KTM 390 Duke vs Triumph Trident 660 on track

One standing-start lap of the Ref Ring, our 3.4 km circuit with no home-crowd corners. Every braking point, apex speed and straight is computed from the published specs, so the stopwatch has no favourites.

Read the full comparison

One lap of the Ref Ring

3.4 km, nine corners. Simulated from published specs, played back 3.5x faster than real time.

0:00.0

KTM 390 Duke

0 km/h / 45 hp / 165 kg wet

Gap

+0.00 s

Triumph Trident 660

0 km/h / 81 hp / 190 kg wet

Speed through the lap

0 to 205 km/h, shaded zones are corners

Triumph Trident 660 takes it by 6.87 s, which is 273 m of daylight at the flag. Most of it came at Spec Sheet Straight.

KTM 390 Duke

1:53.42

top 164 km/h / avg 108 km/h / 5 corners won

Triumph Trident 660

1:46.55

top 193 km/h / avg 114 km/h / 0 corners won

Sector	390 Duke	Trident 660
Sector 1	46.52 s	43.66 s
Sector 2	19.65 s	18.82 s
Sector 3	47.21 s	44.03 s

The working: every assumption in the simulation

This is a point-mass lap simulation from published specs, the same quasi-static method club-level lap-time tools use. It is an estimate for comparison, never a measured lap.

Rider: 75 kg, added to each bike's wet weight.
Drivetrain efficiency: 90 percent of claimed peak power.
Aero drag area by class, 0.32 (faired supersport) to 0.44 (adventure and enduro); air density 1.2 kg/m3, rolling resistance 0.015.
Peak cornering grip by class, 0.88 g (enduro knobbies) to 1.15 g (supersport rubber), adjusted mildly for load: lighter bikes work their tyres less.
Braking from the front brake spec: disc size and caliper type set the ceiling, grip has the final say.
Launch capped by the wheelie limit computed from wheelbase and seat height, and by tyre grip through the friction circle in every corner.

Race notes

The Triumph Trident 660 laps the Ref Ring in 1:46.55 on paper, 6.87 seconds quicker than the KTM 390 Duke at 1:53.42. That gap is worth about 273 metres at the flag, and the biggest single chunk of it, 1.85 s, comes at Spec Sheet Straight.

Through the corners it is 5 apexes to 0 between the 390 Duke and the Trident 660. Top speed goes 164 km/h to 193 km/h. A faster lap is not the same thing as the better buy, which is why the full comparison scores value, practicality and ownership too.

Simulated lap times from published specs with stated assumptions, not measured track data. The circuit is fictional and the physics are listed under the race. Read about both bikes: KTM 390 Duke and Triumph Trident 660.

More races worth watching

Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 vs KTM 390 Duke

45 hp vs 45 hp / one lap, one winner

KTM 390 Duke vs Triumph Speed 400

45 hp vs 40 hp / one lap, one winner

Aprilia Tuono 457 vs KTM 390 Duke

47.6 hp vs 45 hp / one lap, one winner

KTM 390 Duke vs Yamaha MT-03

45 hp vs 42 hp / one lap, one winner

Triumph Trident 660 vs Yamaha MT-07

81 hp vs 73.4 hp / one lap, one winner

Honda CB750 Hornet vs Triumph Trident 660

91.8 hp vs 81 hp / one lap, one winner