New KTM 800 Duke
This is the new KTM 800 Duke in the
closest-to-production specification yet seen. The bike will be launched as the
first of a new range of parallel-twin models over the coming years.This latest
spy shots show a series of significant changes over previous images and give a
clearer view of how the finished bike will look.
KTM are frantically busy with the
development of new models, with company boss Stefan Pierer confirming to MCN
that the 800 Duke is imminent, soon to be followed by an Adventure version.
Pierer made this official confirmation to MCN at the recent opening of the new
KTM UK headquarters.
This latest prototype KTM 800 Duke has
new styling and different brakes compared to previous incarnations. The engine
has evolved from earlier versions, too. Meanwhile, the subframe and rear
section have been updated and there is now a high-level exhaust which has not
been seen before.
The bike was spotted on public roads
near KTM’s Austrian headquarters in Mattighofen, and looks a lot more finished
than any of the 800 cc test bikes we have seen before. All of the bikes we have
seen in the past have been relatively early-stage test mules.
The new 800 cc parallel-twin will be a
key pillar of KTM’s future development (and that of sister company Husqvarna),
as it will be an important stepping-stone between the current range of 125 to
690 cc machines in the KTM range and the much larger 1090, 1190 and 1301 cc
models. It will enable the firm to keep all their 125 and 390 buyers on-brand
as they step up to a bigger bike.
This strategy makes perfect sense for
the part Indian-owned KTM, and there is a possibility that this model will only
be sold in emerging markets, but this seems unlikely as KTM have been following
a global sales plan, rather than picking and choosing bikes for each territory.
