After the 790 Duke, KTM’s next higher capacity motorcycle in India could be The Super Scalpel - the KTM 890 Duke R, which made its public debut at the EICMA 2019 in Milan, Italy.
KTM is preparing to launch the 890 Duke R in the international markets soon. The Austrian company recently created a special digital media presentation of the same where it talked about the bike’s various features. However, there was no information about KTM 890 Duke R’s launch in India, until now.
A new report says that KTM is indeed considering to bring the Super Scalpel to our country. The company is evaluating its options and could launch the 890 Duke R in India sometime in the middle or second half of 2021. As far as the pricing is concerned, in the UK, the KTM 890 Duke R is around GBP 1,500 (INR 1.41 lakh) more expensive than the 790 Duke. In India, it could fall in the price range of INR 10-11 lakh (ex-showroom) which will make it even a more expensive affair than the KTM 790 Duke, which is a great motorcycle but has been criticised for its high price.
For that extra money, KTM is providing a lot of equipment. To begin with, the 890 Duke R features fully-adjustable 43 mm split-open cartridge WP Apex USD forks at the front and a fully adjustable monoshock at the rear. The front brake assembly consists of dual 320 mm rotors with Brembo Stylema Calipers and is 1.2 kg lighter from that of the 790 Duke. Some of the electronics of the Super Scalpel include a lean-angle sensitive traction control system which offers four riding modes (Sport, Street, Rain and Track) and an engine slip control.
The 890 Duke R uses a bigger, 890 cc liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine which produces 121 PS of maximum power at 9,250 rpm and 99 Nm of torque at 7,750 rpm. It is linked to a 6-speed gearbox. This engine has a new crankshaft, connecting rod, larger and lighter pistons and a camshaft with an aggressive profile. KTM has also made changes for faster gear shifts.
Also Read: BS-VI KTM 790 Duke to arrive in May 2020, BS-IV version available at a steep discount
If launched in India, the KTM 890 Duke R would be a niche model but it will definitely attract true enthusiasts. It will also give some tough competition to other high-end middleweight motorcycles, like the soon-to-be-launched 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS, for instance.
[Source: Autocar India]
