Revealed is the 2024 KTM 990 Duke, touted as the Mattighofen firm’s lightest, most responsive and precise middleweight motorcycle ever to carry the ‘Duke’ name. Intended for the aggressive, skilful rider, the 990 Duke makes no apologies for what it is, a hooligan streetbike. The 990 Duke is almost all new, including a brand new chassis with a steel main frame and aluminium sub-frame. An aluminium swingarm is mated to the chassis engineering with the correct amount of fees for very aggressive stunt riding.
This aggression continues into the looks
of the Duke 990, with sharp edges, creases and folds in the new bodywork.
Drawing attention is the all-new headlight that automatically adjusts to
ambient lighting conditions with DRLs are located at the sides. Carrying the
same KTM LC8c parallel-twin engine as the 890 Duke R, the 990 Duke’s 947 cc
mill receives a set of performance upgrades over its sibling. These include new
pistons, conrods and crankshaft, raising power to 123 hp at 9,500 rpm with 103
Nm of torque at 6,750 rpm. This is coupled with an aggressive cam profile,
larger radiator and new exhaust system. Power goes to the rear wheel via a
six-speed gearbox with cable-operated PASC slipper clutch and chain final
drive. The engine is fed by DKK Dellorto 46 mm diameter throttle body,
controlled by Bosch Engine Management System (EMS) with ride-by-wire. This
allows for three-mode traction control that the rider can disengage, along with
three ride modes – Rain, Street and Sport – with the optional track and
performance dealer enabled and available at extra cost.
Suspension is, as usual for KTM bikes,
done by WP Suspension. A pair of WP Apex 43 mm diameter upside-down forks holds
up the front end with five-level rebound and compression adjustment while the
back of the 990 Duke gets a WP Apex Monotube shock absorber fitted with a
lighter spring, as well as five levels of rebound and 10 levels of preload
adjustment.
Radial-mount four-piston brake callipers
stop the 17-inch front wheel, acting on lightweight 300 mm diameter brake
discs. The 17-inch rear wheel gets a 240 mm diameter disc with two-piston
calliper while the Bosch 9.3 MP cornering ABS comes with a supermoto mode that
disables rear wheel ABS. Aside from this, opting for the optional track and
performance ride modes adds a selection of traction control intervention and
throttle control while anti-wheelie can be switched off and launch control
enabled for perfect starts. Performance mode also adds cruise control and KTM
Bluetooth connectivity to the rider’s smartphone. Track mode adds the same
features as performance mode with a focus on track riding, adding two lines on
the 5-inch TFT-LCD instrument panel for lap times and telemetry while
superfluous information is deleted. The 990 Duke comes with all modes enabled
for the first 1,500 km including the quickshifter, after which the rider can
opt to purchase the necessary modes to ensure full functionality.
Weight for the 990 Duke is 179 kg ready to
race, with 14.8-litres of fuel in the tank while seat height is set at 825 mm
canted upward by two degrees in front to stop the rider sliding forwards during
aggressive riding. The pillion seat is raised 20 mm to allow for a better view
over the rider’s helmet.
