KTM Duke 990 Review – Motorcycle Test

6 months ago 114

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KTM Duke 990 Review

When I first rode the Duke 990 back to back with the Super Duke 1390 last year, I said I’d probably take the 990 in the real world. I was as surprised as anyone that I liked the bike so much last year because, put simply, I love the big Super Duke. It’s big and roomy without being overly heavy. Has massive amounts of grunt on tap, yet is easy to ride. A wheelie fiend’s dream. And comfy!

So how could I like the middleweight version more? Well, when you look at the other side of the coin… the 990 is a little smaller, lighter, more nimble, more practical, and easier again to ride than the big dog. That 123 hp and 103 Nm of torque are as eager as they are accessible. And that last bit is important.

I’ve always felt that the 120-140 hp bracket is about where it’s at for most riders, myself included. Grunty enough to keep up with nearly anything on the road in good hands – but more to the point, it’s usable. You can ride hard if the mood strikes and feel like you’re close to getting the most out of it.

There is something to be said for the sheer joy of hustling a machine along at a pace somewhere near its peak performance. As awesome as it is to ride the 1390 with its 190 hp and monstrous 145 Nm of torque (and it is), not many people could say the same about being able to ride it anywhere close to its peak capability. I know I can’t.

The 990 is also about 10 big ones cheaper than the 1390. Even more affordable right now if you stroll into your KTM dealer, as they’re offering some serious deals via KTM Kash.

Now, the elephant in the room here is the financial pickle they’ve seen themselves get into last year. Clearly, mistakes were made. But that’s not what I’m diving into here (Trev has done a great job of covering the financial saga and restructuring over here if you haven’t seen it).

I’m not alone in feeling relieved knowing that it looks like they’re on the way out of that because, put simply, we need healthy brands that are as unashamedly rider-focused and passionate about building bikes that are FUN.

So the plan, coming home from that 30-year Duke celebration last year, was to run an extended test on home soil to see if my suspicions were correct, in that it would shine on Aussie roads. Well. It may have taken a while… but I finally have my grubby little mitts on one.

Spoiler – Is the Duke 990 any good?

After putting over 5,000 kilometres on the 990, I can confidently say it is everything I thought it would be. Maybe even more. So much so that I’ve decided not to give it back; this one is staying in the shed. We have a new project bike! But we’ll come back to that.

It starts with the driveline.

The updated LC8 engine seems mechanically quieter than the early production models I tested in Spain. It’s absolutely faultless off the bottom and through its meaty midrange. Beautifully fuelled, in either Road, Sport, Performance or Track mode – with the latter three having the slightly sharper throttle and punchier response by default. I started in Road mode for the first few days, then once I switched to Performance mode, it hasn’t been switched back.

The reason is that performance mode lets you adjust all your settings to your liking. Throttle response, ABS, TC (which is adjustable on the fly), wheelie control, launch control… the works. Love, love, love it. I don’t see myself changing back out of that mode, given it has adjustable TC, but I have programmed the customisable function button on the left switch block to shortcut straight to Modes just in case.

The main difference between Performance mode and Track mode can be boiled down to this: Performance is for maximum adjustability for on-road riding, and Track is for… Well… the same on the track. Performance retains access to cruise control and Bluetooth connectivity, while Track mode drops those in favour of things like a track-focused dash layout, lap timing and telemetry. Ironically, both modes give you access to launch control.

To get access to all the goodies, you will need to tick some extra boxes. You can opt for most features individually, but most folks will go for the option Packs that are better value.

The Track pack gets you:

Launch Control, Adjustable Traction control, Engine Map selection, Telemetry, Lap timing, Track Mode, Performance Mode and Wheelie Control.

The Tech pack gets you the Track pack, plus: Cruise Control, Motor Slip Regulation (that’s KTM’s stability control for hard braking), the quickshifter and an adaptive brake light (that flashes under severe braking).

It’s a lovely engine really, and I expect it will get even better with even more miles on the clock. So eager. And man, is it an absolute rocket away from the lights. Possibly the easiest bike to launch consistently well that I’ve ever ridden. No doubt there are some anti-stall electro-smarts helping out there, the engine pulls so cleanly it makes you look like a start line pro.

The quickshifter too, seems less ‘blunt’ than the one I rode last year. It’s still not the smoothest feeling shift on the foot, and compared to the rest of the bike is arguably the most raw element. Some will like the racy feel – others will feel it’s not as smooth as it could be. Me? I’m in both camps depending on the mood. But the rev matching is on point and the box is already starting to loosen up nicely.

The Duke 990 feels really un-intimidating and easy to ride.

I want to mention the bike’s physical size. Now I’m more than comfortable on the big Super Duke, and if anything, when stepping across from a bigger bike, you immediately notice the 990 being slightly smaller. But it’s not too small. In fact, once you spend a few days on it, you come to realise that the lightness and extra agility it offers just add to its usability.

This is a bike that you can jump on without feeling overawed by its power. Literally jump on and GO. The seat is comfy enough, and the bars and peg relationship is neutral enough.

The front headlight design, while polarising in its appearance, does a good job of channelling air onto your chest, and there is zero buffeting on my nice new Airoh Matryx carbon lid. Cracking helmet by the way. Super light, super comfy, pre-moulded channels for Bluetooth speakers and cabling. Very smart.

All of the switch gear is easy to use (easier than the more complicated Super Duke, in fact) with good-sized buttons and nice tactile feedback. Everything looks and feels like it’s quality stuff.

Nice dash and TFT design, easy to read with a configurable strip of data points that lets you choose which elements you want displayed on screen. Much love to that designer. I have found that the range-to-empty seems to run a little faster as the fuel load drops, though. One to keep an eye on.

But the handling is the highlight.

That chassis and Apex suspension. Oh. My. Word. Out of the box, it’s close to spot on for all-around duties. I added one more click of preload to the rear and… that’s it. That puts the rear shock into the Sport setting according to the handy guide under the seat, but I’ve left the front as is for now. They seem to be working nicely front to back for my 87-90ish kilos (depending on how many muffins I’ve demolished that week).

And man – that front end is something else. It’s immensely good. I’m not sure I remember being as impressed with the way a bike changed direction and cornered in the real world in a long time. If ever.

Riding the bike back-to-back on a recent photo shoot with another brand’s mid-capacity naked bike only highlighted it further. That front just wants to pull itself around the corner. And every time you up the ante a little and hit the corner that smidgen quicker? It giggles at you and feels even better.

The brakes, too, are excellent. More than enough power and plenty of feel. That rear brake in particular has loads of feel on the lever and is excellent for assisting slow-speed control around town and in traffic.

Surely the 990 has its shortcomings though?

The only one that I can call out’s the lack of cruise control as a standard fitment. While it’s available when you tick an option or buy the Tech pack, I’d have really liked to see that as standard in 2025. While these bikes may not be built for highway cruising, I know my commute has a boring 40-minute stretch with several speed cameras, and it’s just more pleasant some mornings when I can dab the ‘don’t get a ticket’ button.

It doesn’t come with heated grips as standard either, which I would have liked last week when we had two zero-degree mornings here to begin my commute. My heated gloves from Five kicked in for the win there, but I will be ordering the heated grips.

And then there’s the whole Demo mode thing, which seems massively controversial. I understand the thinking from a manufacturing streamlining perspective and actually don’t mind the idea. Not everyone shares that opinion though… Either way, in my case, once demo mode ran its course, the tech packs were deactivated, which was a bit of a pain. It could have been that my bike wasn’t set up correctly as delivered, given it was a press bike that I’ve subsequently decided to buy… So maybe that process is not always the case.

I’d have expected the tech packs to be able to be fully activated prior to the end of demo mode, which I couldn’t do in my case, as we had some shenanigans with a significant retail chain going under, and my local KTM store shutting down right at the time I was picking the bike up.

So we have a new project bike!

Which brings me back to the fact that the 990 Duke will be staying in my shed. I simply couldn’t pass up the current price offer – there’s just so much bike for the money. My first big bike was a 1000 cc twin that had 120 hp and 107 Nm of torque, so we’ve come full circle. This is about the same output but is far, far easier to ride and uses way less fuel.

Expect more Duke Diary videos to follow over the next few months as I tinker and add a few bits and bobs. It’s begging for a full system (already arrived and waiting to be installed), and I’m told there’s another 10ish hp there waiting to be unlocked. Giggedy. Once that’s done, I want to take it to the track for a fang and see how the suspension holds up there, too.

Welcome to the stable, little Sniper. Let’s have some fun together.

KTM Duke 990 Hits:

Brilliant chassis and suspension package that’s more than happy to play weekend warrior and weekday commuter. That front end… holy moly.
Absolutely cracking engine. Traffic light demon, incredibly mannered and oh-so-accessible.
Great tech and customisable modes too (once you install the packs).
Crazy value at the current discounts!

KTM Duke 990 Misses:

Gearbox quickshift action might be too racey for some (but a bit of clutch sorts it if you’re in that mood).
Cruise control should be standard fitment in 2025, not an optional extra.
Demo mode remains controversial. The end of which was a little annoying for me, as all the tech packs shut off for a little while until it was turned back on at the first service.

2025 KTM Duke 990 Specifications

2024 KTM Duke 990 Specifications
ENGINE	2 cylinder, 4 stroke, DOHC Parallel twin (EURO5+)
DISPLACEMENT	947 cc
BORE / STROKE	92.5 / 70,4 mm
POWER	123 hp @ 9,500 rpm
TORQUE	103 Nm @ 6,750 rpm
COMPRESSION RATIO	13.5:1
STARTER / BATTERY	Electric / 12V 10Ah
TRANSMISSION	Six gears
FUEL SYSTEM	DKK Dellorto (Throttle body 46mm)
CONTROL	4 valves per cylinder / DOHC
LUBRICATION	Pressure lubrication with 2 oil pumps
ENGINE OIL	Motorex, Power Synth SAE 10W-50
PRIMARY DRIVE	42:76
FINAL DRIVE (SECONDARY)	16:43
COOLING	Liquid cooled with water/oil heat exchanger
CLUTCH	Cable operated PASC Slipper clutch
EMS	Bosch EMS with RBW
TRACTION CONTROL	MTC (lean angle sensitive, 3-Mode disengageable + Track / Performance optional)
FUEL CONSUMPTION	4.7 l / 100km
FRAME	Chromium-Molybdenum-Steel frame using the engine as stressed element, powder coated
SUBFRAME	Aluminium, powder coated
HANDLEBAR	Aluminium, tapered, Ø 28 / 22 mm
FRONT SUSPENSION	WP APEX 43 mm
ADJUSTABILITY	Compression, rebound (5 click)
REAR SUSPENSION	WP APEX Monoshock
ADJUSTABILITY	Rebound (5 click), manual preload
SUSPENSION TRAVEL F/R	140 / 150mm
FRONT BRAKE	2 × radially mounted 4 piston caliper, brake disc Ø 300 mm
REAR BRAKE	2 piston caliper, brake disc Ø 240 mm
ABS	Bosch 9.3 MP (incl. Cornering-ABS and Supermoto mode)
WHEELS FRONT / REAR	Cast aluminium wheels 3.50 × 17“; 5.50 × 17“
TIRES FRONT / REAR	Bridgestone S22, 120 / 70 ZR 17, 180 / 55 ZR 17
CHAIN X-Ring	520
SILENCER	Stainless steel primary and secondary silencer
STEERING HEAD ANGLE	65.8°
TRAIL	100 mm
WHEEL BASE	1,476 mm ± 15 mm
GROUND CLEARANCE	195 mm
SEAT HEIGHT	825 mm
TANK CAPACITY	Approx. 14.8 litres / 3 l reserve
WEIGHT	179 kg