Can you get a test ride on one ? Most seem to love them but for some reason I never got on with mine.

 

Atleast when buying should be able to test ride some anyways.

I do have few other bikes on the list like RSV4 but thats not ktm soooo 😁 i mean if someone has had one im happy to hear about it, but with my budget im looking for around 2010~ year models. Basicly V2/4 bikes is what im looking at if i decide to hop to new bike. For some reason i just dont want I4, well except 09+ R1 maybe. Im not really after power, i guess i just want something thats a bit "exotic".

 

What type of riding do you do? For local street/city hooning, any plasticrocket will be a horrible downgrade from a straight up riding position. The low rpm behavior, cramped riding position and racing suspension of the RC8R would make it unacceptable for me for daily riding, but would make it very enjoyable for weekend blasts in the twisties.

I would much rather look towards a 890 SMT or Superduke than RC8R for all types of riding on the road for around that price, but for me it's how I feel when I'm on the bike riding that matters, not what others thinks is cool when I'm off the bike.

 

I dont really care much for comfort 😁 and yes this is my dilemma as i love the supermoto for how easy it is to roll around with and it also doesnt care if its sand or asphalt. I have harder springs on my smc r, still stock damping though. For me i dont mind harsh ride, i like to feel what my car/bike does and i like to feel tires gripping the road. I do some commuting but i dont do many km per year, its usually around 2-5k km a year. So for me its more of the weekend blast stuff.

Edit:
I do also want to go track with it. Not that i will in a long time be able to really take everything out if it but 😁 It is indeed quite a jump in power and speeds.

Edit2:
Also i might end up keeping the smc r and just mod it, who knows. Asking opinions just to see what my options are. Its kinda wasted to switch my smc as it only has 14k km on it so for me thats brand new bike.

 

If the comfort isn't an issue for you and you don't use it much as a commuter/town bike, then my complaints can be disregarded

Then it's only a matter of practical logic to me. Can you insure the bike at a reasonable cost? Can you work on the bike yourself? The LC8 isn't the friendliest of bikes to live with, but they are for the most part bullet-proof if maintained.

 

I do all stuff myself 😁 currently building track car just to give an idea but ye will see. I might be happy by just changing back to stock gearing and maybe some tinkering to get more top end. But the big issue is that i would be spendibg much more in upgrades than swapping bikes. If u r interested i have some kind of post about my bike if u look at my profile.


It was pain to find it so if ur interested to read/look: https://www.ktmforum.co.uk/threads/well-i-guess-its-time-for-this-now.1381633/