For those of you who have been asking for a proper KTM supersport, your prayers have been answered! Albeit in a track-only iteration and it will only see a production run of 100 units. The elusive motorcycle in spotlight here is the recently unveiled KTM RC 8C. The RC 8C is an evolved version of the Kramer GP2 track-only race bike that is derived from KTM’s mean naked streetfighter, the 890 Duke R. The RC 8C boasts of Moto2 level of performance and finesse with its track-oriented bits in place.
Draped in KTM’s signature Orange shade, the RC 8C is quite a looker and it does look like it has its ancestral heritage linked with the now discontinued but still elusive, the RC 8.
The construction
The primary goal while carving a race bike is to make it as light as possible and the engineers over at KTM and Kramer have done a fantastic job with the RC 8C and it weighs only 140 kg. It sits on a Moto2 derived bespoke 25CrMo4 steel tubular frame and sports an ultra-light aluminium Drymag wheelset along with a dedicated airbox and racing air filter. KTM has also taken some pages from its MotoGP book and has equipped the RC 8C with RC16-inspired carbon Kevlar-reinforced GRP bodywork. Krämer designed the stainless steel exhaust system which ends with an Akrapovič titanium muffler.
The mechanicals
When KTM claimed in its official teaser that the RC 8C is going to boast Moto2 level of performance, it was pretty much logical to assume that the engineers will squeeze out more ponies from the 890 Duke R’s 889cc LC8c powertrain and they have done exactly that! In the RC 8C, the same unit puts down 128 horsepower, compared to the 121-horsepower claimed by its road-going sibling. If it’s light and this powerful, it needs to have a potent braking setup and KTM hasn’t left any stone unturned, in any department! It gets 290mm discs up front and a single 260mm rotor aft, the Brembo Stylema calipers provide more than enough bite to bring the RC 8C to a halt. The deal is further sweetened by the inclusion of Brembo 19RCS Corsa Corta radial master cylinder.
The front wheel is suspended by a full-adjustable WP APEX Pro 7543 closed cartridge fork while the rear wheel uses a WP APEX PRO 7746 shock, both specially tuned fro the racetrack. WP also supplies the adjustable APEX PRO 7117 steering damper. The wheels are lightweight Dymag UP7X forged aluminum, and they come equipped with Pirelli Diablo Superbike racing slicks.
The cockpit
KTM equipped the RC 8C with a full-factory AIM MXS 1.2 RACE dashboard with a 5-inch TFT display, integrated GPS function and data logger. The data can be analyzed in the AIM RaceStudio software, keeping tabs on track speed, position, throttle position, engine speed, gear, acceleration and deceleration.
Now that we do have a proper KTM sportsbike, albeit, in a track-only avatar, it begs the question… is KTM going to make a road-legal version of the RC 8C? Or