KTM Duke 800 spied testing for the first time

A prototype of the upcoming KTM Duke 800 has been spied for the first time. And what’s really interesting about this motorcycle is its engine configuration.

The Duke 800 will be one of the first motorcycles that will be powered by a parallel twin motor. We knew this was coming as during the launch of the RC models in India, Stephan Pierer, CEO, KTM had announced his intention of developing new parallel twin engines that will power its future models.

From the spy images, it is clear that the engineers in Austria have stuck to KTM’s racing DNA. The Duke 800 test mule sports upside-down forks, dual discs at the front and a side exhaust. While there are no details on the power figures, we believe it will be the industry best, just like the rest of the line-up.

The Austrian manufacturer has developed the Duke 800 to bridge the gap between the Duke 690 and the 1290 Super Duke. We know for the fact that the Duke 690 will be discontinued once the 800 is launched, but that would create a big gap between Duke 390 and Duke 800 right? Not really, KTM will get a Duke 500 parallel twin here that will take care of their middle-weight segment.

We are expecting the KTM Duke 800 to debut at the 2015 EICMA, but it is uncertain whether this motorcycle will be manufactured at Bajaj’s Chakan plant. And if they do, then the Indian market is surely going to have an exciting product, till the KTM 800 Adventure arrives. 

Image source: Advrider