This 12 months marks the thirtieth anniversary of KTM’s wild, bare roadster, the Duke, with the very first variant, the 620 Duke, launched in 1994.

It’s been a massively profitable and necessary mannequin line for the Austrian agency. That first Duke was successfully KTM’s first pure highway bike. The corporate as much as that time had focused on enduro and motocross machines and the Duke was, to all intents and functions, a avenue Supermoto model of its then-biggest enduro.

That first Duke was additionally so profitable it successfully modified the path of the entire firm. The 620 spawned a successor, the Duke II, in flip resulting in a complete household of Dukes – and Tremendous Dukes – which kind the spine of the massively enlarged agency at present, which now additionally owns Husqvarna, GasGas and, very just lately, MV Agusta.

However what Dukes have there been, precisely – and which had been (and are) the perfect? Right here’s our choose of the highest 10, in chronological order…

1994 620 Duke 1

 The unique Duke was born out of a necessity for KTM to alter. The unique KTM Motor-Fahrzeugbau AG fell into insolvency resulting in the creation of a brand new firm, KTM Sportmotorcycle GmbH, in January 1992 which was eager to to not repeat the errors of the previous. Consequently, it centered on its new ‘LC4’ liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine and determined to create a highway model of its 620 Enduro.

The consequence, the 50bhp ‘Duke’ (though preliminary prototypes had been referred to as ‘Terminator’, as a result of widespread movie on the time), with minimal bodywork, tubular metal body and aggressive angle, was not solely KTM’s first four-stroke highway bike however an enormous hit, prompting a complete new KTM dynasty.

 1999 Duke II

 The success of the unique, curvier-styled Duke, led to the creation of a successor, the Duke II, this time with extra angular styling (once more by long-time KTM designer Gerald Kiska) and an up to date and enlarged 640cc model of the LC4 engine. The type (and success) of this extra fashionable variant set the template for a complete sequence of single-cylinder Dukes which adopted.

2005 990 Tremendous Duke

 After all, Duke and single-cylinder engines had been by no means, together with its off-road machines, going to be the whole lot of KTM’s output. The recognition of journey bikes reminiscent of BMW’s market-leading GS led to KTM’s first 950 Journey in 2003 powered by the brand new, 75-degree, 942cc ‘LC8’ V-twin which might kind the spine of KTM’s ‘huge bike’ vary for the foreseeable future. That bike in flip spawned a brand new roadster variant in 2005 dubbed the Tremendous Duke powered by an enlarged, 999cc model of the engine. In 2008 KTM then launched the uprated R model, the 990 Tremendous Duke R.

2008 690 Duke

2008 additionally introduced the primary 690 Duke, a purer and much more aggressive replace to the unique Duke with an underslung exhaust and aggressive, elbows-out using place together with a punchy, highly effective, additional enlarged single-cylinder engine and revised tubular metal trellis body – a blueprint, in actual fact, for what would change into a complete Duke dynasty.

 2011 125 Duke

The primary fruits of this extra aggressive, simplified, but additionally doubtlessly modular method, got here with the primary smaller capability Dukes – the Duke 125. This compact and full of life machine was additionally totally A1-licence compliant (ie 15PS) and impressively mild, manoeuvrable and novice-friendly, thus turning into massively widespread not only for being fascinating but additionally for being sensible and reasonably priced for up-and-coming bikers. Up to date successively because it acquired one other makeover for 2024.

 2013 390 Duke

However the 125 was simply the beginning of the brand new, smaller Dukes. In 2012 it was adopted up by the 200 Duke, successfully equivalent to the 125 however with a much bigger bore engine. This mannequin was short-lived within the UK however survives to at the present time in different markets. Whereas 2013 noticed the arrival of the primary 390 Duke which, with round 42bhp, is A2-compliant, a punchy energy supply and ultra-nimble manners has proved an enormous success. This, too, was considerably up to date in 2017 and now for 2024.

2014 1290 Tremendous Duke R

Again to the massive bikes. Following the success of the 990 Tremendous Duke, KTM took its huge Duke to the following stage with the introduction of the 1290 Tremendous Duke R (which had been internally known as ‘The Beast’) in 2014. With a monster 1301cc V-twin producing round 170bhp, it was essentially the most highly effective tremendous bare then obtainable and likewise launched quite a lot of pioneering digital rider aids.

2016 1290 Tremendous Duke GT

One spin-off of the larger Duke that’s typically neglected, regardless of it proving an ideal all-rounder, is the GT sports-tourer model with fairing, baggage and extra. In reality, the unique, the 990 SM-T, wasn’t a Duke in any respect, as a substitute being primarily based on the short-lived 990 Tremendous Moto variant (SM-T standing for Tremendous Moto Touring). However the concept lived on and was revived in 2016 within the type of the 1290 Tremendous Duke GT, which had Tremendous Duke mechanicals (and pleasure) however further practicality and luxury. The up to date 2019 model is even higher nonetheless.

2018 790 Duke

Suppose all Dukes are Supermoto-style singles or ‘Tremendous’ V-twins? Suppose once more. In 2018 KTM launched a brand new period of efficiency and elegance for its Duke household by changing the previous 690 with the all-new 790 Duke that includes a strong new 105bhp parallel-twin engine and much more cutting-edge electronics. That bike in flip was changed by the much more highly effective 115bhp 890 Duke in 2021, though a model of the 790 Duke, in-built China by companions CF Moto, has now returned to KTM’s line-up priced underneath £8000.

2024 990 Duke

KTM is partly marking the Duke’s thirtieth anniversary this 12 months with not only one, however 4 both new or considerably up to date Dukes for 2024. So together with the up to date 125 and 390 variations, there may be additionally a just about all-new 1390 alternative for the 1290. Better of all, although, in our view, is the all-new 990 Duke which, to not be confused with the 990 Tremendous Duke of previous, is powered by an all-new LC8c parallel twin producing 123bhp and with all-new styling, uprated electronics and extra.