The motorcycle that blurs the line between sport and street

There are few things in life that give you as much adrenaline as playing with the limits of grip on a race track with a fast sports bike. But on the street they are hot and uncomfortable and rarely get into the powerband at legal speeds. That’s where ‘naked bikes’ come into the picture. These were once machines that were only intended for the street, but nowadays the boundaries between the different types of motorcycles are increasingly blurring.

We are here to talk about one such motorcycle that sits in the gray area between a sport bike and a street bike. It has all the amenities for a lot of fun on a race track, except that it has no fairing and an upright riding position, making it ideal 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 from the 890 Duke in 2023. That wasn’t a very old product, as it was launched in 2020 as the 890 Duke R. The 990 changed it up a bit, and the R variant has the extra features that make it sportier than the standard version. That, along with the fact that KTMs are as aggressive as usual, makes the 990 Duke R the bike that blurs the line between sport and street.

KTM 990 Duke R Price: $13,399

The 990 Duke R costs about $1,000 more than the regular 990 Duke. If you value performance and are going to do a few track days, it’s well worth the price of admission. You get more power, improved suspension, better brakes and lighter wheels. Plus, you get access to more electronic features so you can get faster on the track or strolling down the street. We know that prices are also moving 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-naked that compete with it on price.

The 990 Duke has the largest KTM Parallel Twin engine

KTM has always been a proponent of the twin-cylinder engine, and in modern times the parallel twin has taken over everyone’s designs. The 990 Duke R’s 947cc LC8c engine is now KTM’s largest displacement parallel twin. It has a 270-degree firing order and produces 130 horsepower and 76 pound-feet of torque. It can reach a very high speed of 10,500 rpm, and the reel itself weighs only 126 pounds. Being a KTM ‘R’ model, it has all the electronic aids you can imagine, and then some, thanks to a six-axis IMU and a by-wire throttle. A six-speed manual transmission is offered, with a two-way quickshifter.

Razor-sharp handling makes the 990 Duke R quite fun

The 990 Duke R starts with the same chromoly steel trellis frame as the standard 990 Duke, and uses the engine as a stressed member. However, everything around the chassis has been upgraded. The suspension is from WP, but the front fork is 48mm (a 5mm increase) and the rear shock has a progressive linkage. You get adjustment for compression and rebound at the front, while at the rear you get adjustment for high and low speed compression, rebound and preload. Available suspension travel is 5.6 inches in the front and 5.5 inches in the rear.

The wheels are the same aluminum units as 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 320mm discs up front, with Brembo Stylema calipers. Again, this is an upgrade from the M4.32s on the standard 990 Duke. At the rear, a 240mm disc has a single-piston caliper.

KTM 990 Duke R dimensions

The 990 Duke R weighs 419 pounds, but the different suspension has increased ground clearance and seat height slightly over the standard bike. The new figures are 8.3 inches and 33.1 inches respectively. The footpegs have also been positioned higher and further back to provide an additional three degrees of lean angle. A 3.9-gallon fuel tank is good enough when you consider KTM’s claimed efficiency of 51 MPG, but we’re not sure many owners will achieve that simply because of how fun this bike is.

KTM 990 Duke R features

There’s a lot to unpack here. The 990 Duke R gets one of the new generation TFT screens with an extreme landscape mode, just like the screen of the 690 Enduro R. This is much larger at 8.8 inches and is a capacitive touchscreen. There’s also a ‘split screen’ mode that allows you to see information in addition to navigation or track information.

If you purchase 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 are locked and you must purchase them. As always, there are a lot of PowerParts available in the accessories list.

KTM 990 Duke R competition

There are some very good options for the 990 Duke R. With an infinite budget, it would be hard not to choose the MV Agusta Dragster America, but the $22,098 price and exclusivity ensure no one will pursue any of these. Another European street bike that costs a similar amount of $13,195 is the Ducati Monster. However, the desmodromic valves of the Testastretta 11° engine mean that you cannot really use it for many kilometers without high additional costs compared to the competition.

The Triumph Street Triple 765 RS is a good match for the 990 Duke R. It has a similar price ($13,845), delivers almost identical power (128 hp), has an aluminum double-spar chassis, fully adjustable Showa and Öhins suspension and also Brembo Stylema brake calipers. You’re getting a very different inline-triple engine, though, so keep that in mind.

However, if you’re going to regularly flog your Naked Bike around a race track, you’ll want something that’s 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 sensation per minute. Likewise, it has fully adjustable KYB forks and an Öhlins shock combined 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 adjusted to two different positions.

KTM 990 Duke R vs Yamaha MT-09 SP

Source: KTM USA