Confirmed: KTM says 790 Duke launch in India not slated for November
Responding to news of the KTM 790 Duke launch in India being planned just after Diwali, KTM India has stated that it does not plan to do so. As per earlier reports from information given by dealer sources, they had begun accepting pre-bookings for the KTM 790 Duke for an amount of Rs 30,000. The sources also informed that the 790 Duke will bear a sub-9-lakh price tag, on road. However, KTM India has denied that the 790 Duke launch is scheduled for November.
"The 790 duke is under evaluation for launch. Nothing is finalised yet. These stories (about the impending launch and open bookings for the 790 Duke) are speculative and wrong! We are keen to introduce but nothing is finalised yet," says Amit Nandi, who heads KTM India.
The KTM 790 Duke was first showcased as a concept at EICMA 2016, and the production version was revealed at the same event a year later. The 790 may be brought in via the CKD route and locally assembled at the KTM-Bajaj plant in Chakan, Pune, as previously reported by OVERDRIVE.
During EICMA 2017, when the 790 was revealed, KTM chief sales officer (CSO) Hubert Trukenpolz confirmed that the intent with the 2018 KTM 790 Duke was always to be manufactured in multiple locations, including India. The resultant price could make it a big threat to the current crop of naked motorcycles in the country including the Triumph Street Triple, Suzuki GSX-S750, the Ducati Monster 797, and the recently launched 2019 Kawasaki Z900.
The motorcycle features a brand new, 799cc, liquid-cooled parallel-twin motor that develops 105PS at 9,000 rpm and 86Nm at 8,000rpm. The LC8c is KTM's first parallel-twin motor and comes mated to a six-speed transmission.
True to the Duke family ethos, the 790 Duke features radical styling, with minimal body panels. It, however, does not look as edgy as the prototype, but is very close. The 790 Duke employs a steel frame, with the engine as the stressed member, in order to save weight, which stands at 169Kg.
Also see: 2019 KTM 790 Duke | First Look