2022 RC390 Discussion

Treachery

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So, I've been worse than absent, but one of the other OGs posted up the pix of the next generation RC:

2022-ktm-rc-390-first-look-sport-motorcycle-trackbike-racebike-racing-featured.jpg


Official KTM website

The webpage is pretty good, actually, and the bike looks a good bit better in this picture and on the website than in the earlier pictures. Just going to have to decide what my (notsohumble) opinion is of the looks. But the specs look pretty good. Buncha weight loss in components, but I don't see what the overall weight change is. Big upgrade to the forks. Supposedly new rear subframe, but I haven't seen a side-by-side. Swingarm looks unchanged. ABS function in corners (wonder about the give in the ABS lines).

Anyway, wanted to start the discussion among the faithful; looking forward to seeing who's still around from the early days, and getting acquainted with the newer arrivals.
 

Treachery

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I will freely admit that I don't know, but it would depend on the forks and the axle. The odds probably aren't good.

On a separate note, the lean angle in some of the "official" pics looks preposterous. Anybody else think so?
 

Superpacman13

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Feel free to ask me any questions, I know more then I probably should and cannot wait to get my hands on one asap!
 

Treachery

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The new bike hopefully gets a bigger fuel tank, it sure looks like it?
If I read correctly, it's a half-gallon or so bigger. A parallel question is whether the fuel gauge on the new TFT dash is any more accurate than the "guess gauge" on the outgoing bike.
 

Superpacman13

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Total capacity of the new tank is 3.6 gallons, the tank design lends itself to an accurate full height gauge but whether they chose to install such a thing we will have to see.
 

Topaz

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If you can understand Italian, here is a street and track test and comments. Posted last week.
https://www.moto.it/prove/ktm-rc-390-2022-test-piccole-belve-crescono.html

Basically, the guy liked the bike a lot. Lighter, new chassis, adjustable suspension, ecc. He says he didn't feel much difference in the engine compared to the previous version, but he liked the chassis, and the electronics are top notch, quick shifter, traction control, ABS. I didn't hear anything about different fuel maps. Maybe they are there.

He does a road test first, and then he goes to the track with a bike that has been taken out all electronics, and better tires. He is really happy about the bike.

He loved the bike.
The guy claims that the prepped bike has 10hp more and 20lbs less! Akra pipe with some air box and probably fuel map. No traction control, no ABS. Stock suspension. Slick tire at the rear and a Supercorsa in the front.

He didn't like the gear shifting, neither on the streets or at the track. "Some times it would kick back, or miss a gear", he said, especially in the higher gears.
He felt the engine vibrating in high revs, but normal for a mono cylinder.

The only comment on the price is the it would be slightly higher than the current version. It should be available (in Europe) around March 2022.
 

Karfanatik

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My original opinion from the early leaks still stands. I still think it looks like ass and it has lost its aggressive and racy look.
Things I do like:
- New TFT screen
- Electronics package
- Lighter weight
- Adjustable suspension.

The suspension is really the only thing that I would really want for my own bike and that is in the works. I am also pretty sure I don't need cornering traction control with 44hp so the upgrade means very little to me. IMO this new bike really would only make sense to riders who don't already own an RC390
 

ToraTora

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Thats one of the first parts I am going to make. The front axle is a bigger size for 22 but I should be able to space the wheel down to fit and make that goofy front brake work as well.
It would probably be pretty easy to find a replacement bearing for the new wheel with the proper sizes.
 

Superpacman13

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It would probably be pretty easy to find a replacement bearing for the new wheel with the proper sizes.
I am thinking of machining spacers as the brake may need some lateral alignment to work. Also I think it can be done cheaper then swapping bearings and using the old gen spacers.
 

Toddy34

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Are the forks the same size? Given the whole front end looks like a significant upgrade is there potential to just drop that into an earlier gen bike. It wont be long before there's plenty of salvage titled one around for bits.

Also any idea how much more the RRP is compared to the old bike?
 

Nemesis13

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$5799 sounds like a deal. I sold my weestrom and ninja250 to get the new/used RC390 last month. I was going to wait for 2022 model but my local dealer said they don’t know if they will even get any in March because of supply chain shortages affecting manufacturing.
 

xorbe

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I used to have a pregen Ninja 250 and R3, then a couple other bikes, and currently have a Ninja 650 and Speed Triple 1200. Bought a Grom to scratch that small bike itch, but it was way too humble, sold it 400 miles later. I think this new RC 390 might be the ticket.

How much is the auto-blipper add-on going to cost?
 

TVann

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There is a lot about this new bike I like.

Specifically, I love the fact that KTM focused on all the little things that make this a great track bike while still being streetable. in particular

1) rotating mass weight loss - 7 lbs from the wheels alone. That's the weight loss you get when you pay 2.5 k for a set of marchesinis e.g. $2k Galespeed forged wheels took about 8 lbs from my kawi 250 racebike ; another 2 lbs from the front brakes.
2) general weight loss - 3 lbs from the frame.
3) Upgraded suspension - WP fully adjustable both ends.
4) electronics - ride modes, quick-shifter etc - cool little shit I probably don't need but's fun to have anyway.
5) bigger fuel tank - the small tank on my 17 RC390 is a PITA on the street. Back roads riding here in NC is touch and go; you never can tell when you're going to find a gas station in the middle of nowhere.

And I love the looks, with KTM giving the nod to their Moto3 bikes in the styling.

KTM is to be commended for giving us a small displacement lightweight sportbike that isn't a "beginner bike" but rather a sophisticated, uncompromising track day bike that does double duty on the street. They've done it right - not by feature bloat but by concentrating on keeping it lightweight. I'd much rather have 25 less lbs than 5 more hp and 25 more lbs. Less weight beats more hp every time.

At this point, the only thing that could keep me from buying the new RC390 and parking it next to my 2017 RC390 is if Kawasaki comes out with the rumored 4 cylinder ZX4R for the American market (a bored out version of their ZX25r being sold in Asia) and even that might not interest me as much as the new RC390 given it'll probably weigh in at the same weight as the ZX25r - 402 lbs wet. Hell, that's what my 170 hp ZX10R weighed after some very minor weight reduction.
 

xorbe

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One thing though is that KTM hasn't specified what the actual total weight loss is. For instance, one manuf pulled a fast one with one of their models, it was true their bike lost weight here and there, but then they failed to mention weight gain in the exhaust/cat dept, so it was a wash in the end (while people had been led to believe there was a mass reduction).

I would not hold my breath for the 4-cyl Kawasaki ZX-25R, I really do not believe that it will ever be offered in the USA as a street legal machine. That would be a tough choice between a 4-cyl li'l screamer and the 390, because you know that Kawasaki is damn near torqueless, lol.
 
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