#Rc8c

The evolution of Ducati’s Panigale V4 platform since its introduction is nothing short of remarkable. It’s widely accepted that the first iteration was an unruly beast of a motorcycle with a powerful engine mated to a stiff and unwieldy chassis, making it hard to ride fast and especially hard to ride fast consistently. Ducati’s updates in 2020 and 2022 have been steps in the right direction, but the 2025 version absolutely blows the doors off anything that came before it.

There’s no such thing as the perfect motorcycle, but when it comes to track-specific machines, Kramer Motorcycles makes something that’s really, really close. Known for its bespoke chassis, premium components, and overall light weight no production bike can match, Kramer partners with KTM, who provide the engines for these track-focused weapons. Kramer embodies the “Ready to Race” ethos of KTM so well that KTM enlisted the boutique brand (started by a former KTM employee) to build a small production run of 100 bikes, dubbed the RC8c, centered around the 890cc LC8c parallel-Twin.

It had been quite a while since I last rode a multi-cylinder KTM on a racetrack – all the way back to 2011 and the Red Bull-sponsored factory RC8R 1200cc V-twin on which Martin Bauer was victorious in that year’s IDM German Superbike Championship, with teammate Stefan Nebel third. That was a key moment in the Austrian dirtbike specialist’s climb up the ladder to equal status with the likes of Honda and Ducati in the road racing pantheon, and showed that orange was a color to be reckoned with on-road as well as off it.

KTM announced updates for its RC 8C sportbike, including a reworked, more powerful engine, a new exhaust, updated electronics, and the latest WP suspension. Produced once more with the help of Krämer Motorcycles, the RC 8C will have a limited run of 200 numbered units, with a suggested retail price of US$39,599.

KTM has revealed a new limited production track bike with the 890 Duke R engine in a bespoke chassis. The 2022 KTM RC 8C will be available for pre-order starting on July 22 at 10 am EST/7 am PST on KTM’s website for $38,999.