The KTM 790 Duke is an
excellent machine with
wide ranging capabilities,
a heap of technology and
it’s a blast to ride
Ergonomically the 790 Duke is spot on for
most, but perhaps slightly favours the tall.
When we test rode the 690 Duke R in 2016
one of our testers found the seat intolerably
high at 865mm. This new bike is a lot lower
at 825mm, and there’s an even lower 805mm
seat option too. I found it very comfortable
as standard. The bars are straight and
commanding, a nice reach away, the right
height, too, isn’t too high or low. My knees fit
nicely under the 14 litre fuel tank ‘wings’ and
the leg room to the pegs is great. Even the
seat has decent foam padding that will allow
good comfort for at least as long as the fuel
lasts. On longer trips the lack of a screen will
be tiring particularly at higher speeds.
What else? Well the TFT screen is cool,
but I’m pretty relaxed about them really.
However, there is no doubt they’re very clear
and easy to read even in bright sunlight. It’s
just that I have nothing against good old
analogue dials either. Adjusting the various
modes is easy via the four-button system
KTM has used for a few years now and it is all
very intuitive as you can follow your progress
on the screen. Of the four modes - Track,
Sport, Street and Rain, I used Sport mainly on
the road. It offered great response with Track
being a little more intense and obviously
street and rain being less and less so. There
are LED daytime running lights all arranged
in what I think is KTM’s reasonably ugly
signature headlight of recent times, but they
really are excellent for being seen and staying
safe.
Overall the KTM 790 Duke is an excellent
machine with wide ranging capabilities, a
heap of technology and it’s a blast for to
ride and with its new lower seat height it
genuinely should appeal to a lot of thrill-
seeking buyers.
KIWI RIDER 99