Riding The New 2023 KTM 790 Duke: Still As Good?

Thanks to all of my channel sponsors - you can find out more about each of them here!
Thanks to Beeline Moto for supporting the channel - my favourite little navigation device:
motobob.cc/u/beelinemoto
Also thanks to BeMoto bike insurance for supporting the channel:
www.bemoto.uk/motorbike-insur...
Quote "MOTOBOB" for free licence defence cover!
And also thanks to Speedo Angels for their support:
motobob.cc/u/speedoangels
Use "MOTOBOB20" for 20% off anything on the site!

[@jmaia91]

I currently own the "old-gen" 2019 790 Duke with 105hp + track mode/qs that came with the bike already, this is my first KTM and I have over 20k km on it. Despite the most common issues that many Duke owners probably had (valve cover gasket leak & coolant leak) there is something about this bike that brings a smile to my face every time I ride it. It is incredibly fun to ride both in and out of town and very nimble to swipe through Lisbon narrow roads, specially during peak hours. When I'm feeling hooligan enough it's just a matter of switching it to track mode and "suddenly" the front wheel doesn't want to touch the ground anymore. In overall it is indeed great bike that is suitable for both beginner and experienced riders alike.

[@yumyumbaboon]

Great bike the original and totally transformed when you put on some decent rubber and decent pads 👍

[@jmaia91]

@@yumyumbaboon Exactly. I've done quite a few mods and the ones that were most noticeable was changing brake pads to EBC HH pads and SFS wave rotors. Stock tyres are very "ok" in my opinion. I'm now with Mitas Sport Force+ EV with over 3.5k kms and I felt like it was very decent upgrade, it probably won't last as much as stock but it's the price I have to pay for having more grip :)

[@MotoGoato]

Agreed ... I've owned a 790 Duke from new since 2019 and love it. I'm always amazed at how much difference the riding modes make ... couple of button presses takes it from being an easy going, soft and friendly ride in rain mode to an aggressive, angry, weapon of a machine in track mode - then you can tune that aggression by selecting a different throttle response map within track mode .... awesome stuff!! Yeah mine has also had it's share of those very minor yet annoying little weeps of oil and coolant ... without those the 790 would be perfect - but even with them it's still 99% of the way there 😉

[@martinsrubiks]

it's exactly the same experience for me with my 2019 790 Duke (with the same minor complaints on coolant and gasket leak) :D but haven't been thinking of selling it for a second. Brings a smile to my face every time I fire it up and throw a leg over it.

[@raghavchinda7719]

Hey! What do you think of the 2020 Duke 790 vs the 2023/24 Street Triple R? I am in market for a middleweight upgrading from a Ninja 300 and getting a deal on Duke 790 2020 here in India. Need your opinion, Should I save a bit and wait for Street Triple 2023 when it launches here or pull the trigger on the 790.

[@bobz1736]

Nice one Bob ! That's gonna have a lot of other manufacturers worried 😢 Gotta say, that's one of the best looking standard silencers on any modern bike 👍

[@jasonwaller6778]

I had the original 790, the clutch switch was broken on delivery - not a big deal but then I lost all electrics at about 500 miles, the whole wiring loom had to be replaced under warranty which took weeks. The original tyres (Maxxis if they still fit them) were bad in cold or wet and the brakes a bit wooden. Having said that it would not put me off getting another, probably the most fun and best handling bike I have ridden :)

[@maxrider7880]

The 890s and last of the old gen 790s were built by CF MOTO! I do not understand why people seem to think that being built in China means the build or quality is somehow compromised. China can build anything as well if not better than anyone else if required. People are happy to spend thousands on Apple iPhone, Macbooks, ipads etc believing they are the best built things in the world, and maybe they are, but they are also built in China. BMW and KTM and companies like Airbus would not be asking China to build their products if they thought for a second that they were inferior. People may not agree with the way China is governed, but you can't argue with their workmanship. Yes, there have been crappy Chinese bikes, but they were only crappy if that is what the market demanded from them, if the companies they were building for had demanded quality, they'd have built quality. The mindset on Chinese products has to change, there are as capable than anyone else, if not more so in some instances.

[@alexmorgan3435]

You are paid by the CCP?

[@mannyechaluce3814]

Joe Biden is made in China, that is the only way a 900 year old geezer run a country, Hecho en China

[@mannyechaluce3814]

Covid is made in China, that is is amazing in what it does, and it will be around forever lingering :D Hecho en China !!

[@gageblack8059]

What can be said, People are small minded and don’t care to educate themselves

[@silotx]

The 890s were not built in China they were built in Austria and they had their fair share of problems the 790s are built in China now and they might be better lol.

[@thorstenkochling4750]

I would prefer this to the much more expensive 890, as I don't need that extra power on the road. The lower price comes down to cheap labor in China though I guess. One thing I would really like to see is KTM updating their mirrors from the model they have been using now since the late 17th century.

[@krummdiddlyumptious1784]

😂😂I was at my local KTM dealer today and man, I don’t know why they keep using those mirrors. Even the 1290 super Duke gt has absolutely horrid mirrors it’s comical

[@banestock]

We need a shootout comparing all the bikes in this segment including the two new bikes from Suzuki and honda, the Ducati monster and Aprila tuono 660 and the trident.

[@motobob]

I agree. My local dealer stocks a lot of these bikes so I may well head down there and try to hook it up

[@MotoGoato]

Can't really include the Monster though .... cost is far too high at £11.2K ... all the others are well under £10K. Someone in the market for a brand new £7k to £8K bike (as almost all the other are in that exact bracket apart from the Aprilia at £8.7K) isn't going to be looking at bikes as expensive as the Monster ... even a used one is going to cost more than some of the others mentioned.

[@mindcave]

​​@@MotoGoato I think the fact the Monster costs that much is every reason to include it. It would highlight just how much bang for buck the other bikes can offer. I'd attest that the Hornet is 90%(plus?) of the Monster for around 60% of the price. What would you do with the spare change? I bought a sauna, and to add, am having just as much fun on the Hornet as I did riding the Monster. For what one gets, the Monster is overpriced. Great bike! But overpriced.

[@MotoGoato]

@@mindcave you know what, to be fair, you're not wrong ... I've just checked out the specs on the Monster and quite honestly would expect a hell of a lot more for the asking price, genuinely thought it offered more than it does so I stand well corrected there. I guess thats the premium ya pay for having the Ducati badge 🤷‍♂ Hope you're enjoying your sauna 😉

[@spartanx169x]

The biggest issue with Chinese built is not the turning and tightening of the bolts, but the allowable tolerances. The Chinese 99% of the time are not strict about the tolerances because it slows the process. Look up the Chinese made shotgun on youtube as a prime example, its absolutely garbage for that reason. IF, I stress IF KTM is strict with them about the tolerances, then the bike will be okay. But KTM DID already have a problem with some of their bikes being make in China a couple of years ago for this reason.

[@drbigmix7752]

I’m getting mine in a week. Scared about the reliability side. Coming from an 2021 MT07 that to be fair, only suffered from a few punctures.

[@abymathew295]

KTM 690 parallel twins will also be made in India soon.

[@jackjewell6926]

Ordered mine today! 3 weeks away :)

[@javiervar494]

Good job 👍✌️

[@eclipsegfxable]

Wonder if they have fixed the coolant/engine leaks also the front disks tending to warp eventually. Despite all that though I still love the bike.

[@niks2017]

they fixed all these issues back in 2020

[@Snotroggel453]

As much as i do like these crazy ktm’s i’ll just stick with the ‘made in japan’ bikes 😅

[@RobDaKid87]

I think it's still 105 freedom units here in the states not 95.

[@loztagain8278]

I mean, hands down on looks alone I'd have the KTM. But gotta remember this segment is filled with daily drivers, and the KTM reliability is a big question mark

[@NuggetMaate]

How is the seat height for more vertically challenged people. For example, a 30inch leg? No one seems to mention if it is short leg friendly or not.

[@tommack8650]

"A race bike for the road with a dirtbike feel ... Sounds like the perfect bike for this OG hooning around town 🤙

[@raghavchinda7719]

Hey! What do you think of the 2020 Duke 790 vs the 2023/24 Street Triple R? I am in market for a middleweight upgrading from a Ninja 300 and getting a deal on Duke 790 2020 here in India. Need your opinion, Should I save a bit and wait for Street Triple 2023 when it launches here or pull the trigger on the 790.

[@cosbro5389]

hopefully it will have no oil leaks

[@marinusk67]

The jerkiness at low speed is not nice. The plastics and buttons feel flimsy and cheap . Missed the back break lever a couple of times , you have to bend your foot inwards.🦧 The suspension is good , the steering is good and when you open the throttle it goes 🤠. Could be a perfect bike but it is not

[@willfriar5163]

Another great watch . My new bike shortlist this summer is this or bmw f900 r . Think bmw is just ahead

[@barracuda017]

I've had both, 790 is way more fun. sold the f900r and kept the 790

[@williamsummerside5102]

What's the jacket you have on in this video??

[@MrJohnQCitizen]

Looks like my own Fowler's demo route

[@nishiki7047]

Really fancy a Honda CB650R , but now think I need to ride one of these 👍🏼

[@patluvv]

much more ALIVE ! forget the honda !

[@arnoldjrimmer6527]

The question is, will we see an A2 husqvarna svartpilen 801?

[@antoniogavarra]

here in the Philippines, 390s & 790s are locally made by ayala group. We even export in some neighbouring countries

[@chriswest2290]

Assembled you mean

[@antoniogavarra]

@@chriswest2290 yes and no Sir, 80% of the components are locally sourced the other 20% i guess is the engine. Probably from china

[@chriswest2290]

@@antoniogavarra you're totally incorrect. It's only partially assembled here in the Philippines. The bike is made by bahja in India. It's all a front to get a tax break. They pretend it's made in pH for a tax break. When it's really made in India.

[@antoniogavarra]

Ok, thanks for the info

[@chriswest2290]

@@antoniogavarra you're welcome 👍

[@paulfowler6665]

I owned a 390 duke for 6 years and loved it with no real problems but have just replaced it with a hornet not a 790. At £6999 on the road its a better buy. I rode the old 790 and it didn't put a smile on my face like the Hornet does. Hope to see a back to back between the 2 bikes though

[@The.JZA.]

What did you like more about the Hornet? I have a duke 390 and thinking about upgrading. I had written off the Hornet because I don’t like the way it looks, especially the engine, but I have heard good things about it. Maybe I judged it too quickly.

[@DiZZoLabs]

Coming from a 35hp KLR 650 to the 790 Duke makes it feel like a rocket ship. How much power do you really need for the road. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@HowToMakeAWookieRage]

always feels dissapointing to me when a big manufacturer moves production overseas, and is especially funny to me when they already had questionable quality/reliability to begin with.

[@1MrBryn]

My BMW F900 had a Chinese built engine. I've had it for three years now and (touch wood) it's been faultless.

[@MotoGoato]

the F900 has it's own race series in the UK now, supporting the British Super Bikes events .... they must be doing something right over in China 😉

[@1222dan]

Been riding for 20 years. Want a new lightweight bike to just run around town. Do I buy this KTM or the Trident 660?

[@jonomasonILoveU]

kTm anyday😁

[@iodineclip]

Is it that much expensive to give us adjustable front forks?

[@MotoGoato]

it's about £1200 + fitting to upgrade the stock 790 forks with KTMs WP Apex Pro adjustable cartridges

[@alexmorgan3435]

Made by CFMoto puts me right off. The new Honda Hornet looks a better bike or a Street Triple RS, a couple of years old, mint with low miles for similar money.

[@wwfww]

I couldn’t live with this bike knowing that the 890 exists

[@Aambeiennl]

i couldn't live with this bike knowing that the 1290 r exists

[@dukie1616]

I really do hope they hold together and create many more happy 890 owners. I’m still thinking the Hornet will be the standout though, for price, specs and reliability. Also I’m pretty sure that engine is very capable. It’ll be a surprise to most. Thank you for the video👏

[@motobob]

My pleasure - cheers Dukie

[@roadrunner5555]

Hope it better than my 890 duke r . 842 miles quickshifter stopped working then got stuck in 3rd gear . Replaced it with mt09 . Great bike but at 11k plus dont expect these sort of problems . Ktm need work on reliability issues .

[@UrbanoModa]

I ride KTM dukes, that one looks a bit cheap and trimmed, right down to the brakes. I can see this leaving a gap for Yamaha and Suzuki to snooker its competition. KTM is king for me personally, and the price is very nice but it looks miserable and cheap, even on the tank paint and graphics you can see they have cut corners.

[@BikingVikingHH]

Is this a single cylinder?

[@abymathew295]

Parallel twin

[@zefautino]

YES. It has a single cylinder on each side of the engine.

[@BikingVikingHH]

@@zefautino oooOoOooOooOoOoOOOOO!! one of them newfangled “dual single cylinder” machines… I heard about them!

[@zefautino]

@@BikingVikingHH 😂

[@jonomasonILoveU]

I love kTm😁

[@MrEvhel83]

so this or honda hornet?

[@MotoGoato]

The 790 offers better performance and most likely a larger grin factor ... the Hornet offers not quite as much performance but will most likely be more reliable. I'd say if you're looking for a hooning toy it's gotta be the 790 but if you're looking for something to ride every day and commute on the Hornet would be the better bet. Plus of course you'd save a cool £1000 by buying the Hornet ... which could be used for a tasty end can and an ECU tune - that would help close the performance gap to the 790 a bit. If I had £8K to spend on a bike right now I'd be torn between them, lol. Thats coming from someone who's owned a 790 Duke since 2019 😉

[@mindcave]

Orange = Nope. If KTM got out their box and offered color variety, they'd take a bigger stake in the segment. Seems a little stubborn to stay so close to the brand identity. I get it, brands have their statement colors, but if Kawasaki can branch away from their green, Suzuki their blue, Ducati their red etc, KTM can too.

[@rs660alec3]

There’s a black one

[@mindcave]

@@rs660alec3 with orange on it, right?

[@gageblack8059]

@@mindcave sad bastard😂 go watch and comment on another video

[@barracuda017]

there's a gray one too@@mindcave

[@mindcave]

@@barracuda017 yes. With orange on it.

[@josejpl69]

Chinese makes whatever you paid for. It can be good or bad quality.

[@Beedji]

If only Husqvarna did a redesign of this great (yet horrendous-looking) bike.

[@catalin1588]

Yeah, but it would aslo be more money, so would it worth it?

[@mindcave]

If only KTM offered more colours than orange!

[@jonomasonILoveU]

they do😁 @@mindcave

[@mindcave]

@@jonomasonILoveU no they don't. Everything has orange on it.

[@soonwillmoon4479]

It freaks me out to see you riding on the right lane 😅

[@SonriseSunset]

The 790 for the US market, according to their web site has 77KW of power = 103.259HP. So the Euro version has 95 HP? KTM website doesn’t give torque #s, only saying that, “ …unit give peak grunt at 8,000rpms”. Course, as a retail buyer, unless you had it dyno’d, how would you know if you got a non US version and paid $9199 for it! Lol. I ‘m just trying to imagine the Chinese right now thinking about how much they like the US and want to screw some US customer out of their money? Too cheesy a thought? At least now I know why the US 790 costs $1200 more for 8 more ponies!

[@jaafersa]

That 1200 difference is due to two different currencies. It costs 8000 British pounds in the UK, and 9200 USD in the US. And if you do convert the currencies, we actually get the better deal, as 8000 pounds is 10400 dollars.

[@Conquer_123]

It doesn't look as premium as Street triple

[@barracuda017]

it's not as premium, 790 is more hooligan and fun in looks and ride

[@gkbike7002]

I researched a 1290. Not in a million years, they breakdown constantly. So a Chinese ktm is like a Lada made in Russia.

[@jonomasonILoveU]

I fucking hate Ladas🤣

[@mrcintheuk4641]

I have no wish to support the current Chinese totalitarian state regime, so while there are still other options I'll choose those.

[@ShnehansuRajBaruah]

KTM and CFMoto only have a JV that's supposed to sell bikes in China only. Ownership of KTM lies with Pierer Mobility AG(51%) and Bajaj Auto(49%)

[@chriswest2290]

Absolutely agreed 👍

[@smaze1782]

So are they just assembling the bike in China or are they actually manufacturing the parts? Because if they’re just assembling them I could probably get behind it.

[@jonomasonILoveU]

cfmoto are assembling under close supervision by kTm staff on site in the factory

[@lovelessissimo]

Nope.

[@kugangles9860]

No thanks. Not really interested in a "made in China" KTM.

[@chriswest2290]

Agreed

[@trroland1248]

A Chinese-made KTM?! 🤦🏼‍♂️ No thanks.

[@jonomasonILoveU]

if you own a vehicle of any type if you own anything electrical mostly china made even my motowear china made🤣

[@chriswest2290]

Agreed.

[@robbikebob]

I don't care if its made in Austria, China or the moon, KTM look awful!

[@sd3457]

Chinese manufacture is a hard "no" for me. India, Thailand, Brazil, no worries but China? Nope.

[@MrSnackpackable]

🤔

[@zefautino]

Yeah... because we've never seen the LACK of quality of the Hondas built in Brasil, have we?

[@spartanx169x]

@@zefautino Poor tolerances enforcement by the Chinese. Hence why all the knockoffs of anything on Amazon are utterly crap for literally anything you buy.

[@spartanx169x]

@@MrSnackpackable Find a Apple Charger cord that can last longer than 6 months that is a knock off Chinese brand and then get back to me, Or something that requires strict tolerances like shotgun. Chinese made shotguns are utter garbage as one example.

[@zefautino]

@@spartanx169x Why would anyone buy a chinese made shotgun? In the factory those are known as suicide tools.

[@mm93249]

Chinese KTM, everything on it felt put together in China.