Ktm rc8 owners on here?

[hopper650]

Hi,

I was wondering if any orgers own a KTM RC8? Or have ridden one.

I saw one up close on the KTM retail stand and brands hatch for the BSB and I fell in love lol. It's really comfortable to sit on and it just felt right.

I was hoping to get some opinions from any owners on how it is to live with, performance figures, MPG etc.....

Thanks in advance :)

[hopper650]

Ah mate that would be awesome I will send you a pm now. :)

[DJ123]

will this help http://www.ktmforum.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=135

[SIII]

Brother in law had one for a while, excellent but said it was too track focused. Ok to go a 60 mile blast but just too extreme for him. Only did a handful of miles and flogged it.

[squirrel_hunter]

Yep I've ridden one. Cracking bike, fantastic. Couple of little quirks but very good, apart from... The engine. It doesn't work on the road. However that was the first one. The later models are supposed to be better. A mate of mine has one he loves it, but does agree the engine can be a bit of work at the lower speeds, but once its out on the open it's great.

Performance, awesome. To live with, I don't think I would fancy a daily commute on one. And as for MPG, are you serious?

[shonadoll]

My friend had one, did a total of 500 miles said would be ideal on track but too extreme for road. If you could get an extended test ride I'd try it as it seems quite marmite.

[hopper650]

Thanks for all your opinions guys. I am going to try and sort out a test ride soon.

I'm a looking to change the sv for something a bit sportier, and faster in the not too distant future. However I will be using it for a 20 mile a day commute. So it needs to be good for that too. Obviously I know any sports bike is a compromise on comfort. But I have decided performance is the most important thing to me lol. However comfort and fuel consumption can't be astronomically bad.

When I sat on this rc8 I felt really comfortable and it was like I was sitting in it rather than on it. Awesome looking machine. I suppose a test ride is the only way to know :)

Anybody got any other suggestions to test ride etc?

Thanks
Alex

[monkey]

If it's economy you're after surely it can't be a twin? What's your budget?

[hopper650]

If it's economy you're after surely it can't be a twin? What's your budget?


I'm not really after economy. I'm more focused on performance however I don't want to get a bike that literally drinks fuel lol. I know a sports bike won't be the most economical machine to buy, but I don't want to get the nose uneconomical bike on the market if that makes sense lol.

I would probably stretch to about £12k if the machine was exactly what I want but in a ideal world £8-10k.

[NTECUK]

V twin performance mpg isn't that special .
My rsv r does about 35 mpg.
It's only happy at track day pace, but will plod along at 60-80 mph.
Hope your licence can sustain the fun.

[hopper650]

V twin performance mpg isn't that special .
My rsv r does about 35 mpg.
It's only happy at track day pace, but will plod along at 60-80 mph.
Hope your licence can sustain the fun.


I'm am going to get a test ride sorted I think. It might be more practical to get a I4 though. Probably going to try the GSXR750 and the zx6r too. I want the really want the KTM though it just looks awesome and is a bit rarer and different which I really like.

[hopper650]

See if you can find Bike Magazine/Feb 2012 anywhere. 12 page article about the RC8R. Or PM me your address, I'll send you it.


Got it today :) its very informative. Gets a good right up too.

Thanks a lot mate u have been very helpful.

[mikerj]

V twin performance mpg isn't that special .
My rsv r does about 35 mpg.
It's only happy at track day pace, but will plod along at 60-80 mph.
Hope your licence can sustain the fun.

That's terrible! I rode my RSV from Plymouth up to Brands and back for the BSB with a bunch of other bikes and we were pressing on (esp. on the way home) and my average for the whole trip was high 40's. On more restrained trips with lots of DCW etc. mid-50's is quite possible.

[NTECUK]

Crumbs . I thinking of getting shot of it tbh .
Road bike wise its not sensible.Your just to removed from its pace unless you constantly look at the speedo .
Ideal track bike .

[Runako]

Well I did a review on here of the 2012 R and echo what other have said. To say this bike is for the road is a joke. Yes very comfy, yes fully adjustable, yes looks very different (and got loads of looks from everyone - but I didn't see them because most things were a blur). But this is a deception, a fraud!

Coming from inside the city to get out to some good roads I thought someone was having a laugh. It was one of the worst bike's I've ridden at low speed. The gearchange was notchy and the engine ... get ready to ride the bull in traffic. BUT ...

Out on the open road was very different. That thing only starts working at 70+. Its like its just got up out of bed, had a yawn, took a p!ss, rubbed its eyes and then said "you ready to go?" I saw 140 before I reaslised what was going on. And it didn't even feel like 140 with loads left in the range.

Track bike, weapon, not for (urban) road

[Runako]

I love this bike. For me, one of the best looking. But apparently its rough as a bag of spanners. Review?

[hopper650]

It is a very nice looking bike. But I'm afraid the KTM has still got number one spot in my opinion lol on looks anyway as I have not ridden either yet :(

[hopper650]

www.mandsmotorcycles.co.uk (http://www.mandsmotorcycles.co.uk) in Newcastle are listing a del. miles RC8R @£11.995. Wrong end of England for you Hopper650 but if you post them the cheque, I'll collect the bike and ride it down there for you. ;)



Haha nice offer, but I'm afraid I don't have 12k to burn at the moment lol :)

[Sy-superfly]

I had an 848 and it was damn lurrrvvvlllyyy ....... after I spent 6k on it but out of the box it's ****e!!! The best bike by far out of the box is a Daytona 675 2009 on. good mpg plus it goes off like a whippet, the torque is smooth unlike the Ducati - KTM from down low in the rpm so doesn't need to be raced to be is nice to ride. the noise is individual as well.
So if your like me and don't really like inline fours give one a try, it sounds like it should tick the boxs you want.

[hopper650]

I had an 848 and it was damn lurrrvvvlllyyy ....... after I spent 6k on it but out of the box it's ****e!!! The best bike by far out of the box is a Daytona 675 2009 on. good mpg plus it goes off like a whippet, the torque is smooth unlike the Ducati - KTM from down low in the rpm so doesn't need to be raced to be is nice to ride. the noise is individual as well.
So if your like me and don't really like inline fours give one a try, it sounds like it should tick the boxs you want.


I have tried a Daytona 675. And I agree it was a awesome machine power and handling wise. But for me being 6ft 2 it was a agonising riding position. The bars where so low almost lower than my knees. And I could not ride more than 20 mins on it. I'm trying to find a dealer that has a rc8 on demo fairly close to me lol

[Runako]

Well, here's my raw unedited vid of my RC8R experience. Be warned it 30min long as I've just uploaded it & YT takes a friggin age to finish the upload edits. I'll mash it down to about 5min so you can watch it now or wait for the re-edit tomoz.

Oh, and ignore my commentary. This was my first and last attempt at a vlog review. I much prefer riding and I'll input some text with my observations where necessary.

OnrwW1w4OcM

[ukgooner]

If I were you I would edit the clip to not show the speed ;) and add some music to get rid of that awful wind noise!

And I am trading my SMT in next week for an RC8, lovely bike :)

[Sy-superfly]

Just a note to widen your spectrum of bikes you can go for. They do telescopic clip ons, which will fit any sports bike. They can be adjusted easily on the move too, so travel to where you ride in comfort then drop them to get sporty.

http://londonbikers.com/news/3545/introducing-convertibars-multi-adjustable-handlebar-system

[Runako]

If I were you I would edit the clip to not show the speed ;) and add some music to get rid of that awful wind noise!

And I am trading my SMT in next week for an RC8, lovely bike :)

Yeah, its completely unedited & was my 1st attempt at a vlog bike review so not the best. The camera wasn't supposed to be on the speedo, I forgot to tilt it up! So that was accidental. Anyway, this was a while back and I've got some better ones. I may clean this one up eventually but the speed shots will stay as is. Thanks for the comments.