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Anyone Running An Rc8?

Discussion in 'Other Bikes' started by bradders, Apr 30, 2017.

  1. What are they like? Reliable? Good on track? Parts and servicing costs?

    For what a superduke costs, its RC8 money and with the adjustability I wonder if it would be a better option: higher bars/lower pegs on road then switch over for track.

    No QS, no traction control, no slipper, no gear indicator...am guessing all can be aftermarket if needed..how do the KTM boxes stand up to a QS? Assume they really need a slipper on track?

    :)
     
  2. I think @Drinky or @mattcorse had one for a while?
     
  3. They need serious silencing for use on track. I did a trackday at Snetterton when the RC8 cup was running and they were being slung out right left and centre due to not being able to get under the noise limit at the time.

    Mark Hill at MHP exhausts has done a lot of these and they require some work to get them down to a decent track level.

    I quite like them but I believe at one point some (early!?) models had gearbox problems.
     
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  4. Haven't owned one but I looked into it before buying the 1290 because I was after a track bike at the time and thought the RC8 could scratch both itches. The first bikes did have crude gearboxes and harsh brakes. They revised the 2011 bike and made a lot of improvements. '11 and '12 bikes are the ones to go for and you'll get a nice one for 6.5K and probably cheaper to run and maintain than a Tuono. You'd have to ride one to decide. The RC8R that followed added more power and was a better bike all round but they're 9 grand+.

    Handling is excellent, riding position is roomy and adaptable and the engines are tough. There's an RC8 near me that's gone past 60,000 miles and plenty of track days with no problems at all. Even an R won't match the pace of a contemporary Jap 4 or probably an 1198 but it'll make you feel like a track god. The underslung Akra full system is very loud but sounds glorious and strangely old-school. The older bikes use a touch of oil same as the LC8s and when one thunders past on the road trailing a faint whiff of oil vapour its very hard not to want one but you won't be welcome at a lot of tracks.
     
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  5. Guy at work had one, said he never had any issues with reliability or service in Bristol. IMG_0260.JPG
     
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  6. All I know is we had a guy on a ride out on an early RC8. I passed him on the Multistrada and his response later was 'f**k me they are quick'.
    Didnt think I was going that hard. So either his was broken or it cant match a 1200mts twinspark! :)
     
  7. I had a day on the RC8R and though I enjoyed riding it when I got off it my back ached quite a lot.
     
  8. Or he just couldn't ride a bike that well ;)
     
  9. It will be shorter sunny days and track so not too worried as long as I can squeeze around the tank :rolleyes:
     
  10. It could have been that I needed to have had the various bits and bobs (pegs etc) adjusted more. I had the seat dropped to suit my hobbit legs and that was fine but although it felt good whilst riding it (lots of different scenarios - slow, fast, twisties, A roads, motorways etc) for some reason when I got off at the end of the day after 8 hours in the saddle I felt really sore. I then got back on my R1 (at the time) and it was miles comfier.
     
  11. My Trackday mate has an RC8R. He uses it all year round as a commuter and also for Trackdays.seems to be reliable, no big issues.
    I had a go on it once and compared to my 1098R it's very roomy and a bit softly damped. Was a bit dull tbh! He has not had issues with noise as he has standard cans.
     
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  12. I had an RC8 and an RC8R before the 899 and they were cracking bikes. Neither one missed a beat. One was an ex track bike and had various bits added, including a QS which was generally pretty slick, although I hit a lot of false neutrals on both models. Bags of lowdown torque, massively fast, but crap at low, town speeds. Very comfortable and sound awesome. I had aftermarket cans on both bike and they make the Panigale sound quiet, so getting one on track might be challenging
     
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  13. How do they compare to the 899? Ergonomics and ease of ride (on track mostly) :)
     
  14. I never tracked either, but ergonomicly they aren't massively dissimilar. Both are very easy to ride fast and feel a similar size. The RC8 is a slightly more upright position, and despite the look of the seat, is actually very comfortable. Much more agricultural feeling than the Duke, but still works really well. I'm not a great rider but the lack of ABS and TC didn't bother me at all
     
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  15. I'm guessing the 899 feels slower with its less power and mostly torque?
     
  16. The 899 is so super smooth maybe it just doesn't feel so fast. The RC8, especially the R, had a savage power delivery from very low RPM. It scared me tbh, the Pani feels like a pussycat in comparison as it takes a load more revs to get going and is generally more linear. The Pani suits me more as I'm not a great rider, but I do miss the low end power in certain situations
     
  17. @bradders ams in Tewkesbury are ktm dealers they might have one or maybe worth a phone call.
     
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  18. KTM= Keeps taking money. i.e to fix it.
     
  19. I've done 20,000 miles on two KTM V twins in the last two and a half years (not RC8s admittedly) and they've been as cheap as walking compared with the cash the Ducati has swallowed. And they're both in the garage now ready to go. The Ducati isn't. Its under a sheet somewhere being exotic and awaiting attention.
    We'll gloss over tyre consumption on the 1290 but I can't blame the bike for that.
     
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