There are a few things in life that will give you as much of an adrenaline shot as playing with the limit of grip on a racetrack with a fast sport bike. But on the street, they’re hot, uncomfortable, and rarely get into the power band at legal speeds. That’s where naked bikes come in. These were once street-only machines, but today, the lines keep getting blurred between different types of motorcycles.
We’re here to talk about such a motorcycle that exists in a grey area between a sport bike and a street bike. It has all the tools for great fun on a racetrack – except for the fact that it doesn’t have a fairing, and has an upright seating position that makes it great for riding around town. This is the motorcycle that blurs the line between sport and street.
The KTM 990 Duke R Is The Motorcycle That Blurs The Line Between Sport And Street
The 990 Duke took over the mantle of the 890 Duke in 2023. That was not a very old product, having been launched as the 890 Duke R in 2020. The 990 switched it up a little, and the R variant has the extra features that make it sportier than the standard one. That, along with KTMs being as aggressive as they usually are, is what makes the 990 Duke R the motorcycle that blurs the line between sport and street.
KTM 990 Duke R Price: $13,399
The 990 Duke R is priced roughly $1,000 more than the regular 990 Duke. If you value performance and are going to do a few track days, it is well worth the price of admission. You get more power, upgraded suspension, better brakes, and lighter wheels. Plus, you get access to more electronics features to help you get faster on a track or hoon around the street. We know the pricing also trends well into liter naked territory, but the 990 Duke R offers a lighter experience and is also a much more modern product than the liter nakeds that compete with it on price.
The 990 Duke Has The Largest KTM Parallel Twin Engine
KTM has always been an advocate of the twin-cylinder engine, and in modern times, the parallel twin has taken over everyone’s designs. The 990 Duke R’s LC8c 947 cc engine is now KTM’s largest displacement parallel twin. It has a 270-degree firing order, and puts out 130 horsepower and 76 pound-feet of torque. It can rev to a really high 10,500 RPM, and the mill itself weighs just 126 pounds. Being a KTM ‘R’ model, it has all the electronic aids you can think of and then some, thanks to a six-axis IMU and a by-wire throttle. There is a six-speed manual gearbox on offer, with a two-way quickshifter.
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Razor-Sharp Handling Makes The 990 Duke R Quite Fun
The 990 Duke R starts out with the same chromoly steel trellis frame as the standard 990 Duke, and it uses the engine as a stressed member. However, everything around the chassis is upgraded. The suspension is by WP, but the front fork is 48 mm (a 5 mm increase), and the rear shock has a progressive linkage. You get adjustment for compression and rebound at the front, while the rear enables adjustment for the high and low speed compression, the rebound, and the preload. Travel available is 5.6 inches at the front and 5.5 inches at the rear.
The wheels are the same aluminum units from the 1390 Super Duke R and are fitted with Michelin Power Cup 2 tires (120/70 17 front and 180/55 17 rear). The brakes are larger 320 mm discs at the front, with Brembo Stylema calipers. Again, this is an upgrade from the M4.32s on the standard 990 Duke. At the rear, a 240 mm disc has a single piston caliper.
KTM 990 Duke R Dimensions
The 990 Duke R weighs 419 pounds, but the different suspension has raised its ground clearance and seat height ever so slightly over the standard bike. The new figures are 8.3 inches and 33.1 inches, respectively. Its footpegs are also placed higher and further back to gain an extra three degrees of lean angle. A 3.9-gallon fuel tank is good enough when you consider KTM’s 51 MPG claimed efficiency, but we’re not sure many owners will achieve that simply because of how fun this bike is.
KTM 990 Duke R Features
There is quite a lot to unpack here. The 990 Duke R gets one of the new-generation TFT displays that is an extreme landscape mode, quite like the 690 Enduro R’s screen. This is much larger, at 8.8 inches, and is a capacitive touchscreen. There is also a ‘split screen’ mode that allows you to see information as well as navigation or track information.
If you buy the optional ‘Track Mode’, you get access to wheelie control (five levels, plus off), launch control, lap timing, and data logging. These features are enabled for the first 932 miles, after which they get locked, and you need to purchase them. As always, there are a bunch of PowerParts available in the accessories list.
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KTM 990 Duke R Competition
There are some very good options to the 990 Duke R. Given an infinite budget, it would be difficult not to choose the MV Agusta Dragster America, but its price of $22,098 and exclusivity mean that nobody is going to track one of these. Another European street bike that costs a similar amount at $13,195 is the Ducati Monster. However, the Testastretta 11° engine’s Desmodromic valves mean you can’t really use it for lots of miles without incurring high additional cost over the competition.
The Triumph Street Triple 765 RS matches up well with the 990 Duke R. It is priced similarly ($13,845), makes near-identical power (128 HP), has a twin spar aluminum chassis, Showa and Öhins fully adjustable suspension, and Brembo Stylema brake calipers as well. You get a very different inline-triple engine, though, so bear that in mind.
However, if you’re going to flog your naked bike at a racetrack regularly, you’ll want something a little more reliable and cheaper to repair. The Yamaha MT-09 SP costs less and offers less power, but the CP3 crossplane inline 3 is a thrill a minute. Similarly, it has fully adjustable KYB forks and an Öhlins shock coupled with Brembo Stylema brakes. Oh, and the entire electronics suite is included in the price. Not only that, it has keyless ignition, cruise control, a USB-C charging socket, and the handlebars and footpegs can be set to two different positions.
KTM 990 Duke R Vs Yamaha MT-09 SP
|
Model |
KTM 990 Duke R |
Yamaha MT-09 SP |
|
Price |
$13,399 |
$12,599 |
|
Engine |
270° I2 |
Crossplane I3 |
|
Displacement |
947 cc |
890 cc |
|
Power |
130 HP @ 9,500 RPM |
119 HP @ 10,000 RPM |
|
Torque |
76 LB-FT @ 6,750 RPM |
68.6 LB-FT @ 7,000 RPM |
|
Curb Weight |
419 LBs (wet) |
428 LBs (wet) |
Source: KTM USA