0 2012 KTM Street Model Lineup Preview

When dipping its toes back in the streetbike market, KTM did so gently with the single-cylinder Duke models. But when the company decided to finally hit the ground running and introduce a slew of street models, it still did so in a conservative fashion. The company’s headliner, the RC8 superbike, lacked power compared to its rivals, and the fit and finish was still a little rough around the edges. That said, KTM designers nailed the chassis design from the start, as it’s one of the best handling motorcycles we’ve ridden. The RC8 R aimed to fix the power issue by bumping displacement from 1148cc in the base model to 1195cc — rivaling its V-Twin competition — but now that power wasn’t an issue, taming it was.