2015 Ktm Rc390

2015 KTM RC390

IGNITION

FIRST RIDE

CW FIRST RIDE

Lightweight singles rule!

Don Canet

The new RC390 was designed and developed at KTM in Mattighofen, Austria, but it’s manufactured in the company’s Indian facility, keeping costs down and offering budgetminded Americans an exotic alternative in the entry-level sportbike class. Based on the 390 Duke, this new RC390 is scheduled to arrive in the US this February. It’s the flagship bike in a trio of small KTM singles, with displacements of 125,200, and 373CC.

The Duke’s proven liquidcooled, DOHC, fuel-injected, counterbalanced four-stroke single serves as a stressed member of the RC’s tubular

steel-trellis frame. The RC39o’s rake and trail are more aggressive: 23.5 degrees and 3.5 inches versus the Duke’s 25 degrees/3.9 inches. Add in its shorter 52.8-inch wheelbase and this bike is all about sharperhandling response.

Likewise, suspension travel is shortened to 4.9 inches (front) and remains at 5.9 inches (rear), and the damping has been firmed. The nonadjustable 43mm inverted fork and springpreload-adjustable shock are WP units manufactured in India. Nearly every component of the bike, including the Brembodesigned cast-alloy wheels and brake calipers, the two-channel

Bosch ABS, and the 46mm Dell’Orto throttle body, is made in India.

At the RC39o’s press launch in Modena, Italy, I rode the RC390 on city streets and twisting back roads. The 32.3-inch saddle is firm, and the bike weighs a claimed 324 pounds without fuel, which makes the RC easy to maneuver. Better still, pulling away from stops and accelerating up through its light-shifting sixspeed gearbox was easy.

Power delivery is linear across the rev range with plenty of thumping grunt on bottom, and it builds to a fulfilling zing near the 10,000-rpm redline. Claimed peak output is 44 hp at

9,500 rpm, a good 10 or so more than the CBR. The beat of this oversquare single is also more pronounced than the CBR300R’s.

A more sporting riding position sets the bike apart from its peers, the clip-on bars residing about level with the top triple clamp. Ample legroom between seat and footrests comfortably accommodates taller riders. The mirrors are excellent, the controls have a polished operation, and the effective brakes did not fade. Ride compliance proved exceptional on the street, but the bike was too softly sprung and under-damped for my 180-pound butt when hot lapping the Autódromo di Modena.

The twisting 1.5-mile circuit was ideally scaled to test the RC. Baby Ninjas and CBRs beware: There’s a new weapon in town for low-cost corner scratching. The little KTM would hit an indicated 100 mph on the main straight, and the track was so smooth that I never needed to toggle the ABS off. While inspecting the Metzeier Sportec M5 radiais after the session, I discovered that the 110/70ZR-17 front was scrubbed to the tread’s edge, but there were 3/8-inch chicken strips on the sides of the 150/60ZR-17 rear. I suspect the rear tire is not a proper fit for the rim’s 4.0-inch width.

Hard cornering at deep lean produced an occasional chatter

slide at the rear, but there was ample warning to catch it. But I wasn’t so lucky when the front tucked at the apex of a thirdgear right. I almost managed a Marquez-style save, except that I ended up riding my knee and elbow to a stop without leaving a scratch on the bike! How’s that for luck? ETU

SPECS

2015 KTM RC390

PRICE:

est. $5300 ENGINE:

liquid-cooled DOHC single

DISPLACEMENT:

373cc

CLAIMED SEAT HEIGHT:

32.3 in.

FUEL CAPACITY:

2.6 gal.

CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT:

324 lb.