KTM has been making headlines lately, and it hasn’t exactly been for good reasons. Team Orange’s parent company, Pierer Mobility, has been working day and night to manage a PR nightmare—one that’s looking to be more of a reality than anyone ever thought.
And while it’s relieving that KTM isn’t going under just yet, the company’s definitely in no place to throw a party.
That being said, why don’t we pivot away from all the doom and gloom for a moment, and imagine a future where KTM has no worries? I mean, this is exactly what KTM’s doing, as they’ve just announced the 2025 790 Duke. After all, why cry when you can smoke—tires? Yeah, that’s exactly what the new 790 Duke’s doing, as it burns out straight into the 2025 model year.
The latest iteration of the original Scalpel: the 790 Duke is here, and in true KTM fashion, it's packing more tech than it probably should. Seriously, it’s as if KTM thought that slapping on extra tech and gadgets 80 percent of riders would never even use would fix their financial woes. Clearly, the goings on in the market seem to be pointing in the opposite direction.
Nevertheless, here we are, and for 2025, there’s a new 5-inch TFT display with all the bells and whistles: a telemetry screen, anti-wheelie settings (because who wants fun without control, right?), oh, and even a Demo Mode.
What’s Demo Mode, you might ask? Well, you know when you download Adobe Lightroom on your phone, and they give you a free 30-day trial? It’s exactly the same thing here, and KTM will let you taste all of the fancy tech features your heart desires. You know, traction control modes, slide mode, extra ride modes, and cruiser control. KTM does this in the hopes that you’ll eventually purchase the upgrade kit once the demo period expires. ‘Cause, duh, they need your money.
Demo Mode aside, you get your regular ride modes consisting of Rain, Street, and Sport—but not Track Mode. You only get that if you opt for the full package.
At the end of the day, the 2025 KTM 790 Duke isn’t a massive leap forward in terms of performance, and I think that’s a good thing. I’ve ridden this bike many times, both on the street and on the track. Heck, I came super duper close to actually owning one (only to be thwarted by an irresistible deal on a Triumph Street Triple RS). So yeah, the 790 Duke is high up there on my list of the most fun bikes on the planet. In fact, I’d go as far as saying that KTM might’ve been better off pulling a Suzuki on the 2025 790 Duke. You know, releasing nothing but “bold new colors” for 2025?
But it’s also important to remember where and how the 2025 790 Duke fits in KTM’s global lineup, especially given its current situation. I think that KTM desperately needs a cash cow—a bike that’ll sell in droves. Remember, there are reportedly more than 260,000 KTMs gathering dust in dealerships worldwide. Yikes.
That said, I genuinely wish the best of luck for KTM. And I hope they get their shit together ASAP because, despite all the drama, there’s no denying that KTM knows how to make some of the most exciting bikes on the planet.
Source: KTM
