KTM 690 SMC 100% fun on and off the streets

The fuel-injected 654cc motor is beloved for showing incredible numbers on the dyno (63 horsepower) and for the fact that it only weighs 305.4 lbs. Stop reading the numbers over and over again and try to imagine how this thing will perform on tight roads because street legality was a must while developing it. Not only it will leave behind all the supersports (only on the twisties) like most of these thumpers do, but you’ll be finishing your coffee before they even get to the point you’ve planned to meet.

The frame was designed with mass centralization and implicit handling in mind while the suspensions and brakes are all fancy performance units so, all around, the bike is ideal both for the track and the streets.

One of the most aggressive styled KTM motorcycle destined to hit the roads, the 690 SMC has its own very good idea on how street super motards should look. Massive and yet refined! Every single exterior piece blends perfectly in with another, creating this way a compact looking motorcycle. But things would have been much simpler for designers if they wouldn’t have chosen to go for sharp edges all around this thumper, including the seat. Have you ever seen a top notch manufacturer to do any concessions? I haven’t and for KTM, the SMC is a good “go for it” example.

KTM RC8 Akrapovic & Red Bull replica

At a dry weight of 180kg and engine weighing only 62kg, that lightweight powerplant sends 170 hp and a torque of 123 nm to the rear wheel. And the best of all is that these specifications are for the basic KTM RC8 1190 R.

The engine is Liquid cooled, four stroke, 75degree V-twin cylinder, DOHC (Double Over Head Cam, 4 valves per cylinder and the new one delivers 10 hp more.

 

 This is not an ordinary RC8 R replika like Honda's Repsol replica. It's not just the IDM Superbike ridden by Jeremy McWilliams. The KTM 1190 RC8 R Akrapovic Edition is far beyond that.

You get the best series chassis with the latest, most powerful series V2 engine. Plus, the most sophisticated racing exhaust in the Clubracing Kit: the Akrapovic Evo4, a masterpiece made from ultra-thin titanium. 7.5 kg lighter and delivers 10 hp more. The more horsepower come from the upgraded cylinder gasket, the Akrapovic racing exhaust and remapped fuel injection.