the chassis engineering with the correct amount of fees for very aggressive stunt riding.
This aggression continues into the looks of the Duke 990, with sharp edges, creases and folds in the new bodywork. Drawing attention is the all-new headlight that automatically adjusts to ambient lighting conditions with DRLs are located at the sides.
Carrying the same KTM LC8c parallel-twin engine as the 890 Duke R, the 990 Duke’s 947 cc mill receives a set of performance upgrades over its sibling. These include new pistons, conrods and crankshaft, raising power to 123 hp at 9,500 rpm with 103 Nm of torque at 6,750 rpm.
This is coupled with an aggressive cam profile, larger radiator and new exhaust system. Power goes to the rear wheel via a six-speed gearbox with cable-operated PASC slipper clutch and chain final drive.
The engine is fed by DKK Dellorto 46 mm diameter throttle body, controlled by Bosch Engine Management System (EMS) with ride-by-wire. This allows for three-mode traction control that the rider can disengage, along with three ride modes – Rain, Street and Sport – with the optional track and performance dealer enabled and available at extra cost.
Suspension is, as usual for KTM bikes, done by WP Suspension. A pair of WP Apex 43 mm diameter upside-down forks holds up the front end with five-level rebound and compression adjustment while the back of the 990 Duke gets a WP Apex Monotube shock absorber fitted with a lighter spring, as well as five levels of rebound and 10 levels of preload adjustment.
Radial-mount four-piston brake callipers stop the 17-inch front wheel, acting on lightweight 300 mm diameter brake discs. The 17-inch rear wheel gets a 240 mm diameter disc with two-piston calliper while the Bosch 9.3 MP cornering ABS comes with a supermoto mode that disables rear wheel ABS.
Aside from this, opting for the optional track and performance ride modes adds a selection of traction control intervention and throttle control while anti-wheelie can be switched off and launch control enabled for perfect starts. Performance mode also adds cruise control and KTM Bluetooth connectivity to the rider’s smartphone.
Track mode adds the same features as performance mode with a focus on track riding, adding two lines on the 5-inch TFT-LCD instrument panel for lap times and telemetry while superfluous information is deleted. The 990 Duke comes with all modes enabled for the first 1,500 km including the quickshifter, after which the rider can opt to purchase the necessary modes to ensure full functionality.
Weight for the 990 Duke is 179 kg ready to race, with 14.8-litres of fuel in the tank while seat height is set at 825 mm canted upward by two degrees in front to stop the rider sliding forwards during aggressive riding. The pillion seat is raised 20 mm to allow for a better view over the rider’s helmet.
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