5.18.2022: This bike has sold. Congratulations to buyer and seller! -dc The KTM RC8R is the un-Superbike. It does not have the mass-market appeal of the Japanese WSBK competitors, nor does it have a long history of sexy design like the Italian steeds. What it offers instead is a no-holds-barred design philosophy that couples a…
I’m not always a fan of race-replica graphics, but it’s hard to argue that some just look right: Rothmans and Repsol Hondas in particular just drip with style and authenticity. KTM’s RC8R lends itself to wild graphics as well, since it’s anything but restrained, even in regular production colors. Even slathered in all-black aftermarket carbon…
First sold in 2008, KTM’s RC8R superbike came at the tail-end of the analog superbike era, just as things like ride-by-wire, traction-control, and cornering ABS were becoming the norm. After some initial issues with a crunchy gearbox that were quickly resolved, the RC8’s four-valve, twin-plug 75° v-twin was increased from the initial 1148cc to 1195…
By all accounts, Japanese superstar Noriyuki Haga has had an interesting career. Starting out in home market racing – including Japanese Superbike – Haga made the jump into WSBK in the late 1990s, initially as a wildcard entry. One of his earliest opportunities was substituting for an injured Colin Edwards, who would later become his…
While we all love to drool over (and collect) some of the most iconic motorcycles in history, the truth is that many of our beloved dream bikes are simply not suitable to ride every day. Some of the more lust-worthy models are simply too rare to ride regularly without access to spares. Some are far…
Often considered the newer, younger upstart to the Superbike scene, Aprilia dates back to the end of World War II as a manufacturer. Originally a builder of bicycles and mopeds in war-torn Italy, Aprilia leveraged a partnership with Austrian company Rotax and began to build bigger scooters – including a string of very successful 250cc…
Right here we have an interesting dilemma. Race bikes are definitely cool, but used machines really need to have some star power and proven history to have value. Track day bikes – also known as hacked street bikes – are relatively cheap but usually thrashed pretty hard. Brand new race-spec bikes are rare, and nearly…
Racing at the highest levels is a game with very high stakes, and teams are willing to spend a fortune to eke out the smallest advantage over their competition. So if you’ve got a race series designed to showcase up-and-coming riders, how do you limit costs and make sure the playing field is relatively level…
