Track Test: 2008 KTM RC8 1190 – Jeremy McWilliams tests the RC8 on Ascari!
Written: 13/03/2008 : 15:16. Read 16214 times (19/day).
The KTM RC8 ride in Ascari was another good experience, and a great bike to ride in my view. I've ridden plenty of twins and all of them have their own special traits, this one has a character of it's own in the new era of oversized twins. 71 votes
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(videos at the end of this article) I like the fact that I believe anyone could ride this bike, whether in anger or a jaunt through the back roads. It's one of the most well behaved sports bike of its generation and not in the typical sport bike fashion, ass in the air full race prone position, this is more between sports and sport tourer, and the bars are level with the top yoke and not below.
To get an idea of the balance, good points or bad, I believe a test should be approached a bit like you would a qualifying lap on the track and in contrast, a Sunday run on the road.
I got the qualifying lap end of the stick in Ascari and made the most of it. Firstly this bike gives the impression that all the weight is low, it looks shorter than I'd expected and the exhaust neatly hangs below giving the impression that much time has been spent making the whole package compact. When ridden the feeling is of a bike that has most of its mass central but not too low that direction changes become stressed.
When pushed the RC8 feels like it's stuck to the track like glue, the Super Corsa's seem to suit the geometry of this bike perfectly but don’t compromise handling in any way.
On corner entry this 1190 (actually 1148 and 188kg's) is razor sharp, enough to have me in a little early. As the bike turned so accurately on corner entry with minimal physical input my expectations of stability weren't high, how wrong. As hard as I pushed I couldn't get a weave or a protest and even jumping the not so flat kerbs in Ascari didn't give any warnings of impending disaster.
I checked the neat WP steering damper to see what setting the tech's had decided might help save the gaggle of mad journos descending on this elite track and possibly destroying a very pretty fleet of orange and white Austrian pride. The damper was on zero and never needed adjusted all day, this chassis is very good. The suspension options (Standard, Medium and Sport) are a nice add on but it would take a very fast or fussy rider to feel that the standard or medium setting wasn't for them, my preference was medium rear and sport front, just to help in the very hard braking area's.
Other niceties included the anti hop system derived from KTM's MotoGP experience, whereby on hard downshifting the back doesn't come around to greet the front.
Handy if you've stepped into panic mode involuntarily and backed into first when third would've been adequate. The wheel speed differences are calculated super quick, when the back locks up a servo motor on one of the butterflies opens sufficiently and adds just enough fuel to get you out of trouble. The digital dash is easy to get on with; the change light is there only to remind that optimum change was probably 500rpm back.
The motor does not need to be screwed to the red line in any gear, best I could make it work was changing at approximately 9750 as the spread of torque is greatest from about 7000 all the way until 10000 if you so desire. Ratios are spot on but with only about 150 miles on the bikes a positive change is needed but the engineering make this box feel like its bullet proof.
Conclusion As this RC8 1190 is KTM's first venture into the sport bike market it would be fair to say this is a seriously good effort, the lines are very KTM, sharp, angular and aggressive.
This bike rides and feels a lot like its looks…
Words: Jeremy McWilliams Photography: Peuker/Buenos Dias
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