There have been many motorcycles in the recent decades that have piqued the interests of motorcycle enthusiasts. The KTM RC8 was one such bike, in the regard that it piqued the interests of the people but still, it remains elusive and mysterious. Even in our country, RC 8 became famous after it’s discontinuation in 2015. So today we are going to take a look at what the KTM RC8 was, why was it discontinued and most importantly, was it as fast as people thought it was.The tag of “Crazed KTM”-
First look at the RC8’s spec sheet and you will realise that it’s a fairly standard supersport. With 173 BHP and 123 Nm of torque, the bike felt like a moderately powered 1200 cc Supersport. With a weight of 184 Kg, ABS, Liquid cooling, quick shifter, it was as good as the next litre-class sports bike, yet its owner choose to shut it down. In an Interview with Cyclenews, KTM CEO and President Stefan Pierer said,
“But let’s be honest, if your Superbike is reaching 200 horsepower or more, it’s impossible to argue that it belongs on the street. It really doesn’t, anymore. As soon as the RC16 is available for customers we will stop with the RC8.”
He strongly argued that the current 173 BHP which the KTM RC8 produced was way dangerous than anything on the road. He also added this to his statement, thus signalling the end of RC8.
The RC 16 being mentioned here is track the only bike which is not permitted to be ridden on public roads. You can ride it either on a track or on a private enclosed property.
The facts-
After Hyping his bike as a dangerous machine which is not safe for on-road usage, Stefan Pierer made it his moral responsibility to make sure that the bike does not see the light of the day. Still, one is left to wonder, “Was the bike really so unsafe?”, as it turns out it’s not. Currently the fastest bike on road is the 2018 Kawasaki H2 which produces 231 HP over a chassis that weighs 238 kg and even if we go down in the Supersport class then it is filled with motorcycles like Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, Yamaha R1-M, Suzuki GSX-R 1000, all of them producing around 200 HP able to achieve 0-100 km/h in around 2 seconds. So far KTM’s claim of fast motorcycles being not safe seems lacking.Another hint which the company’s CEO gave was of “Government Action”. In his interview with the Cyclenews, he hinted that the European Government might shut down the company’s operation if they kept making such fast bikes. This claim is also busted because currently the fastest Ducati is made in Italy, which is in Europe. The Ducati Panigale V4 S produces 214 HP and weighs just around 195 Kg.
In conclusion, there is no clear evidence to why the KTM stopped making their flagship Supersport KTM RC8. One might argue that it’d have been really hard to beat the already established player in the market like the Yamaha, Suzuki and Ducati, in the supersport game. As a result, KTM decided to put the RC 8 with “Too dangerous for this world” written on its grave.
Do you think that KTM should have tried hard in the liter class supersport segment or is the company too comfortable making pocket beasts like the RC 390? let us know in the comments below.
By: Yetnesh Dubey