Fully loaded
Pillion
The back seat of the 790 Duke isn’t a bad place to be, considering the bike is so physically small and slim. It lets the passenger feel as though they’re an integral part of the ride rather than just an inert bag of spuds up at the back. The pillion perch is reasonably padded and places the passenger at a nice height behind the rider; not perched up tall like a true sportsbike but not too low so that there’s no view of the road ahead. The grabrails are in the right place to allow you to feel secure, and the pegs are low enough to let you mount and dismount easily, while being set back enough to promote a bit of a racing crouch behind the rider when the speeds increase.
Luggage
The KTM accepts the RIDE tailpack in the usual way. The pillion seat removes with the seat lock and the Velcro strap wraps around the seat, which is then locked into place. There are no bungee-points to hook on to, but the front pair of bungees can be looped to the rear footrest hangers. The rear bungees can be looped around the high-level numberplate holder, but the right-hand one’s hook needs to be placed carefully so it doesn’t get blasted by the hot exhaust gases - it’s just possible to secure it behind the exit of the exhaust. The KTM Powerparts catalogue offers panniers with a fitting kit, as well as a tankbag.
“The back seat of the 790 Duke isn’t a bad place to be”