Austrian bike manufacturer, KTM, has been quite busy over the years not just with racing, but apparently with bike R&D and production as well (who knew). It seems that they’re constantly working on building a bigger and more powerful version of the Duke.
Even since 2017, the middleweight Duke saw many quick evolutions, starting with the 790 Duke to the 890 Duke before it headed towards getting KTM’s ‘R’ badge for its highest-spec model yet. For 2023, the Austrian’s naked will be getting yet another boost, and looking at the trend, what you’re looking at is most likely the KTM 990 Duke.
It seems that KTM is working very hard on a completely new Duke with new design elements and powertrain. While the looks can be altered easily, experts with keen eyes have spotted that the engine looks to have a longer stroke, meaning that it won’t be running the same 890cc L-twin, but it will still likely maintain its original LC8c configuration.
The KTM 990 Duke still has a long way to go before its official launch and production. For us Malaysians, don’t hold your breath because even if there’s a plan to bring it over, it won’t be cheap. Just look at the KTM 790 Duke, amazing bike, slightly overpriced, not a lot of demand or interest.
