The KTM E-Duke Breaks Cover
Rennie Scaysbrook | May 3, 2017
KTM heading to the electric side with their little Duke
KTM’s E-Duke shows the company is serious about creating a viable electric streetbike in their current line up.
Photography by BMH-Images
We could be at the very start of the mainstream electric motorcycle revolution, if these spy pics of KTM’s new E-Duke are anything to go by.
The E-Duke (our name, not KTM’s) looks to be the first tentative steps into the road electric market for the Austrians, who have already gained considerable experience in electric motorcycles thanks to their off road variants in the Freeride E-SX, E-SM and E-XC on sale in Europe.
The spy shots here look as though KTM is pretty advanced in their electric prototype. As we write this, no details on the machine have yet been released by KTM and KTM USA had no comment on the machine’s existence when quizzed by Cycle News.
The base is clearly the previous generation 390 Duke. A new 390 was released a couple of months ago however this electric model uses last year’s frame and bodywork with the electric motor wedged between the frame rails.
The E-Duke (at this early stage of prototyping) comes with a clutch and gear lever, just like the Victory/Brammo Empulse TT of 2016.
Interestingly, KTM’s also fitted a clutch and gear lever arrangement on the E-Duke. This is a move that was implemented by Victory and their electric partners Brammo when the Empluse TT was released in 2016 and is aimed at replicating the riding experience of a gas bike.
Aside from the now defunct Victory, KTM’s E-Duke is the first running prototype of a full size streetbike we have seen from a major manufacturer, and not a bespoke one like Zero of Energica. Yamaha has released various concepts over the past few years, including the PES1 and PED1 dirt machine, and Honda (under the Mugen banner) has developed the extremely successful Shinden Roku Isle of Man TT Zero racer, although no production variant has yet been released.
Although seemingly advanced in that the machine runs, KTM’s E-Duke is most likely still several years away from being production ready. But the fact the company that builds some of the most badass motorcycles on the planet is forging into this side of the motorcycle industry is good news for not just E-bike riders, but all of us.
