Admin Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 The 2024 KTM RC 8C. (KTM/) For the third time in four years, KTM is offering its limited-production, track-only RC 8C to a handful of lucky customers. Since the first 100 examples were snatched up in 2021 (and 200 more in 2023), sportbike fans have hoped it was an augury of things to come: namely, a mass-produced sportbike based around the 889cc LC8c parallel twin (the same engine powering KTM’s middleweight Duke and Adventure models). That model has yet and, for all we know, may never come. So while news of another run of RC 8Cs is welcome, it is, alas, also salt in the wound. The good news is the RC 8C is the kind of aspirational motorcycle that gets the heart pumping. Like KTM’s dreaming-of-Dakar halo off-roader, the 450 Rally Replica, the RC 8C represents the heart of KTM’s “Ready to Race” philosophy. The 2024 model, limited to 100 models, will be ready for online preorder on March 20, 2024. The $41,499 price tag (that’s just $3,996 less than a Ducati Panigale V4 R!) gets you the most ready-to-race bike in KTM’s arsenal, though it’s essentially a Krämer restyled to resemble an RC16 MotoGP bike. That’s not to diminish the RC 8C’s merit. Krämer, based in Burghausen, Germany, founded by former KTM engineers, may not have the wide name recognition of its Mattighofen co-conspirators, but it’s certainly earned a sterling reputation for building the LC8- and LC8c-powered trackbikes that sportbike aficionados wish KTM would build in the first place. Krämer’s own top-end GP2-890RR retails for $39,995. Red Bull KTM MotoGP stars Jack Miller and Brad Binder put the RC 8C through its paces. (KTM/) KTM claims the breathed-upon LC8c produces 135 hp; increased performance is thanks to a raft of changes, including titanium valves, titanium connecting rods, and machined cylinder head ports and combustion chamber. The engine breathes through a bespoke airbox and gets its lifeblood via a fuel pump unique to the model. A full Akrapovič exhaust system lets the motor sing. If 135 hp doesn’t sound like a terribly impressive figure, consider the RC 8C weighs a claimed 313 pounds (dry). To achieve that number, Krämer developed a chromoly tubular frame and a rotationally molded fuel cell that does double duty as the subframe. Additional weight-saving parts include carbon-Kevlar bodywork and forged aluminum Dymag wheels. Krämer’s handiwork on full display. The trellis frame is constructed of 25CrMo4 tubular steel. (KTM/) For ultimate performance, the RC 8C has the highest-spec components from Brembo and KTM’s in-house suspension brand WP. At the front, there’s a fully adjustable 43mm WP Apex Pro 7543 closed-cartridge fork, and at the rear, a WP Apex Pro 7746 monoshock, adjustable for high- and low-speed compression and rebound damping, with a remote preload adjuster peaking out beneath the seat. In addition to Brembo Stylema calipers, the braking system uses Brembo’s 19RCS Corsa Corta radial master cylinder, which enables riders to adjust the bite point. Further, the master cylinder’s RCS (Ratio Click System) allows riders to select a fulcrum-to-piston distance of either 18mm or 20mm, thereby changing lever travel to deliver the familiar lever feel of a streetbike or the immediacy of a racebike. Like full-on racebikes, the RC 8C offers setup options not found on typical production bikes: triple clamp and steering head offset allow geometry changes to suit conditions, and seat height (via eccentric subframe mount), handlebars, and footpegs can be adjusted to suit rider preferences. The RC 8C’s electronics package includes power modes, traction control, and anti-wheelie, all of which are adjustable through an AiM MXS dashboard, which includes a datalogger with GPS functionality. Additional features include aerodynamic winglets and a swingarm scoop. Pirelli Diablo Superbike slicks come standard. The RC 8C rider’s office features a TFT display and datalogging from AiM. (KTM/) Customers who add on the Race Parts package are invited to book a spot at a handover event at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão, Portugal. To get the most out of their bikes, technicians will help customers dial in their perfect setup. Not only that, unspecified “KTM racing royalty” will also be on hand. To top it off, a private dinner, the opportunity to take laps around the circuit in a KTM X-Bow race car with KTM factory drivers, and a world-exclusive product unveiling give RC 8C owners some serious bang for their buck. Last year, KTM sold out of all 200 hand-built RC 8Cs in under three minutes; two minutes and 38 seconds, to be exact. You’d think KTM would have gotten the hint that there’s more than a small amount of interest in a mass-produced KTM middleweight sportbike. Maybe all it suggests is that, yes, there’s a vocal group of motorcyclists who want a pure-bred middleweight sportbike, but it’s not a legitimate indicator of the number of potential buyers for a mass-produced middleweight sportbike. If only that exclusive product unveiling in Portimão were for the affordable mass-produced sportbike the rest of us have dreamed about since the demise of the 1190 RC8. Probably not, but we can dream. After all, the RC 8C is all about dreaming. And, OK, fast laps. New white livery distinguishes the ‘24 model from the predominantly orange model of 2021 and the black of 2023. Check out those Pirelli Diablo Superbike SC 1 slicks and the Brembo Stylema Monoblocks up front. (KTM/) 2024 KTM RC 8C Specs MSRP: $41,499 Engine: DOHC, liquid-cooled parallel twin; 4 valves/cyl. Displacement: 889cc Bore x Stroke: 90.7 x 68.8mm Compression Ratio: 14.0:1 Transmission/Final Drive: 6-speed/chain Claimed Horsepower: 135 hp @ 11,000 rpm Claimed Torque: 72.3 lb.-ft. @ 8,250 rpm Fuel System: Electronic fuel injection w/ 48mm throttle bodies, ride-by-wire Clutch: Wet, multiplate, anti-hopping slipper; mechanically operated Engine Management/Ignition: Bosch EMS Frame: Chromoly steel trellis Front Suspension: WP Apex Pro 43mm inverted fork, fully adjustable; 4.7 in. travel Rear Suspension: WP Apex Pro shock, fully adjustable; 4.7 in. travel Front Brake: Brembo Stylema radial-mount 4-piston calipers, 290mm discs Rear Brake: Brembo 2-piston caliper, 230mm disc Wheels, Front/Rear: Dymag forged aluminum; 17 x 3.5 in. / 17 x 6.0 in. Tires, Front/Rear: Pirelli Diablo Superbike slicks; 120/70-17 / 180/60-17 Rake/Trail: 23.3°/3.9 in. Wheelbase: 55.1 in. Ground Clearance: 7.5 in. Seat Height: 32.3 in. Fuel Capacity: 4.2 gal. Claimed Dry Weight: 313 lb. 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