Verdict
Awarding the Bike Of The Year accolade always provokes a response, and we’re hoping for one this year too. There have certainly been more innovative bikes (and three-wheelers) launched in 2018, and more expensive bikes, and better equipped bikes. The genius of KTM’S 790 Duke is that it reminds us what makes motorcycling brilliant. It’s all about the riding experience. This is a simple motorcycle (albeit one with excellent electronics and a great engine) that’s light, sweet handling and intuitive. And it’s versatile. You can ride it to work, do a trackday, ride it to the South Of France. It’s not perfect. After 3000 miles we’re not 100% convinced by the finish, we’ll have to wait for winter before we know for sure, and the fuelling isn’t quite perfect. But everyone who’s ridden it has wanted to ride it more, and often they’ve wanted to ride it in preference to other bikes with more power, higher specification and greater cost. Misgivings about the finish aside, we reckon lots of people could trade ‘down’ to a 790 and end up enjoying their biking even more.
‘We reckon lots of people could trade “down” to a 790 and end up enjoying their biking even more’