KTM has teased two 'new' 890 Duke models, details of which are thin on the ground. Full reveals to come online in February.
Two New KTM 890 Duke Models on the Way
KTM will be revealing two new 890 Duke models in February: one only a few days away and one on the 22nd of the month.
If you're looking for lots of details at this point, however, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed: all we have at the moment are the names.
In a short press release, with a single image, KTM announced their 'Midweight NAKED' campaign. The image doesn't reveal anything other than a pair of blurred motorcycles in the background.
This is the wording of the press release:
7 February
KTM 890 DUKE R – An even sharper iteration of THE SUPER SCALPEL slices onto the scene.
22 February
KTM 890 DUKE GP – A Grand Prix-inspired entry into DUKEDOM.
"Orange bleeders can look forward to a refreshed KTM 890 DUKE R, which sees some fresh new colourways, catapulting THE SUPER SCALPEL to the top step of the Midweight segment. A new DUKE offering also enters the fray, with a Grand Prix-inspired KTM 890 DUKE stepping into the ring as a true title contender.
"In typical KTM fashion, Midweight NAKED February will be a no-holds-barred event, unleashing the best middleweight nakeds into the market. Keep your RPM high and your clutch at the ready for the full release of the aforementioned models."
All we can glean from that is that the 890 Duke R is an updated model, although what those updates amount to is another matter.
As for the 'GP' being a 'Grand Prix-inspired entry', well this is a bit more difficult to fathom. Motorcycle racing hasn't been called 'Grand Prix' for a long time - it is now MotoGP - and what possible changes could they have made to the bike to warrant the name Grand Prix? It's all rather intriguing.
Further confusion comes from a KTM dealer's website in the UK. Colwyn Bay KTM already has three new 890 Duke models uploaded, albeit without images. But there are prices, although how accurate they are is another matter.
What is interesting is that the 890 Duke R is the highest priced model, followed by the 890 Duke Grand Prix and the base model 890 Duke. So that tells us that the GP won't be the full-fat, all bells and whistles, no-holds-barred, out and out, all singing, all dancing (OK, that's enough. Ed) model. Quite what it will be we will have to wait until the 22nd Feb for.
Given that the 890 Dukes are possibly the best road bikes KTM makes, this can only be exciting news.