The New KTM Is Spotted Yet Again
The development of the next KTM 990 Duke, which will be the next replacement for the Austrian brand’s middleweight naked, appears to be moving forward. KTM first saw a test mule of an early prototype of the impending 990 Duke in July of last year, and it appears that the company is slowly but steadily moving forward with what is believed to be a radically reworked engine for the new bike. With future pollution and noise rules tightening, KTM looks to have redesigned the engine, increasing the displacement to help offset some of the changes.
What’s New
Aside from some adjustments to handle the slightly larger engine and an all-new swingarm, the chassis design remains mostly unchanged. The new aluminium swingarm appears to be beefier, but it also appears to be completely different, implying that it will be lighter and stiffer, as well as having a new design to match the revised exhaust placement. The bike will also receive new bodywork, including a new front mudguard, sharper tank surrounds, and new radiator shrouds, giving it a more aggressive look. The rear subframe appears to have also been overhauled, with new rider and passenger seats.
But this still is a prototype and not a production-ready model. So, it may be sometime away till KTM introduces the new 990 Duke. The new parallel-twin 990 cc engine is expected to be heavily updated, and could be all-new as well, and will also have a significant increase in performance over the current 121 bhp of the KTM 890 Duke. What could also be expected is that the KTM will introduce the 990 as a top-spec middleweight “Super Duke,” while the 890 will continue to co-exist. More details are expected in the coming months.
Image Credits : Motorradonline