Leaked images give first glimpse at new 790 Duke
The KTM 790 Duke middleweight naked appears with aggressive new styling, revised hardware and what could be the brand’s first use of production WP brakes.
Today, we get our first look at the 2026 KTM 790 Duke, as type approval images of the final production version of the bike have leaked from China.
The first, and most notable update, is the styling, with KTM ditching the twin-element headlight and opting for an aggressive-looking, irregular hexagonal item. The move brings the mid-weight Duke in line with several other models in the range, including the bigger Dukes, Super Adventures, and the recently introduced 390 Adventure. Like those models, the design utilises a single-element headlight in the centre, with smaller DRLs running around the perimeter of the hexagon.
You may also like to read our KTM 790 Duke review.
The rest of the bodywork, particularly the fuel tank and sidepanels, follows the design language that KTM using for some time, with aggressive and deeply scalloped fuel tank sides protruding almost ahead of the front forks.
Those front forks are from a familiar name, WP, but they work hand in hand with new brake calipers which also come from the same company. WP has, for many years, been the in-house KTM group's suspension solution, but for 2026 and onwards, the company has branched out into the world of braking components. This 790 Duke is the first time we have seen WP-branded braking hardware on one of KTM’s production models. All eyes will be on the brakes once the press riding launches for these new models come around.
While no technical information relating to the model has been released, we assume the engine for the new bike is carried over from the previous iteration - albeit with updates for the latest Euro emissions regulations and longevity. Earlier spyshots showed a revised exhaust system being tested on a pre-production 790 Duke, with similar routing to before, but a very different exhaust end can design. We’d expect the power output to be around the same as the 105bhp produced from the outgoing model.
What the type approval images don’t tell us is when the bike will be arriving, in the UK and beyond. It’s clear, though, that the official launch of the 2026 KTM 790 Duke is coming, and sooner than later.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
