A Video Overview Of KTM’s 2019 790 Duke

The 790 Duke is coming! Here’s what to expect.

KTM's Duke family is about to gain a member. Powered by a 799cc parallel twin, the new 790 Duke will fill the void between the 693cc 690 Duke and the 1,301cc, take-no-prisoners 1290 Super Duke R.

While the 690 Duke is a torquey, lightweight single that’s fun to rip around the city, it doesn’t have legs for faster twisty roads. Meanwhile, the $18,000 Super Duke R is a pavement-rippling menace. We love both bikes, but we’re pretty confident this new 790 is going to hit a sweet spot of price, size, and performance.

We haven’t ridden the bike yet, but we did get to ogle one in Austin, Texas, recently. The video above covers this new model’s high points and technical features, and will have to suffice until the US press launch in late 2018. Why do we have to wait so long if there are already bikes in America. KTM had 20(!) new 790s in the Lone Star State for dealers to ride, but frustratingly, the fleet of bikes is getting shipped back to Austria until the US press debut this fall. It’s hard to have patience with a bike like this, but we’ll do our best…