A new, fully faired KTM sportbike with a parallel-twin engine has been spied testing overseas, and it is widely rumoured to be the RC 990. The engine in this large-capacity KTM RC sportbike will reportedly displace close to 1,000cc and it could be an all-new motor, as it is unclear whether KTM can further expand the motor that began life as the 799cc engine from the 790 Duke. The design of the fairing on this parallel-twin KTM sportbike resembles the limited-edition track-only RC 8C supersport. However, this new bike will be fully road-legal as indicated by the presence of road-going necessities such as a round LED headlight, indicators, mirrors and a number-plate holder.
Since this is a sportbike, the handlebar
has been done away with in favour of clip-ons although the riding position
doesn’t seem to be too extreme. This, despite the fact that the clip-ons are
positioned under the top triple clamp. Looking at the relatively relaxed foot
peg positioning also reinforces the idea that this bike will probably have one
of the more forgiving rider triangles in the supersport segment. The pillion perch doesn’t appear to be the
unforgiving afterthought that we’ve become accustomed to seeing, and even the
rear foot pegs aren’t overly aggressive. As of now, the bike features a
metallic plate near the pillion foot pegs, which is most likely there to
fine-tune the final position.
While most of the engine remains out of
sight thanks to the fairing, the exhaust system can be seen clearly. In stark
contrast to the underseat exhausts seen on the KTM Duke 790/890, this KTM RC
sportbike features a more conventional side slung exhaust end can, much like the
flagship 1290 Super Duke R. Another notable difference to the 890 Duke is the
presence of a much larger radiator. Hardware
seems to be top-notch, too, in the form of an adjustable WP front fork, what
appear to be Brembo Stylema front calipers and a beefy gullwing swingarm. The
TFT dash is much larger than the one found on the 890 Duke and bears more
resemblance to the one found on the 1290 Super Duke R. One area where the
parallel-twin KTM RC is similar to the 890 Duke is that it has the same cast
alloy rims as the Duke. Expect a full suite of riding aids to be on offer.
Considering the overall rough finish on
the parallel-twin engined KTM RC, a production model is quite some time away.
In terms of what it will rival upon its launch, the bike is likely to be
positioned close, but below the likes of the Ducati Panigale V2.
