This middleweight naked motorcycle nameplate first appeared for the 2018 model year, when it introduced KTM’s LC8c parallel-twin platform to the Duke family. KTM described it as a turning point for the range and positioned it as a sharp, lightweight street bike aimed at riders who wanted a more focused alternative in the mid-capacity segment. The model quickly became the original ‘Scalpel’ in KTM’s modern Duke storytelling, and the company later said the nameplate’s first run began in 2017 production terms, corresponding to the 2018 model-year launch.
The first production period ran until early 2021, when KTM replaced it with the larger-displacement 890-branded version. That change ended the initial run of the 790 nameplate rather than simply updating it in place. KTM then revived the nameplate for model-year 2022 and continued it into subsequent years, presenting the return as the continuation of the original concept rather than a brand-new motorcycle family.
Because of that gap, this is a nameplate with multiple separate production periods. Its history is best understood as an original launch, an interruption when the range moved to the 890 badge, and a later revival of the same 790 identity for riders who wanted the lighter, more approachable midweight Duke character. The model is notable for being the machine that carried KTM’s twin-cylinder Duke line into a new era and established the styling and handling theme that later sibling models built upon.