picked up my bike from Chasbikes this morning and as i was getting ready to pull away a brand spanking new white KTM RC8 purred past in front of me. first time i have seen one in the flesh and my jaw dropped, what an awesome machine. not normally a fan of sportsbikes but if i had £10.5k to burn i know where it would be going.
has anyone ridden one?
I’m not happy about you saying it “Purred” past.
If I payed that much I’d want a GROWL at the very least:D
he wasnt really on the throttle, fellow Monkey, so the engine was just ticking as he went past. i’m sure it sounds as angry as a dog in a hot car when you give it some. 
Aye, I saw a white one In Aylesbury the other week. Interesting.
test rode one last month from Lagunas.
Nice bit of kit but just too small for someone like myself who is of more generous proportions
I saw one on the M25 near Watford on Thursday,looked better than in the mags.Maybe in a year or two when there are some second hand ones about i,ll afford one.
i also saw a whitenone in the city this week. mean lookin bike made some enqiries at ktm in croydon takin orders for white for del 2009. top speed 175 for a 1200???mmmmm but still a interestin bike with some very square lines:w00t:
i really liked it - until i saw the price tag!.
looks fun though.
A friend of mine has a White one. Rode it after just getting off the ducati and found it gutless in comparison. The riding position was more sports/tourer than true sports bike however the rear end looks awesome. Not convinced with the plastic look and the angles but for a first attempt by KTM they are getting there. The price is a little steep considering you can get the 1098 for another grand, or a much quicker jap bike for a whole lot less.
They’ve got plenty at The KTM Center in Hemel, and a test ride one. Pretty much sold on pre orders of most of KTM til 2009!!! Must be something right.
Am I allowed to say I don’t like it 
Lovely bike, ‘different’, but the price tag :w00t: It’d have to be a 1098 for that money
To expect KTM to produce a 1098 beater first time out is setting a task too far. It’s quite a feat to be where the RC8 is now.
Out of the box the KTM is the sharper bike as far as handling goes.
There is loads of work to be done to match the 1098 engine, but gutless the RC8 is not. It produces more torque than the 1098 all the way to 8K revs. Like the LC8 motor the torque curve is so flat it prolly feels slow as there is no sudden surge anywhere.
Top end the 1098 has more power, it revs a little higher and is still biulding when the RC8 flattened then declined. The 1098 motor is a peach, the RC8 is a bit ruff TBH.
Ducati gearboxes are brilliant too. My 916 was the sweetest of any bike I’ve owned. I reckon KTM will target that as a urgent area to improve. The Superduke is good, almost a motorcross box feel.
saw one at Brands; think one of the instructors had bought one?
very nice sound as it came flying down the straight but i still can’t get used to the weird looks from the front…maybe its ahead of it time?
took one out a few weeks back, must say I wasn’t convinced about the looks either when I first saw it at the nec, but it grew on me, and on the road, it’s an awesome bit of kit, better than the 1098 in my opinion, less superior on track perhaps, but as an all rounder…well, it blew me away.
And yes Chunky, it growls rather than purrs
