Filed under: Euro, Motorcycles
Officially Official: KTM RC8 Superbike introduced
click above image for more high-res pics of the KTM RC8
Gasp! The Superbike races are heating up fast, with Ducati's new 1098, Buell's new 1125 and now KTM's new RC8 all sporting V-Twin engines of around 150 horsepower. The KTM is what we are looking at above, and it is not likely to be mistaken for any other machine. In case you missed the sharp-edged styling that is indicative of KTM's sportbikes, the screaming-pumpkin orange paint is sure to catch your attention. The RC8 features a new 75 degree V-Twin engine displacing 1148cc's, making 155 horsepower. That's class-competitive, although the bike is a bit of a porker at 414 lbs.
Soon to be competing for your hard-earned bucks against the KaToom, Buell and Ducati will be a new bike from Aprilia, as well. Hold on tight, 'cause the rumor-mill is reporting that BMW is hot on the heals of the other Euro manufacturers with a class-competitive superbike on the horizon too. Good times are ahead whether you're a fan of the Japanese Four or favor something a little different, as the KTM RC8 shown here proves.
[Source: KTM]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim 2:10PM (11/08/2007)
440 lbs with fuel
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Nicko 2:22PM (11/08/2007)
If the RC8 is truly 440 with fuel it's far from "a porker". That's right in the hunt with all of the liter bikes including the 1098 and only about 15-20lbs more than the 600/675's. From my experience riding a SuperDuke (both are LC8-based) on the track and street, the RC8 is going to be incredible. KTM has proven they can build excellent power plants and very competitive/predictible chassis for sporty road bikes. Bring on the WSBK version!
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Luis 2:49PM (11/08/2007)
Ditto. To see this thing race in Philip Island (my favorite track) would be awesome. Maybe they could entice Troy Bayliss to give it a test or two?
Tim 6:41PM (11/08/2007)
The 1098S is around 405 lbs wet, so the KTM is pretty chubby.
Looks cool, though. It's grown on me quite a bit.
Nicko 7:07PM (11/08/2007)
Tim, not sure what planet you're living on. But with Earth's gravity taken into effect the 1098 weighs approx. 438 (give or take a pound depending on the scale). See RoadracingWorld, Cycle World, Motorcyclist mag etc. The lightest full-sized sportbike yet is the 07' CBR600RR at 412 with fuel. I think the spec you listed is w/o fuel. You can never take a manufacturer's spec as fact because some include battery, coolant etc. and some don't.
Tim 10:42AM (11/09/2007)
There's really no need to get so defensive. If I had the means, this bike would be added to my stable.
I admit that was a calculated guess based on Ducati's claimed dry weight of 377 lbs for the 1098S. I realize now that I forgot to include coolant in that calc.
If they do in fact leave out the battery, then that's simply misleading.
Hopefully KTM has their own S version coming out with more carbon bits.
Bill Ford 3:23PM (11/08/2007)
But why can't they involve a designer in the development process?
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Nellydesign 8:25AM (11/09/2007)
Are you kidding? The design of this is freaking awesome. To each his own I guess. You may not LIKE the design but there is no doubt that it has been DESIGNED. IMO it's a very daring and different yet cohesive design.
Bill Ford 9:14AM (11/09/2007)
The front of this bike looks like it was hastily assembled from cardboard leftovers by a 8 year-old. You can call them "stealth-like angular body style", but all I see are disproportional flat pieces somehow put together without any particular arrangement in mind. It's not ugly, as some might say (latest Ducati is ugly), it is just has no design.
Ruckus 5:15PM (11/08/2007)
I always wanted to be a KTM guy, but as a service manger at a motorcycle shop I just can't. KTM still has serious quality issues. They use all the trick stuff and then mount body work with wood screws. They do have a great lproduct line and marketing team.
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John Burns 5:41PM (11/08/2007)
I liked KTM's MX offerings,(not enough to trade in my lime greenie on one), but with the way they bailed on TeamKR in MotoGP and left them high and dry I will never give them $1 of my money.
Pretty gutless corp. IMO.
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Poe 9:49PM (11/08/2007)
I have a lot of respect for all of the new katooms, but I just can't warm up to the crazy angular origami F-117A styling.
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Aaron B Brown 12:03AM (11/09/2007)
I'm glad to see KTM finally released a class worthy big bore superbike, having made some of the baddest dirt bikes around for some time now. Unfortunately the trend in liter bikes has been heavier in recent years instead of lighter, so this KTM is actually on the lower end of the scale in comparison to its competitors. Here are the 2007 dry weights for:
Honda CBR1000RR -- 425 lbs.
Kawasaki ZX-10R -- 422 lbs.
Suzuki GSX-R 1000 -- 439 lbs.
Yamaha YZF-R1 -- 435 lbs.
Ducati 1098S -- 410 lbs.
It seems to have taken the KTM look to the next level, adopting an even sharper stealth angular body style, similar to what we saw on the Lamborghini here recently. I like the tail especially.
What surprises me most is the positioning of the engine, which seems to be set pretty far back in the tube steel frame, and leaning rearward. This is good for mass centralization, but I wonder what it will do to be handling characteristics. It does seem to have a very long swing arm, so I imagine that this bike will either handle very well, or have some handling drawbacks. We'll see.
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Rob 5:50PM (11/10/2007)
I think it looks pretty sweet. I prefer twins to the I4s. A little easier to ride around on, better low end tq, and not as peaky in the powerband.
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Big Dave 4:59PM (1/01/2008)
The bike looks great !!!! I wish I could afford one,,, I think for now I will go with the Buell 1125,,, It's almost $5000 cheaper and parts will more abundant
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