KTM 890 DUKE

» Power: 114bhp » Weight: 169kg » Engine: 889cc » Price: £9649

Back in 2018 our Bike of the Year was the 790 Duke. We loved its straight-forward nature, easy thrills and two-wheeled purity, how it blended the potential for high-level tomfoolery with manners and usability. This year KTM have boosted it into an 890, so it should be better still. And it is – although not as potent as the Duke R the larger engine is punchier and faster yet also has increased flexibility, and the previous model’s light-on-its-tyres nimbleness is as grin-spreading as ever. The 890 nearly made it through to the final thirteen, but it slipped out for two reasons: first, it’s merely kept in touch with rivals rather than leapt ahead again and second, at a sniff under ten grand the Duke doesn’t look such good value as the 790 did.