Five years in the making and it's finally here. The most eagerly awaited V-twin superbike since the Ducati 916 is alive, but does it kick?
A ground-up, all-new blank piece of paper superbike comes around once every decade, if that. We know how radical it looks from seeing the ads and Internet images; we know it's a high-revving 1190cc 75 V-twin; and we know KTM makes mad, mental motorcycles and paints them bright orange. What we also want to know is how well it goes.
KTM chose the extraordinary Ascari circuit in Ronda, Spain, for the launch of its new superbike. It's privately owned by a Dutch millionaire and rented out to race teams and the well-heeled for test days like this. Set into a natural amphitheatre of granite valleys and lined by orange groves, it's impossibly posh and the perfect place for a launch of this importance.
The track is fast, flowing and very technical, and KTM took the unprecedented step (in launch terms) of allocating every journalist his own bike for the day. This stroke of genius meant that we all got at least 3 hours uninterrupted riding on the road and then track.
There's a stark simplicity to the RC8. The frame is old-fashioned steel, very basic, weighing only 15 pounds. The rear shock linkage is a work of art and there's easy access to everything-apparently it takes just 2 minutes to change the rear ride height, and a rear wheel can be swapped out in half that time. "It looks like something is missing, but nothing is," says the RC8's creator, Wolfgang Felber. And the RC8 has been built to go racing. "We will go World Superbike racing, there is no question," continued Wolfgang. "This is a steep learning curve for us as we are new in the superbike racing business and we don't know where we will finish. But we will learn."
Superstock kit parts will be available for the RC8 immediately after its release-a mark of how serious KTM is about its racing and, more importantly, the RC8.
There's something refreshingly honest about both the staff at KTM and the new bike. The row of 40 parked RC8s looks impressive enough, and I'd forgotten how great the bike looks. In white, it's a work of art. In orange, less so. The angular plastics, sky-high seat unit and imposing lines make the RC8 stand out a mile from the sometimes silly, plasticky looks of a Japanese superbike.
Cool dash with plenty of info. A WP steering damper offers control as well. | 
The hottest hiny since J-Lo hit the block. | 
Plan on lots of bug-eyed grins when you get a leg over the RC8. |
Sit on the RC8 and you get a further reminder of its European origins-it's big. You're not locked into position as you might be with an oriental sportbike and you don't look ridiculous if you're 6 feet tall or more-it's a proper man-sized motorbike.
Hit the starter and the motor snatches into life before settling into a steady warm-up. It's a deep, throaty burble, but most of the noise comes from the airbox as the underslung exhaust is a distant rumble away. We can't wait to hear an RC8 fitted with the open Akrapovic pipe that will be supplied as part of the Power Parts kit.
I elected to ride the RC8 on the road first and the track later. The bikes were tight-mine only had 100 miles on the odo-and therefore the power curve was flatter than even KTM intended. From three grand all the way up to the 10,000-rpm redline the RC8 pulls strongly and without any noticeable dips in the power curve-just a solid torrent of horsepower that only stops when the shift light blazes and you feed in the next gear. Shit, that was fun. Think I'll do that again...
And thus off we headed into the mountains just west of Ronda, me all over the front of the RC8, feeding in massive handfuls of throttle, the KTM tearing off enormous sections of Spanish road as we went. Then I braved a glance at the speedo-256 kmh. What's that in real money? 160 mph? Damn.
V-twins always catch you out-you never feel like you're going quick when you are, and the 150-horsepower RC8 has taken this stealth speed thing to new levels.
On fast point-and-squirt roads, the RC8 is a demon. Much of this is down to the exemplary chassis and suspension package, and the near-perfect balance. Physically it's a big bike, but it stops and turns like a GSX-R750. The roomy ride position means the RC8 is simple to throw around, and the quality of the WP forks and rear shock are beyond question. They've got that highly damped squish that you only get with top-end suspension units, with loads of feedback from either end. In road set-up the RC8 isn't especially quick-steering, but it's incredibly neutral and just a gentle shove on the bars will have it dropping into, and then holding, any line you choose to take.
You're right over the front of the RC8 and it feels direct and plugged in to the rider. Through a series of fast corners the KTM allows you to scythe through without any fear of tankslappers or skittishness. Just keep your eyes pinned on where you want to go, wind the throttle in hard and early and the RC8 blasts into the next bend.