KTM's new parallel twin-cylinder engine has been in the offing for a long time now, but finally here comes some conclusive evidence of the model being under development. With the possibility of the model being called 'Duke 890' upon launch, the new street-fighter was caught testing in Spain and will be filling in the void between the Duke 690 and 1290 in the automaker's lineup, while locking horns with the Triumph Street Triple, MV Agusta Brutale 800, Kawasaki Z800 and the likes.
With the displacement expected in the vicinity of 800-900cc, the motor could belt out around a powerful 110-115bhp, in-line with rivals. The spy shots reveal a host of details about the new twin-pot motor, which looks compact and appears short front to rear with the countershaft sprocket residing directly behind the location of the crankshaft location.
The engine comes with all the modern day goodies including liquid-cooling, double overhead camshaft (DOHC) with four valves per cylinder, fuel-injection and much more. It is believed that the new engine has a 270-degree crank angle that will help create a stronger exhaust note, quite similar to the bigger V-twin units. Other tech goodies will also be in place including Ride-by-Wire, traction control, switchable ABS, multiple riding modes and a whole lot more.
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Talking about the frame, the new KTM Duke 890 continues to get a Steel Trellis frame, similar to other models from the bike maker. The WP sourced inverted forks continue to serve purpose at the front, whereas a monoshock suspension setup does duty at the rear. Ergonomically, the bike gets an upright seating position while the foot pegs for the pillion are expected to see a different mounting as compared to the prototype being tested.
Now here's the interesting part! Previous reports have suggested that the new twin-cylinder KTM Duke will be joining its Duke 390, 200 and 125 siblings at the Bajaj-KTM manufacturing facility in India, with the street-fighter being exported to markets overseas. If the Austrian bike maker indeed sticks to this plan, the Duke 890 will be one of the first performance bikes to be manufactured completely in India and will achieve a highly competitive price tag, quite similar to the younger Dukes. Even internationally, the made-in-India model is expected to carry a lower price tag when compared to a made-in-Austria version.
Keeping up with KTM's tradition, the new Duke 890 could be showcased at the EICMA Motorcycle Show in November this year, whereas the model will be available globally only by 2017. While the naked surely sounds interesting, it is quite likely that an adventure will follow suit as well based on the same engine and platform.
Image Source: Motorcycle.com
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