A Street Bike That Belongs on Track

Cycle World

The 2026 KTM 990 Duke R pushes the middleweight naked bike class further toward track performance while still claiming everyday usability. Powered by KTM’s updated 947cc LC8c parallel twin, the Duke R produces a claimed 130 horsepower with a strong midrange and rev-happy character that shines both on canyon roads and at the racetrack. Premium components including WP Apex suspension, Brembo Stylema brakes, and Michelin Power Cup 2 tires give the bike serious track capability straight from the factory. But there is one catch. KTM sells the full electronics suite as an $899 Tech Pack add-on, unlocking features like Track Mode, adjustable traction control, launch control, cruise control, and onboard telemetry. We ride the new 990 Duke R on the streets near Idyllwild, California, and at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway to see whether KTM’s latest naked bike is the perfect balance of daily practicality and track performance.   Check out the story at https://www.cycleworld.com/motorcycle-reviews/ktm-990-duke-r-review/   Become a Channel Partner: https://octanemedia.co/home/become-an-advertiser/  Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6CLI74xvMBFLDOC1tQaCOQ  Read more from Cycle World: https://www.cycleworld.com/  Buy Cycle World Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cycleworld

Transcript

00:00KTM 990 Duke R is the type of motorcycle that tells you exactly what it wants the moment you

00:05get on it sharp stiff aggressive and super polarizing the question here isn't how much

00:10performance this bike has the question is does this level of intensity make sense on the street

00:15or only on the track let's find out okay but before we get going let's talk about the features

00:21of this bike and what separates the R model from the standard model starting off with the engine

00:25this is the same power plant as the standard model nothing really different here except this bike

00:30makes a little more horsepower acclaimed 130 about seven horsepower more than the standard model

00:35KTM has done that just through mapping the chassis is the same as well the frame and the subframe are

00:41unchanged from the standard model but the suspension the brakes and the electronics package are different

00:47so starting off with the suspension the standard model comes with a 43 millimeter fork this R

00:51comes with a 48 millimeter inverted WP apex fork that is fully adjustable KTM says that this fork is 38

00:59percent stiffer than the 43 millimeter fork on the standard model this also gets its own tuning

01:04the shock is different as well right here look at that this is the first dupe to use linkage

01:09so this is a WP apex shock with linkage and a linear spring rate other chassis upgrades include these

01:16brembo stylima monoblock calipers with the brembo mcs master cylinder major upgrade to the braking

01:24package on the r model versus the standard model and the wheels are upgraded as well these are pulled

01:28off of the super duke evo so they're a little bit lighter than the standard model and of course the

01:33electronics package and 8.8 inch tft display is unique to the r model versus the standard model this is

01:40a

01:40pretty extensive electronics package especially if you opt for the tech pack which will give you things like

01:45the optional cruise control the optional quick shifter and all the other fancy modes like track mode

01:52launch control wheelie control all types of stuff that we'll jump into a little bit later rubber has

01:58been upgraded as well these are michelin power cup 2 tires according to michelin this tire is rated for

02:0390 track use we're going to be using dunlop slick tires tomorrow so we're not going to get an opportunity

02:08to see what these are like on the track another cool unique feature is that the airbox is integrated

02:13into the subframe not only does it look cool but it's functional as well make your air filter changes

02:18just a little bit easier and then of course as you can see led lighting all the way around this

02:23bike

02:23also has bluetooth connectivity so you can hook up your smartphone and receive phone calls stuff like

02:28that so essentially this is ktm's new 990 rcr but completely naked without clothes so this thing promises

02:35super sport performance in an accessible naked bike package let's go see if this thing lives up to what ktm

02:41claims

02:47a unique feature about this 8.8 inch horizontally mounted tft is this bike has turn-by-turn navigation

02:55you got to unlock it with the tech pack if you get the full tech pack that includes the track

03:00pack

03:01the quick shifter cruise control more adjustments with the electronics as far as slip control and all

03:09those types of things that's the tech pack if you buy the full tech pack it includes everything it's

03:14going to cost you 900 bucks and all of all the bikes we're riding today include the tech pack and

03:19everything all the add-on accessories but for 900 bucks so far it seems like it would be worth it

03:24if i was

03:24buying this bike it'd be hard to imagine not getting the navigation the additional track packs and stuff

03:30like that obviously we will be going to the track tomorrow where the track pack and the performance pack and

03:36all the stuff that goes along with the add-on electronics should really shine tomorrow in the

03:43street on your morning commute the quick shifter will be very beneficial something like navigation

03:48turn-by-turn navigation will be very beneficial um adjusting ride modes cruise control so you know

03:56they kind of twist your arm a little bit with uh the tech pack the price without the tech pack

04:0113 500

04:03bucks or 13 400 bucks another really cool thing about this new dash is it seems to be the first

04:09dash

04:10that i've used that really works like a smartphone or a computer because you can just drag and adjust

04:17it's pretty spiffy we'll go through some of the menus later but it kind of reminds me of like a

04:22video

04:22game loading screen the way you select your modes and all the options when you get into the dash through

04:27the menus it's it's pretty impressive looking and something else ktm has done with this dash is they have

04:32uh improved the readability a little bit more crisp a little bit more clear than uh the five inch tft

04:39that

04:39they've had on the standard 990 and other bikes for a long time the seat height is right around 33

04:45inches

04:46and i will say at five foot seven it's a little bit tall i can get one foot flat footed

04:52but i cannot reach

04:53both feet i can't flat foot on both feet the seat height's slightly taller than the standard model that's

05:00from suspension and these different tires so there's tons of different ways i still haven't figured out

05:06every way but there's tons of ways to configure this dash um it's you know very customizable it seems

05:15and how you can navigate the dash you can use the joystick you can use it as a touch screen

05:20there's this

05:21mode dongle that you can switch through modes and as we'll talk about tomorrow on the track in track mode

05:26with the tech pack included you can use the cruise control switch up here to select different traction

05:36control settings on the fly so in track mode you can use this button as a quick traction control button

05:42which is super sporty and racy super cool so just honestly i'm still figuring out all the ways that

05:49you can configure and navigate and play around with this dash it seems like a new smartphone or something

05:54that takes a couple days to fully familiarize yourself with all the settings and adjustments

06:00and how to navigate and all the different ways you can kind of personalize the interface of this 990 duke

06:07r in rainbow this is very relaxing that was one of the big questions i had for the 990 duke

06:13r coming

06:14into this is i figured the performance would be there as with almost all our models that we've ridden

06:19they're pretty sporty and they're pretty spicy and they're a lot of fun to ride but they're not always

06:25enjoyable when you're not you know trying to be a hooligan but this motorcycle has proved to be very

06:32relaxing and comfortable when you're just riding like a normal civilian riding through the city

06:37commuting not trying to lift the front wheel everywhere this is a easy motorcycle to ride it still

06:43has a good character of this lc8c engine but very usable for casual and city riding

06:52as you'll see pulling away from a light right there in rain mode got the quick shifter you have a

07:00cable

07:00actuated clutch i will say that the quick shifter it works really great when it works really great

07:06other times it's a little bit sloppy just depending on where you are in the rpm range

07:11where the throttle position is you can't kind of ham fist it up a little bit but when you're really

07:18screwing into the throttle and upshifting it works really well the quick shifter on the yamaha mt09 sp

07:24is one of the best quick shifters i've used in recent years that's the same quick shifter that'll be on

07:30the r9 and that's really what this bike this package from ktm is competing against the 990 duke r and

07:37the 990 rcr are competing against yamaha's mt09 sp and the new yzf r9 if you're looking at this bike

07:46or that bike you're definitely looking at the yamaha's so i will say that the quick shifter on

07:51the yamaha from what i remember feels a little bit more refined it can be a little bit sloppy with

07:55your

07:55your shifts up and down and it's more forgiving the quick shifter on the yamaha this one on the ktm

08:02when you get it right it works really well and it has a really nice note to it when it

08:07cuts the

08:07ignition real quick to allow that next gear to grab it sounds awesome so right now we've got cruise control

08:14set to 71 over here obviously that's that add-on accessory but it's really nice this bike is

08:20comfortable we're going 71 miles per hour let's see let's slowly adjust it 80

08:30easy riding i don't know why but i expected this bike to be not as comfortable even though it is

08:35a

08:36naked it's all the material that ktm provided us with talks about how this is a compact package

08:42and a more sporty on its nose style naked bike the ergonomics on this bike are comfortable i mean it's

08:50a naked bike that's the whole story here with this 990 duke r is essentially it's the new ktm

08:57990 rcr but without body work and a flat handlebar and uh that's exactly what makes naked bikes

09:03especially high performance naked bikes so exciting that's why at cycleworld we've always loved

09:08naked bikes especially ktm naked bikes because they push that envelope of performance in the

09:13naked bike class the seat is flat and wide it's got tons of room to move back and forth on

09:19the handlebar reach is comfortable it's lower it's not too far above the triple clamp but it's flat in the

09:25bend it doesn't put a lot of weight on your wrist and although there's not a whole lot of wind

09:30protection as this is a naked bike i have to say my body feels pretty well protected with the the

09:36big

09:36led headlight and this eight and a half inch dash it uh i really am just feeling wind probably right

09:42where this gopro is mounted and above so hopefully it's not too windy but so far i think this is

09:48a bike

09:48with cruise control with this comfortable ergonomics package the bend of my legs it's not too aggressive

09:54i think i could throw cruise control on and ride back to the office for a couple hours and be

09:59totally

09:59fine i wouldn't prefer any other middleweight naked bike to ride on the freeway for two hours over this

10:06one that the vibrations are not extreme you know this engine is riding very relaxed we're going almost

10:1380 miles per hour and we're below 5000 rpm it's got a real fat mid-range so if you got

10:19to get on the

10:19throttle to pass the car so far this 990 duke r is proven to be a good street bike all

10:26right rolling onto

10:27the freeway what's it like fat mid-range to get you up to speed with top gear i'm trying to

10:34like this

10:35990 duke r as much as i like the super duke and for similar reasons comfortable good performance and an

10:42engine with a fat mid-range perfect for passing cars having fun at 80 miles per hour this bike has

10:51very

10:51little vibration i mean very little i'm squeezing on the handlebar pushing into the seat and the foot

10:58pegs and i barely feel the engine pulses just like good character i think this thing would be about just

11:04as comfortable for slaying highway miles at this speed as yamaha's mt09 sp buttery smooth yamaha engine

11:12i think this thing could go toe-to-toe for smoothness at this rpm anyways we're headed up into the

11:17mountains to ride some twisty roads let's throw it into sport mode

11:24this bike feels so planted on the side of the tire wow

11:36all right so we're gonna just stay in fourth gear for a little bit show you what this fat meaty

11:41mid-range is like

11:46just screw on the throttle and

11:49with this upgraded chassis upgraded suspension this thing really follows the road really well

11:55wow this thing has no problem getting its thrills out here in the twisties

12:01i can't imagine needing much more engine than this out here

12:07this mid-throttle right here spot your exit

12:22this is fun these tires are providing good grip the suspension and the chassis is just giving really

12:28good feedback on this road i can feel every little bump but it's not overwhelming we just spent a little

12:34time flogging these things on that twisty road and i have to say when you ramp it up to 11

12:39when you

12:40want to ride at a spirited pace this ktm 990 duke r really responds that's not that surprising that's

12:47what this whole package has been built around that's why it's an r unlike the standard model which would be

12:52less willing to go that speed safely at least and comfortably on these back roads with the standard

12:58model where this one the upgraded suspension a little bit more horsepower more extensive electronic

13:03sweep better braking package better tires better wheels a lighter package this is the bike designed

13:09for riding at a spirited pace on these back roads so i will say for the viewers that are maybe

13:14hesitant

13:15that this bike is too on edge so far we have not experienced that on the 990 duke r this

13:21bike is light

13:21one of the things ktm mentioned is that they are aiming for a middleweight naked that has best in

13:26class power to weight ratio i have to say this thing's very powerful and it feels very light ktm

13:32claims 130 horsepower about 76 pound feet of torque and a wet weight of 419 pounds this lchc engine is

13:42a

13:42perfect example of why we love parallel twins because they're so usable you have a lot of torque in a

13:48meaty mid-range which works great in the city or to get you out of a hole like that you

13:54can be a gear

13:55high and roll under the throttle and it has no problem getting up to speed it's a it's an engine

14:00that's very flexible you can kind of set it in fourth gear and forget about it as we've done a

14:04lot

14:05today it works best if you shift it in the mid-range around 7 000 rpm but on these twisty

14:10corners when you

14:11need to connect one turn to the next this thing doesn't have an issue running right up to the rev

14:16limiter

14:17but what this bike has going for is that it really is a jack of all trades so far

14:22very sporty but also very comfortable and usable for a day-to-day street bike this is a motorcycle

14:27that's going to compete against yamaha's mt09 sp ducati street fighter v2 or maybe even bikes like

14:34aprilius tuono 660 factory or triumph street triple rx these are middleweight nakeds but with an emphasis

14:43on performance if you're looking for something more standard maybe the 990 duke the standard 990 duke

14:50is the way to go save a little bit of money that bike's a little less expensive more around the

14:5511

14:5512 000 price range where this one's going to cost you more than 13. but you get a lot performance

15:01for

15:01that extra couple thousand dollars as we'll get to find out tomorrow when we get to the racetrack

15:05we're out here at chuckwalla raceway is this our bike really ready for the track let's go find out

15:18all right here we go we're at chuckwalla we're in track mode right now which is included in the tech

15:23pack like we talked about yesterday this is our slip adjuster we're at level three right now zero is off

15:30nine is the most intrusive we're at three and using the cruise control hardware you can

15:38on the fly cycle through your level of slip so nine being the most intrusive

15:46we're gonna go we've been doing mostly three so let's go

15:56this engine is so flexible both on the track and on the street as we experienced yesterday third gear

16:03whoa hard on the brakes these brakes are very responsive very strong great feel great modulation

16:18this bike is so agile it has a low claimed wet weight

16:26around a 58 inch wheelbase and tons of power

16:36whoo

16:39it just leans into the corner so easily and changes direction no problem

16:45wp suspension is taught and it allows you to unleash

16:52full performance of this r bike fully adjustable we've made adjustments already

16:58we're running the sport setting recommended by ktm i have added one turn of preload to the shock

17:04and that has made a world of difference getting this bike a little bit more up on its nose

17:09the front wheel is so planted

17:17quick shifter working amazing watch this double down shift

17:26oh this bike is glued it sounds awesome

17:34i can ride this chuck wallow racetrack almost completely in third gear just using fourth and

17:41fifth on the straights third gear

17:47this engine for a parallel twin has impressive top end power obviously the mid range is super meaty

17:54which we've expect which we expected from this bike as we know this engine this engine's been around

18:00for a while and the 790 the 890 and now this 990

18:06whoo trail braking hard into the corner the front end is stiff and top and it has amazing feedback you

18:13can just trail brake real hard even when i make mistakes and overcook a corner i can just really get

18:20hard on that front brake to get it back in and this bike handles it so we're not running stock

18:27tires

18:27we have dunlop slicks r7 front r8 rear and these things are hooking up

18:39the electronics package has saved me a couple times today when when traction control kicks in

18:47oh hard on the brake there these brakes are very powerful you have multiple levels of abs we're

18:56running supermoto abs now so we can lock up the rear

19:02the chassis feels so planted this bike when it's under load whether it's on the throttle or on the brakes

19:09you miss my apex

19:13this bike is just easy to ride whether you're going fast trying to catch guys on the track

19:19going fast in the canyons having fun with your buddies or you're just trying to get to work

19:24this bike just allows you to focus on what's ahead

19:28all right that's a wrap on the new ktm 990 duke r coming into this we knew the bike would

19:33be sportier

19:34than the standard that's the whole idea behind this r package better suspension more horsepower

19:39a more extensive electronic suite more powerful brakes this is essentially a naked version of ktm's

19:44new 990 rcr motorcycle we loved when we rode it last year out of the launch in spain for the

19:50same

19:50reasons that we love this duke it has tons of performance for the middleweight class it's super

19:55comfortable performance is easily extractable whether you're on the street or on the track it's a 900 plus

20:01cc parallel twin with a meaty mid-range an extensive electronic suite that allows you to extract the

20:07performance anti-wheeling control slip adjust traction control multiple levels of abs these are

20:13electronic rider aids that will keep you safe on your morning commute but also allow you to come out

20:18here on the racetrack and push a sporty pace and that's why we could argue that the duke r is

20:22even a

20:23better motorcycle than the 990 rcr because it's even more accessible more comfortable with almost the

20:29same level of performance i didn't get to ride the rcr today or at the launch in spain but what

20:34i

20:34can tell you is that this 990 duke r offers a lot for thirteen thousand four hundred dollars you have

20:39a motorcycle that truly is race ready off the dealership floor we were using dunlop slick tires

20:45today the r7 for the front r8 for the rear so of course take that into consideration that's the only

20:50aftermarket part or feature that we had today on the bike but other than that the brakes the

20:56suspension the electronics this is a motorcycle that allowed me to probably go the fastest i ever

21:02have at this track or on any track because for me with a dirt background and not a whole lot

21:07of sport

21:07bike experience the upright flat handlebar neutral ergonomics of a naked instantly give me confidence

21:13and comfort when i swing a leg over it this engine is just so flexible third gear fourth gear it

21:18doesn't

21:19really matter i was able to just kind of throw it in third or fourth gear and get around this

21:23entire

21:23track so this is a motorcycle that offers high performance and it's super accessible because of

21:27its level of adjustability as we talked about on our street ride soften up the suspension throw it in

21:32street mode or even rain mode which i really preferred riding around on the street and it rides like a

21:37standard motorcycle similar to an mt07 soft comfortable but still a little spicy that's how this ktm 990r

21:45is you can really tune it to your level of spicy sporty or comfortable so that's going to wrap up

21:51this

21:51review of the new ktm 990 duke r of course if you enjoyed the video hit the like button comment

21:56subscribe and check out the link in the description where you can find my full written article on this

22:01bike and really dive deep into all the features and adjustability of this motor cycle thanks for

22:06tuning in and we'll see you in the next one

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