Originally launched in 2018, the 790 Duke as is often the way with KTM was a bold and unique take on what a middle weight naked motorcycle should be. Housing the manufacturers first ever parallel twin it was squarely aimed at being the sharpest tool in the middle weight market with the self-proclaimed ‘Scalpel’ moniker thanks to the also all new tubular steel back bone chassis.

In typical modern KTM style it also led the way being the first middleweight naked to the market to feature an IMU unit which brought with it a full suite of electronics including 4 riding modes, multi-level traction control, wheelie control and lean angle based abs itself with an adjustable ‘Supermoto’ mode enabling rear wheel locking for stunt based fun. Topped off with a quickshifter & autoblipper all thanks to the addition of a fly-by wire throttle.

The model was well received by both press and the buying public with its only main criticism being somewhat inconsistent fuelling and some ill feeling towards lacking certain items such as adjustable suspension and leading name tyres its rivals offered. The model ran until the introduction of Euro5 in 2020/21 when in its current format the 790 motor required some work which in turn led to the launch of the 890 duke.

In the subsequent years with the ever-increasing life costs pushing up the average motorcycle OTR, KTM saw the need to be able to offer more affordably priced models within its range as well as being able to increase its worldwide distribution capabilities. Enter stage right, CF Moto in a move to have the Chinese marque manufacture certain models whilst KTM in turn take over the distribution of their CF moto products within the UK and Ireland.

This led to the reintroduction of the 790 Duke at the beginning of 2023, now updated to meet Euro5 with all the subtle upgrades and improvements that can come from the interim years of manufacturing experience and electronic advancements.

With a reduced claim in bhp, down to 95 from 105 along with an increase in claimed wet weight from 175 to 187.7kg  pointing towards some of the comprises needed to meet Euro 5 the claimed maximum torque figure of 63.4 lb-ft does confirm the manufacturers claim of positive overall improvements in the riding experience with particular attention being given to throttle control and fuelling issues felt on the original model.

Sitting astride the 790 Duke for the first time I’m immediately taken by how small and light the bike feels. Despite the tall seat height at 825mm (a lower 805mm option is available through the power parts catalogue along with a lowering rear suspension link reducing the seat height a further 25mm) both my feet were firmly on the ground. I put this down to the narrowness of the bike aided by the compactness of the LC8 motor. Both the front of the seat and lower half of the petrol tank give the bike a svelte razor like feel. Suitably wide bars, themselves marked for adjustability fore and aft give excellent leverage as I rock the bike backwards and forward to get a feel for things. I also note that Brembo style squarer edge brake/clutch levers each have span adjustment immediately giving me a sense of thought and quality I wasn’t necessarily expecting from its price point.

I also spot the undermount steering damper, again unusual in the sector and perhaps something of a sign of intent with regards to the geometry KTM have equipped the model with.

Despite being narrow at the rear, the petrol tank suitably widens towards the front and also as it rises finishing higher than a usual road bike petrol tank giving a feeling of sitting in the bike rather than on it. It lends itself to giving extra support to clamp against under braking and turning whilst still giving that narrowness to counteract the extra seat height at a standstill.

The seat also widens significantly towards the rear, which is perfect once you’re on the move to slide back onto for more comfort. It’s also a surprisingly deep and supple feeling seat and I can report not once during my time with the 790 did I arrive at a destination in discomfort.

The pegs are reasonably neutral in their position, resulting in only slightly bent knees for myself however are canted slightly forward, which rotate your feet downwards giving a sportier feel. The standard handlebar position canting my upper half slightly forward in a similar vein to the Suzuki GSX-8S, another middleweight I found to offer a perfect blend of comfort/control with its riding position. The ability to either rotate these fore/aft for more comfort or to push more weight over the front is a nice touch.

The difference between the 790, and with all of its other natural competitors, is that due to the overall seat height and its longer stoke suspension (140mm front & 150mm rear) it sits in a unique position of being in between a normal road bike and closer (albeit only 30>40mm) to say a supermoto bike in its stature and riding sensation.

During my riding the extra vision afforded by this meant I could see over hedges/crops and vehicles along my preferred local routes of b roads allowing me to make passes and progress that would not have been possible on its natural competitors. Despite being a little short in the stem, the mirrors can be adjusted to provide ample rearward vision and the remarkedly loud standard exhaust provided enough noise to make other road users aware of your presence should the distinctively shaped LED running lights not have peaked their attention in their mirrors.

The exhaust itself running up and exiting with a high mounted silencer also help to reinforce the Supermotard feel and I believe adds to the overall visceral feeling the bike gives, popping and banging with a closeness not felt with the more modern lower exiting systems.

The throttle itself is very strongly sprung on its return, ala motorcross and can give the impression of a snatchy throttle until you adapt to the extra umph that’s required to meter off throttle moments. The overall fuelling is very good, in fact the only time fuelling entered my riding thoughts was through towns when using only very slight throttle amounts, say the 0>5% range and would be felt as a slight hunting sensation. By no means a major issue and perfectly acceptable as something of a character trait rather than an inherent issue.

I picked the bike up on the hottest day of the year so far (34 degrees plus) and had the joy of it raining for the first 30 minutes of the ride home. It was akin to riding through a steam room and during this time the 790 was a perfect companion. I felt very in command on the road, similar as I have in the past riding larger bikes like the Tenere, yet with a level of agility and control the larger bikes could only dream of.

A light clutch along and slick gearbox which I was alternating using either the shifter/blipper or traditional clutch method depending on revs and load seemingly offered excellently spaced ratios for the engine power spread.

Despite being happy to hold speed in higher gears down to around 2000rpm the engine would protest at all but the smallest throttle openings, vibrating and churning in protest much preferring revs to be above 2500rpm to offer a lovely smooth (for a parallel twin) thrust. The motor hits strongly in the midrange before an additional surge and change in tone to its 10,000 rpm redline. The LC8 is another twin which is seemingly cut short with a hard limiter that is easy to run into until you become familiar with the bike.

With the early town and motorway miles of my return journey home out of the way, and the rain a distant memory I decide to take the more scenic route home once I’m back within my usual riding routes. Aware that the 790 comes with Maxxis tyres, a brand I’ve never ridden on before a note to self was made to go easier than I would on more familiar tyres. Unfortunately, the 790 had other ideas. Being the first time I’d had opportunity to fully open it up, I found I’d approached the tightening radius right hand bend with more speed than I’d expected it to muster. A pull of the front brake, which until now had been offering a satisfying amount of lever feel and stopping performance during the first part of the journey appeared to now be lacking in the overall stopping performance department. I personally always use plenty of back brake (which is excellent, more of this later) but still had to round the corner with far more speed and lean than I felt comfortable with on the unknown to me tyres. Despite making the corner and still enjoying the remaining journey home I did so with the wick turned down somewhat.

Once home and cooling down from the tropical ride I began trying to understand what I had felt in a bid to better understand how to best ride the 790.

Clearly the engine performance was more than potent enough for real roads. My thoughts turned to the lack of braking feel, reliving the hard braking into the corner a sensation of a high rate of front suspension pitch come to the fore. Initially I think of the higher centre of gravity the bike has over a traditional naked and the extra travel the suspension it possesses would all be contributing factors.

Further sitting on the bike at a standstill, noting the initial suspension sag and bouncing up and down to get a feel for the movement and it hits immediately hits me. A quick check of the specifications on the KTM website confirms it. Progressive front and rear suspension springs.

In a bid to create a bike that can deal with as many different riding styles, riders and roads as possible whilst keeping the costs down the non-adjustable (apart from rear preload) suspension utilises progressive rather than the modern norm of linear springs. This helps give a nice subtle, compliant initial part of the stroke when riding, with the spring strength increasing further and further as more of the stroke is taken up with harder bumps and or braking.

The lack of braking performance I felt was in fact exasperated with the bike burying itself deeper into its stroke. With a standard linear setup, the bike would’ve very quickly pitched and found support for me to brake much harder. I was thrown by the fact the bike was continuing to fall through the stroke beyond my anticipated norm which subconsciously stopped me from applying the brake as hard as I would usually. The unknown performance of the tyres also played its part too. A few minutes checking the tyres reveals a very softly rounded, almost oval profile with a significant flat top section, suggesting stability was high on the design brief requirements. Perhaps in a bid to dial down the inherent agility designed into the frame geometry, backed up with the oe steering damper.

For my next ride, I purposely sought out the bumpiest, wiggliest b road I know to aim the Duke down and experimented with corner entry techniques. After a fun afternoon enjoying the quiet summer roads, I found that entering the braking phase softer and earlier than normal to push through the softer part of the suspension stroke before then applying full braking performance right up to the apex brought the best out of the package. The braking performance was more than adequate (although I feel an upgrade to a more performance-based brake pad/fluid combo would reap significant benefits). The Maxxis tyres never once gave me any issues, the neutral turning from the centre to side backing up the visual profile noticed earlier. The auto blipper works perfectly on corner entry with the engine brake mapping and clutch providing just the right amount of negative torque to keep the bike in line, even if one two many gears has been called for too quickly. Once at the apex and with a sensible release of the front brake so as to not unload the front too quickly with the relatively strong rebound the excellent throttle pick up and punch of the twin fires you out of the corner with a grin inducing level of speed, all of which is accompanied with a glorious soundtrack. Not once, despite my best efforts did the rear tyre break free, even with the traction control off. I’ve no doubt in perhaps lesser conditions there is enough poke to do so, however the bike wants to be picked up as quickly as possible on corner exit and is therefore off the edge of the tyre and at this the Maxxis performed admirably.

Once I had adjusted to this I began to understand the benefit of the progressive springs which meant that I could literally barrel over the bumpiest sections of road at much higher speeds I’ve previously been happy to on other bikes all the while making use of extra field of vision to be able to further extend the real world pace over its rivals.

That’s not to say there wasn’t any movement at times, however the steering damper worked its magic to keep any headshakes below the level I’ve experienced on other non-damped rivals on the previous occasions I’ve used the route.

For those that enjoy stunting around, I found sport mode, traction/wheelie control off and ‘Supermoto’ abs mode engaged which disables the rear abs, the 790 really came alive.

With more than enough grunt to lift the front wheel in second using the clutch, the extra dive of the front end could be used just before doing so. A quick burst of acceleration followed by a sharp shut of the heavily spring throttle would cause enough dive to then time the blip of the throttle with the clutch to bring the front wheel up utilising the good fuelling and well-balanced chassis.

The softness of the suspension aiding the landing of even the most poorly executed attempts had me respecting the famously adept KTM development and testing team whose primary aim is to create exhilarating motorcycles.

The rear brake is one of the best oe setups I’ve used and thanks again to the compliance of the suspension playing around at general skids and backing it in the 790 feels is the perfect partner, actively encouraging you to try new things. Not once did it snap back at my efforts, which again I feel is down to the extra softness that’s been built into the package.

There are of course many upgrades available through the power parts catalogue. Most notable being upgraded front and rear suspension. This I’m sure would make the 790 much more accomplished on track, or smoother roads. Which if these are your chosen forte or represent the roads where you live, would be a good choice. If these were added along with an upgrade to the front master cylinder and some more aggressively profiled, all-out performance tyres I’m sure the 790 would become an all together different beast. Ultimately more capable but also considerably more serious no doubt with a much sharper bite when things start to go wrong.