ROAD TRIP: RAY HERON
T
o me the name ‘Duke’ conjures up images
of Prince Phillip, aristocracy, prim and
proper, stiff upper lip, well dressed and
well behaved. Which is interesting… because
the KTM 790 Duke is none of that. Not one bit.
Sporting a day-glow orange mankini, and
manners that would make a sailor proud, I
just don’t see where the name came from.
Don’t get me wrong, the 790 Duke is far from
unsophisticated, with its LED lights, auto-on
headlight, ABS, traction control, hydraulic
clutch, full colour LCD-TFT display and a host of
other trimmings you simply don’t find on other
bikes in the middleweight naked-sport class.
It has three rider modes, Rain, which
predictably, one would use on a damp day
to dull the throttle, and keep the 105hp
799cc parallel twin engine in check.
Street mode is a nice compromise between
twitchy and dull, and Sport, which is all-out
‘balls to the wall’, uncomfortable but exciting ‘I
forgot to take my pills this morning’ crazy fun.
I started my road trip odyssey by collecting
the Duke from Ventura HQ in Te Rapa,
Hamilton. They’d outfitted this ‘canyon carver’
with with panniers and a rack for the top bag
which was freighted to me a week earlier.
Ventura luggage is New Zealand made and
has a huge following based on the amount
of tail packs I see on bikes, everything from
lightweight commuters to full-on tourers.
The one they sent me was a great big bag
too, big enough for all my gear, as well as the
Mrs’ makeup bag (should she decide to come
on a trip with me some time in the future).
As I got out of the city and onto the Te Rapa
straights bound for Coromandel I got down
to the business of getting to know the Duke.
The TFT display is lovely and clear, it’s easy to
scroll through the menus, the rider modes
are easy to access, and the differences are
easily noticeable... even to a Luddite like me.
KIWI RIDER 103