Surprisingly , my first thoughts on the 990 Duke from KTM were not about its aggressive angles , nor the starkly naked look of the orange beastie , but rather how fun and friendly it is to ride . I ’ d been aboard an 890 fairly recently , and the memory I retained was that of tractable power , if a bit fussy and temperamental - more Italian than Austrian in feel perhaps . Along with an upright position and motard-type ride .
BACK TO 990 But the new 990 LC8c engine is way more engaging right out of the box . You get more torque without fuss , although some restraint was called for with mere delivery kays on the clock , the rev range delivery is powerful all the way from 2.5 and up . ‘ Round-towning ’ is a breeze . On my first brief taster run , I looped Auckland ; Harbour Bridge - Riverhead - 16 - Town . It was comfortable to ride but I felt less at ease than I should have ... when I checked the delivery tyre pressures I discovered why . Both were underinflated at 26psi , and changing that transformed the soggy cornering response and illuminated the great new offering that KTM has delivered .
My next question was , would it be fun to own ?
OUT IN THE WILD My first serious foray was a Sunday run with a quickish crew to Wellsford , Whangaripo , Matakana and Puhoi with a few side trips - just over a couple of hundred k ’ s and couple of hours in the saddle . That ’ s about the perfect distance , before bum fatigue , and this new KTM will wheelie all over the shop and corner like a laser , and I felt light and unencumbered too , a real pleasure just watching the world slice by , all with a lovely deep twin soundtrack ; yes , I had a very nice time . In tight , snaky turns over the hills into Matakana the bike and I gelled , and I really relaxed into letting the bike do its thing . The flicks from right to left on good roads and great tyres , when warm , became like great songs in memory , reminding you why we ride ; for the sheer joy of it , pure and simple . The glorious torquey engine , mated with surefooted lightness and insane flickability is delivering one of the most street agile bikes in the market . Strangely perhaps , although this can be seen as a step up , as such , from the 890 - it seems to me this is KTM giving you a serious
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