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German outlet Motorrad claims that KTM is working on a new larger displacement RC sportbike variant. KTM currently produces the small displacement RC390 sportbike and the RC8C track-only machine. But that’s it for its sportbike lineup.
However, Motorrad says that the Austrian company may be working on a 990 cc sportbike variant which could loosely be based on KTM’s Duke 990 prototype spotted testing in Europe. To back up their claims, Motorrad has several spy shots of the Duke 990 prototype and the bike they say could be an RC 990.
RC 990 vs. Duke 990
According to the German publication, the potential new RC 990 will sport a 990 cc parallel-twin engine cradled by a traditional KTM chrome-molybdenum frame. From there, they start discussing differences between the prototype 990 Duke and the rumored RC 990.
Could KTM be making a big brother for its RC 390? Photo: KTM
Differences
They say the RC 990 uses an aluminum gullwing or banana swingarm, while the Duke prototype has a more traditional KTM unit. The subframe also differs between the RC and Duke variants. As for suspension, Motorrad guesses that the new RC will get a full suite of WP Apex range components. Front braking will come courtesy of a Brembo Stylema setup. The bike’s TFT display looks to have been tweaked, with the RC getting a larger one than the Duke.
Engine
Obviously, the RC 990 bumps the displacement up over KTM’s 890 models. With the boost in displacement, Motorrad believes that a roadgoing 990 cc version of the engine will produce between 135 and 140 hp.
Production?
Looking at the spy shots, the purported RC 990 is still a ways off from making it to production. The machine’s proportions still look off, and several parts of the bike look unfinished. Given the state of the motorcycle seen in the spy shots, it is unlikely that it will make it to production in 2023. It will be interesting to see whether these spy shots lead to a new larger KTM road-going sportbike. Time will tell.
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