2022 KTM 890 Duke Sports Motorcycle Review Specs Price

For its 2021 debut in the U.S. market, KTM upgraded the 790 Duke platform with a more potent engine, more robust electronics, and better suspension. On this new platform, which also includes a powerful electronics suite to help you keep the thing clean, unique graphics are available. For a slightly more laid-back type of rider, it has a price tag that is one grand less than the more race-focused “R” variant. Since Design KTM prefers to forge its path to performance excellence, it makes sense that the finished 2022 KTM 890 Duke Sports Motorcycle cuts a figure that clearly distinguishes the Duke family from the competition. To protect the cleared area of the inverted inner fork tubes from drag, a cut-down, molded front fender is attached first, followed by the customary foil-shaped uprights.

2022 KTM 890 Duke Sports Motorcycle – Features and Price

Design

The front headlight housing’s bifurcation, which is unique to other vehicles in the world, gives the Duke its distinctive appearance. It features two partitioned LED projectors and is equipped with DRL-functioning LED strips at the outer edge for effective daytime and nighttime visibility.

Unusually, the factory placed the turn signals above the headlight housing, well away from potential danger. Do you understand? If you break one of these blinkers, you likely have much more serious issues than a broken light. The color TFT screen, which has variable backlighting for better visibility day or night, is located behind the headlight can.

To match the rest of the front end, a blackout treatment is added to a tapered aluminum handlebar. It has a narrow width of 29.92 inches from end to end and a slight rise that allows you to push off for a more upright riding position. If that isn’t sufficient, the triple clamps are designed to offer a four-position range of motion to assist you in finding an ideal position.

There are accessory kits for different foot peg positions if the stock position doesn’t suit you. The footpegs ride slightly lower than usual for this genre at the bottom of the rider’s triangle to spread the comfort downward. But the triangle’s peak is a different matter. I’m talking about the hand controls. To provide hassle-free setups, the clutch and front brake hand levers come standard with adjusters that allow you to dial your hand size.

The sculpted pilot’s saddle, which measures 32.2 inches tall, has a tapered front end that meets the slim tank over the narrow waist to increase comfort. It also offers a wide butt-support area. The seat shape and the extra-grippe texture of the seat cover work together to accommodate those genuine peg draggers who will use appropriate body language. To accommodate your Plus-One, a pillion pad, and sub-frame-mount, fold-up passenger foot pegs are standard. If you weren’t already close friends, you would be by the end of the ride because there aren’t any J.C. handles for the passenger to hang onto, forcing them to turn onto you instead.

The short mudguard is responsible for carrying the remaining equipment in the back. It includes the taillight, tag, tag light, and license-plate holder, which are all mounted on the molded fender ostensibly to make it easier to remove them all at once for actual racing.

Chassis

For the forward frame component of the 890 Duke, KTM relied on the strength and rigidity of tubular, chromium-molybdenum steel members. It establishes a 24-degree rake angle to put it deep in the elegant end of the spectrum. The 890 Duke uses the engine as a stressed member to connect the front and rear frame components to reduce the amount of frame and its associated weight. To further reduce weight and utilize every square inch of the purposefully small and narrow machine, the cast-aluminum subframe also serves as a housing for the engine’s air box.

The yoke-style swing arm, which carries molded-in reinforcement webbing for rigidity where needed with just the right amount of flexion engineered therein, is made of die-cast aluminum.

The steering damper, which absorbs the majority of the force from the nastiest of kickbacks, as well as all of the suspension components for the 890 Duke, are supplied by WP.

New spring rates and base valves on a specific factory setup profile were applied to the 43 mm, USD, and WP front forks. Another component is removed in the new WP Apex mono-shock at the rear, which acts directly on the swing arm with a new linear spring. The rolling chassis is completed by die-cast wheels lined with ContiRoad hoops, which Continental claims are sticky, have increased durability, and perform well in wet conditions.

Heavy lifting is handled by dual, four-bore calipers that bite 300 mm front discs, and a 240 mm rear disc is held at the back by a single-piston anchor.

ABS protection is standard equipment, and it’s not the boring kind either. The Bosch 9.1 MP system with the fancy Super Moto Mode on the 890 Duke lets you lock up the back wheel to unlock your fancy Super Moto moves. It is merely one element of the comprehensive Motorcycle Stability Control (MSC) system designed to keep you between the stripes and rubber side down.

Drive Train

The 890 Duke’s Rider Aids are very integrated with the engine control. They are included in the Ride Modes feature, which consists of the apex-predator and tuneable Track Mode as an option and the Sport Mode, Street Mode, and Rain Mode as standard equipment. Even the traction control (MTC) has a lean-sensitive design, so you can count on that added security when negotiating a curve. It also has an “Off” setting for when you really want to let the beast loose and rely solely on your driving skills.

To prevent excessive back torque from forming, Motor Slip Regulation modulates the throttle, further preserving the integrity of the rear contact patch.

Wheelie Control is also a standard feature, but, unfortunately, the Quick shifter-Plus was kept on the optional equipment list by the manufacturer. You can expect to operate both up and down the range with no clutch pressure if you decide to spring for it.

The 890 Duke does, however, have a slipper-type PASC clutch that transmits engine power to the six-speed transfixed and serves as an extra line of defense against excessive back-torque. It also delivers a very light pull weight to give your left hand a break.

The twin-cylinder, liquid-cooled mill has a displacement of 889 ccs and runs with a 90.7 mm bore and 68.8 mm stroke. To lessen the impact of the vibration, the factory used balancer shafts. Additionally, the weight of the pistons was reduced by lightening them. To reduce weight further, the sleeveless cylinders are made of aluminum bores with heat transfer and hardness enhancements.

What does this get you, exactly? The manufacturer estimates that you can get 115 horsepower, 67.9 pound-feet of torque, and a highly responsive, agile vehicle guaranteed to delight.

2022 KTM 890 Duke Sports Motorcycle – Pricing

The MSRP is maintained at a manageable $11,299 while having equipment from its high-end paddock companion, the 890 Duke R. You have a choice between two paint kits that, you guessed it, come in different arrangements of orange, black, and white.

KTM 890 Duke vs. Aprilia Dorsoduro 900

In this genre, especially, the Duke is a hard act to follow, so some engine- and handling-performance offset is to be expected.

The Italian stallion, powered by a V-twin, nearly hits the target displacement of 896 ccs but falls short in terms of performance, with a power output of 93 ponies and 66 pounds of grunt compared to the Duke’s 115/67.8. While the Eye-Tie still lags due to its limited electronics, the Dorsoduro has Aprilia’s Performance Ride Control feature, which combines the cornering ABS and traction-control settings with a Launch Control feature for easy and quick personality changes as well as safe whole shots.

Fair enough, the Duke is a hard act to follow, particularly in this genre, so some engine and handling performance offset is to be expected. Aprilia adopting a Duke is a tough act to follow than the Duke, primarily in the front-end bodywork and high-mount mudguard. However, of all the essential metrics, I’d say looks are at the bottom of the list as these are genuine form-follows-function bikes.

Pricing is close enough to imply collaboration with a more off-road-centric design that is applied uniformly.

2022 KTM 890 Duke Sports Motorcycle – Technical Specifications

Engine

Chassis