KTM has unveiled the more premium R variant of the 890 Duke roadster. Christened as the 890 Duke R, this new variant of the middleweight roadster packs several styling and mechanical upgrades over the standard model. The Indian launch details of the 890 Duke R are not available yet. While we await more information about its launch, here we list the top details of this roadster.
Styling Upgrades
Although the styling is similar to the standard 890 Duke, the R variant packs a rider-only setup. Thus, the pillion seat is replaced by a rear cowl and the passenger footrest assembly has been removed completely. The R variant also gets a new, Atlantic Blue colour that is similar to the paint used on the KTM RC16 GP racer and the 1290 SuperDuke R. The paint is complemented by orange graphics across the bodywork. Furthermore, similar to all KTM ‘R’ models, the 890 Duke R, too, uses the signature orange frame and alloy wheels. The R variant tips the weighing scale at 166kg (dry), making it three kilograms lighter than the base model.
Better Performance
Apart from styling upgrades, the KTM 890 Duke R also packs better performance. The 889cc parallel-twin, liquid-cooled engine on the 890 duke R is tuned to produce 121bhp of maximum power and 99Nm of peak torque. In comparison, the same motor delivers 113.4bhp of power and 92Nm of peak torque on the standard model. The six-speed gearbox gets a slipper clutch mechanism as standard while a bi-directional quickshifter is available as an optional extra.
Updated Hardware
The 890 Duke R uses the same tubular steel chassis as the standard model. Unlike the base model, the 890 Duke R uses adjustable suspension setup. The WP Apex front forks feature split function damping, compression, and rebound adjustability. Whereas the WP Apex rear mono-shock is adjustable for compression, rebound, and preload. The braking setup, too, has received an upgrade and the 890 Duke R uses twin 320mm discs with monoblock Brembo Stylema callipers and an adjustable Brembo MCS master cylinder at the front. The braking setup at the rear comprises a 240mm single rotor with a Brembo single-piston floating calliper.
Electronic Rider Aids
The electronic rider aids, which work with a six-axis lean angle sensor, include ABS, cornering ABS, and cornering traction control system. The 890 Duke R comes with three ride modes (Rain, Street, and Sport) as standard. The optional Track mode brings full rider customisation, nine levels of adjustable traction control slip, anti-wheelie on/off, and the additional throttle control setting.
Features
The feature list, similar to the base model, includes full-LED lighting as standard. This comprises a split-style LED headlight with LED DRLs at the front, sleek LED turn indicators, and a rear-stalk-mounted LED taillight. The cockpit includes an information-rich TFT display with adaptive illumination based on ambient light. Additionally, as the rider revs the engine, the display bars change colour, to indicate that the engine is still cold.
