Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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2015 KTM RC390 FIRST RIDE P110 Once aboard, it's immediately evident that this is a bike with con- trols that are very light and easy to use, and thus confidence-inspir- ing. Plus the way your knees tuck tightly into the tank helps deliver a sense of control. It's very much a street replica with a slightly big- ger engine of the factory KTM Moto 3 GP with a snug but suf- ficiently spacious riding position that leaves you feeling a part of the bike, not just perched on it. However, the sporty stance puts quite a bit of weight on your wrists and shoulders, enough for this to be tiring in town when sit- ting upright at low speeds. But in spite of the reduced wheelbase and that tightened steering geometry, the RC390 very definitely has substance combined with agility – it's not a minibike, but a full-size motor- cycle. And the distinctive, sono- rous, good-sounding exhaust note that you hear means that even without the optional Akrapo- vic pipe that, being side-mounted and thus in full view, has extra street cred status as well as prob- ably making it go faster. The RC390 sounds potent and punchy - as it is, with over four- fifths of the horsepower of the Moto 3 GP single's 56 hp avail- able at the twist of a wrist. The RC390 motor has an inevitably wider powerband than the race- bike, although for smooth pickup on a wide open throttle without any trace of transmission snatch, you need to keep the revs above 3000 rpm as shown on the same KTM dash featured on all its other single-cylinder streetbikes, which is a model to other manu- facturers to follow. In addition to all the usual data that you'd expect (speed, rpm and water temp), this fully digital multifunctional LCD dis- play shows a wealth of extra info including average speed, fuel consumption, range and a gear indicator. The lusty midsize motor is completely smooth, with no ad- verse vibration at all thanks to the balance shaft and the weights at the end of the handlebars. It'll pull off its 1300-rpm idle speed mark without excessive use of the clutch, and it's very forgiving as well as torque. It has totally lin- ear acceleration all through the rev range wide open from 4500 rpm upwards, plus an extra little kick above 6000 rpm when revs start to pick up a bit faster en route to the adjustable red shift- er light on the dash (which KTM had set to flash at 9500 rpm as a warning that the rev-limiter was awaiting a thousand revs higher). With a cable throttle rather than digital RBW, there's a fierce cut- out when you do hit this. The wet roads that KTM had cleverly arranged for the early part of our road ride showed that (Clockwise) KTM puts a 43mm upside down fork on the 390 and the brakes are from Brembo's partners in India, ByBre. The RC390 gets a Bosch ABS system standard. The taillight and the brake light are housed nicely in the rear end of the seat. The dash offers up a wealth of information and is easy to read.