A comfortable sport bike - Really!
The chassis is not the only thing you can set to your liking on the RC8 – here are the comfort and efficiency adjustments you can tailor to your style and preference: the height of the handlebars, the footrest position between forward/low and backward/high, the distance between the handgrip and the brake and clutch levers, and, finally, the height and forward positioning of the brake pedal and gear shift. With these possibilities, even a stout rider like my 250-lb boss can find a comfortable position on this really well thought out bike. So much so that despite its sporty style bordering on the extreme, the RC8 becomes almost comfortable on the road. This adjustability works on the track as well as the street, as when hanging off, head down and knee touching the ground, it proved less demanding to control than the others thanks to its height-adjustable handlebars.

More adjustments: damping force of the steering damper, position of the brake and clutch levers, height of the grips, preload and damping of the fork tubes, and position of the tubes in the triple clamps.

The cleverly shaped seat felt close to cosy for my rather thin and poorly padded backside. Even with the chassis ground clearance at its lowest setting, the RC8 remains high for a sport bike, with the pillion seemingly perched atop Mt. Everest. On the other hand, the adjustable and relatively low footpegs do make for a more relaxed leg position.

Track ready and pleasant on the road
When you turn on the ignition, the enormous dash glows orange, displaying all the info you need: speed, rpm, max rpm shift light, engine and ambient temperature, lap counter, lap timer, best lap time, last lap time, average speed and maximum speed during a given session. A button on the handlebars allows you to easily change the menu while riding, and another one starts the timer at the beginning of each lap.

The RC8’s playground isn’t just the racetrack – it also handles like a dream on twisty roads. KTM chose to offer an efficient and accessible machine rather than emulate the more uncomfortable and temperamental bikes on the market. The engine is up to the challenge, coming alive at 3,000 rpm and really working itself up from the 5,000 rpm mark, before becoming a true catapult from 7,000 rpm and its maximum 10,500 rpm.

The exhaust, located under the engine for better mass centralization, emits an intoxicatingly hoarse growl that transforms into a furious wail at the twist of the grip, but not enough to wake up the neighbourhood. The transmission of our tester presented a few false neutrals, especially when pushing hard on the track, a flaw of the first production bikes that has been dealt with since, and possibly also a sign that our test ride had lead a hard life. The judiciously spaced ratios allows you to get the most out of the twin-cylinder in all situations by helping the rider keep rev in the happy torque zone. On the rather tight ICAR track in Mirabel, we managed to clock some respectable times using only the second and third gears.

A programmable display and a complete set of colorful warning lights - all easy to read under various lighting conditions.