With its smooth lines
and slick graphics,
the KTM RC390 looks
like it would be at
home on race track
and, as I found out,
it ce!ainly turns
heads around town
SECOND OPINON
Arriving home it was like the fat man had
been I mean Santa... not Vege, Kiwi Rider’s
publisher. Parked in the driveway was a
seriously cool looking bit of kit. With its
smooth lines and slick graphics, the KTM
RC390 looks like it would be at home on a
race track and, as I found out, it certainly
turns heads around town.
I really couldn’t wait to try it out, so
I made some excuses about needing
to pop out to the dairy for some milk
and, err, other stuff” and swung my leg
over. My first thought was whoa, that’s
a bit different ” I’m a long-time dirt and
adventure bike rider and my road bike is
KTM’s more upright Duke, so when I first
got on board the riding position wasn’t
something I was at all familiar with. As you
might expect, the bars are tucked down
low putting you in a racing crouch of sorts,
plus the dials are mounted onto the bars,
so having your speedometer move with
the bars took a bit of getting used to. But
after a handful of km I started getting
comfortable, and that’s when the grin started.
The RC390’s engine is pretty smooth for
a single and just purred as I wound my
way through as many back roads as I
could find on the way to the dairy’. As the
bike floated through turns I thought how
beautifully it handled and really couldn’t
stop the huge grin that had worked its way
across my face.
On another ride, the old boy and I made
our way to Hobsonville for lunch, and
for once it was M bike drawing all the
attention, not Chris’. It can’t be denied
that the RC390 makes a statement parked
outside a caf on a sunny day.
Whilst I had a heck of a lot of fun on the
RC, having previously had a serious back
injury I’m not sure I’d want to do an all-
day ride on it, but for anyone looking for
a sporty bike, the torquey engine and
smooth delivery of power definitely make
this bike more than just a style statement.
JO BIRCH