2018 KTM 790 Duke Spy Shots

The mid-displacement sportbike category is hotting up, with recent introductions of Triumph’s all-new Street Triple and Yamaha’s updated FZ-09. And then there’s the 800cc Brutale from MV Agusta, too.

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KTM also wants in on the action, as evidenced by these pictures of a 790 Duke undergoing suspension testing in Spain in advance of finalizing specifications. The Austrian manufacturer teased us at the big EICMA show in Milan, Italy, last fall with a concept version of the 790 Duke. And then our adrenaline spiked from a promo video KTM produced that featured a test rider mercilessly flogging the new Duke with wheelies and burnouts.

KTM 790 Duke Concept Unveiled At EICMA 2016

2017 KTM 790 Duke Video Preview

Do Not Watch This KTM 790 Duke Teaser Video

Now, we’ve got new photos that show the 790 Duke in what appears to be nearly in production form. These images were nabbed earlier this week in Catalunya, Spain, near KTM’s testing base, and ridden with the new 790 for comparison was a 690 Duke and Triumph’s 675cc Street Triple.

The heart of the new Duke is its new parallel-Twin powerplant, what KTM refers to as the LC8c, the lower-case c standing for “compact.” It uses a 270-degree crank arrangement like almost every other newly introduced inline-Twin motor, and we presume it uses ride-by-wire throttle technology. One of our favorite features of the concept version was its racy underseat exhaust system, but there’s no way it could meet the latest European and American emissions regulations. Instead, we have the twin header pipes leading to an exhaust collector under swingarm, with final pipe routing running parallel to the subframe along the right side.

SPIED: KTM 790 Adventure Prototype In Action

Reports out of Europe suggest KTM will produce a base model and an up-spec R version. The cheaper iteration will likely be limited to less than 100 hp to qualify for European A2 licensing, while the R version will probably produce more than 110 crankshaft horsepower. This will line up nicely with the new 765cc Street Triple from Triumph.

The concept version shown at EICMA was a stripped-down naked, but this production version is equipped with some of the niceties we need on our street machines. Up front is a wind-deflecting flyscreen mounted above its warrior-like bifurcated headlight. Behind the screen appears to be a set of TFT instruments – along with what looks like a cell phone or GPS mounting bracket. Whether this is something destined for the street or merely some residual development hardware, we don’t know.

From the subframe (and swingarm) forward, the concept bike and prototype appear very similar. The subframe itself is clearly different, as it needs to be able to accommodate a passenger, license-plate bracket, turn indicators, exhaust, etc.

We expect the production version of the 790 Duke to be shown at EICMA this fall, with sales beginning early in 2018. Pricing is a guess at this point, but it might be reasonable to estimate the base version might start around $10,000, near the base Street Triple’s MSRP of $9,900. The 790 Duke R, with higher levels of suspension and electronic rider aids, could approach the $12,500 price tag of the Street Triple RS.