Test fleet: KTM 790 Duke

Ross has been getting to know KTM's Chinese-built naked. Here's the lowdown

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I love a middleweight Spend any time on one and it's immediately clear why they're so popular with the bike-buying masses. Quick and capable enough to make rapid progress, but without the silly licence-losing amounts of power and compromised comfort you'd get from a 'proper' sport bike. I reckon they're probably the perfect option for road riders who like pressing on.

I've ridden a whole host of the current crop, including Ducati's Monster, Yamaha's MT-09, Triumph's Street Triple and KTM's 890 Duke. They're all good in their own slightly unique way, with enough variety in price, performance and styling to suit a whole range of riders. There are also a couple of new bikes, in Suzuki's GSX-8S and Honda's Hornet - which have received favourable reviews, though I've not had the chance to put them to the test just yet.

There is another option though. KTM's 790 Duke has just made a comeback. Dropped from the range a couple of years ago, it might seem like a bit of a strange decision on the Austrian factory's behalf to reintroduce it... It's already got the allsinging, all-dancing 890 Duke R, so why would KTM want to risk eating into sales by reintroducing a bike that's in the same sort of ballpark?