KTM Duke 990 onboard /// RAW (short review in description)

Dear Community,
as part of the 2024 Testival organized by Motorrad magazine in the beautiful Odenwald (Hessen / Germany), I had the opportunity to test the KTM 990 Duke (MY 2024) and would like to share my impressions of this test ride briefly.
First, I must mention that I rode the bike rather comfortably, and this test should be viewed in that context. While the 990 Duke is quite accessible, I felt it requires some time to get used to. Unfortunately, the short time window wasn’t enough for that.
Ergonomically, it’s noticeable that you almost sit with your shoulders over the handlebars. The seating position is therefore very front-wheel oriented and sporty. It's neither particularly comfortable nor notably uncomfortable. However, I think tours over 200 km are realistic. Personally, I much prefer the ergonomics of the current MT-09 or the Street Triple RS, which I also got to ride during this slot.
The Duke’s biggest advantage in this class is probably its engine. It’s now more in the 1000cc class, and you can tell. As you can see in the video, I don’t even fully rev the engine, and the bike still quickly reaches illegal speeds. The throttle response in Street mode was always very gentle and easy to control. Downshifting is occasionally accompanied by nice, albeit subtle, pops.
The gearbox is well done, although the quickshifter isn’t the best in this class. Here, I see Triumph and Yamaha clearly ahead. My main criticism, however, is the very short stub on the gear lever, which I sometimes couldn’t find properly. Overall, KTM hasn’t made a big leap with the gearbox compared to the 890 models. For me, though, the package of the excellent engine and the good gearbox is still a win.
However, KTM has made a significant and extremely big leap with the WP suspension! This is no longer a weakness of the Duke. I must say upfront that I still don’t agree with the tests from major magazines on this point. I still see the suspension of a Street Triple RS (Showa fork and Öhlins shock) or Monster SP (Öhlins) clearly ahead, especially in terms of feedback. While the Duke leans very aggressively, which might be an advantage at higher speeds, it’s not a big win for me on country roads. I don’t find it tippy, but I do miss some front-wheel feel, which makes me slower on it than on, for example, the Triumph or Ducati. As you can see in the video, the WP suspension finally smooths out bumps confidently and even offers some touring comfort. The suspension is therefore well done.
The much-criticized brakes on my test bike worked sufficiently well. The braking effect was good, and the response was rather sporty. Of course, you shouldn’t expect the quality of Brembo Stylema or those from Nissin in BMW’s M models.
Considering the extremely high price of the bike, which is also my biggest criticism, I would have expected such a brake system. In my view, Mattighofen has miscalculated badly here, which is currently reflected in the sales figures. The bike is partly not selling even with high discounts.
So, after my short test, I conclude that while KTM has developed a good to very good product with the 990 Duke, its price, which I find way too high, makes it personally unappealing to me. I would prefer a Street Triple RS, MT-09 (SP), or even a relatively expensive Monster SP over the Duke.
If you have any further questions, feel free to write in the comments!