Rennie Scaysbrook | November 7, 2023
What’s the cue for middleweight man’s syndrome? Give it more (cubic) inches! At least that’s the theory KTM is sticking to as the once 790 Duke morphs its way into 990 territory (947cc) for 2024.
The middleweight category is now anything but, with everyone seemingly in a race to outdo each other in the capacity stakes, so KTM said “stuff it” and just went right for the jugular and make the closest thing to a liter bike without being a liter bike.
Do we care? No, not at all, because the new 990 Duke looks pretty sweet indeed.
Powered by a 947cc parallel-twin, inside it’s all new, from the cylinder head, valves, combustion chamber, intake, con-rods, crank, clutch and exhaust. The Duke 990 rolls with 123 hp and 76 lb-ft of torque, according to KTM.
The chassis is equally revised. Still constructed using KTM’s trademark tubular steel with a cast aluminum subframe with the airbox and intake integrated, the main frame now extends down the outside of the swingarm pivot bolt rather than old Dukes that ran it inside. This, KTM claims, aids significantly in torsional stiffness.
The swingarm is a gravity die-cast aluminum structure that weighs a claimed 4.8 lb less than the old 890’s. WP provides the fork in their 43mm Apex unit, with WP reducing the available clicks right down to five so if you get lost, you can easily find your way home (still, 13 years later, no one has fitted numbered suspension clickers like on the first BMW S 1000 RR. Sigh).
KTM’s 990 is now the biggest of the “middleweight” bikes that ain’t so middleweight anymore.
The same number of clicks (five) for compression and rebound are on the shock, but that gets preload adjustment, too, and a lighter, linear spring with different valving. Bridgestone have donated their excellent S22 tires as the OEM rubber.
KTM claims 394 lb for the 990 Duke, ready to go.
The electronics get the usual five inch TFT dash, IMU, traction wheelie and launch control, as well as five modes of Rain, Street, Sport, Performance and Track mode.
Expect the new 990 Duke to come to dealers by December, and we’ll wait to see what KTM has in store for the 990 Duke R, which will probably have higher spec suspension, brakes, and electronics, but unlikely to see a larger capacity engine.
2024 KTM 990 Duke Specs and Price
| MSRP: |
$12,500 (TBC) |
| Engine: |
Four-stroke, liquid-cooled, twin-cylinder, DOHC |
| Displacement: |
947cc |
| Bore x stroke: |
92.5 x 70.4 mm |
| Fuel injection: |
Electronic fuel injection system, Ride-by-Wire throttle |
| Exhaust: |
2-2-1 |
| Transmission: |
6-speed |
| Clutch: |
PASC anti-hopping clutch, cable-operated |
| Chassis: |
Tubular steel trellis |
| Front suspension: |
WP Apex 43 mm inverted fork, compression and rebound damping adjustable |
| Rear suspension: |
WP Apex shock, fully-adjustable |
| Front brake: |
ByBre, radially mounted four-piston calipers, dual 300 mm discs, ABS |
| Rear brake: |
ByBre, single-piston caliper, 240 mm disc, ABS |
| Front tire: |
120/70ZR17M/C (58W) |
| Rear tire: |
180/50ZR17M/C (73W) |
| Steering head angle: |
65.8° |
| Trail: |
3.8 in. |
| Wheelbase: |
59.7 in. |
| Seat height: |
32.4 in. |
| Fuel capacity: |
3.8 gal. |
| Weight (curb): |
394 lb |
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