BREAKING: 2018 KTM 790 Duke to be launched in India post-Diwali 2018, pre-bookings already open

Team OD Updated: September 27, 2019, 02:30 PM IST

KTM is about land a blockbuster with an earlier-than-expected launch for the KTM 790 Duke in India. The motorcycle which was expected sometime in 2019, may be launched right after Diwali this year, from what OVERDRIVE has learned. Dealerships across India have already begun accepting bookings for the 790 Duke for an amount of Rs 30,000. But wait there's more. From what OVERDRIVE knows, the parallel-twin-engined 790 Duke will come in under Rs 9 lakh (on-road)! That sounds like a great deal. Seeing this price, we can say that 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. So, it's time to start saving.

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