The KTM 990 Duke (2024) is a naked bike with 90.5 kW and a wet weight of 190 kg. That’s 476 kW per tonne, in the performance tier. MT-09s, Street Triples, GSs and 600 supersports. A cheap rear is the weak link.
476kW/t
Not LAMS. Over 150 kW/t (or 25 kW for an electric bike), so learners and most provisional riders can't ride it. LAMS rules
For a mild, wet climate, ridden solo.
Commuting
For commuting, a dual-compound sport-touring tyre is the safest all-round choice: excellent in the wet, quick to warm up, and it lasts. Its shoulders still handle performance-tier power comfortably.
Also consider: if you ride hard at weekends, sport.
Twisty roads
Performance power and twisty roads work the tyre's shoulders hard. A sport road tyre adds lean grip and sharper steering, and still copes with rain.
Also consider: if you ride year-round, sport-touring.
Road + track days
Performance power and road + track days work the tyre's shoulders hard. A sport road tyre adds lean grip and sharper steering, and still copes with rain.
Also consider: optional track-day set, supersport.
Your owner’s manual, or the tyre sticker on the swingarm or chain guard, is the authority on sizes, load index and speed rating.
Sport-touring: character
Fit a matched pair
Run the same make and model front and rear. Tyres are designed as a pair, and mixing them changes how the bike steers and where it lets go. Rears usually wear out first; if you replace only the rear, match the front's model.
Scrub new tyres in
New tyres are slippery until the release agent wears off. Take the first 100–150 km gently, building lean angle gradually, and be extra careful in the wet and on painted lines.
Check pressures weekly, cold
Bike tyres lose air faster than car tyres and pressure changes the handling more. Check them cold, before you ride, against your owner's manual or the swingarm sticker, and add the pillion figure when two-up.
Stick to the specified sizes
On a fast bike, even the rear's profile matters: a 190/55 and a 190/50 change ride height and steering. Fit the sizes in your manual, and the OE-specified version where the maker lists one.
Replace by age as well as tread
Rubber hardens with age even when there's tread left. Check the DOT date code and replace tyres older than about five years, sooner if they're cracked.
476 kW per tonne (639 hp per tonne), from 90.5 kW and a 190 kg wet weight. With a 75 kg rider aboard it's 342 kW/t. That puts it in ratio's Performance tier for motorbikes.
120/70 ZR17 front and 180/55 ZR17 rear as standard. Check your owner's manual or the tyre sticker on the swingarm for your exact bike, including the load index and speed rating, and never fit lower.
For commuting, sport-touring tyres. Good options include the Michelin Road 6, Michelin Road 6 GT, Bridgestone Battlax Sport Touring T33. Fit the same model front and rear.
No. It's well over the LAMS limits, so learner and most provisional riders can't ride it.