2023 has seen the KTM RC 3C racer evolve, with twice as many to be built, and pricing roughly $60k here in Australia, $40k in the US and £31k in the UK, with exact pricing listed at the end of the video.
In short that’s upgrades to the engine to bo…
2023 has seen the KTM RC 3C racer evolve, with twice as many to be built, and pricing roughly $60k here in Australia, $40k in the US and £31k in the UK, with exact pricing listed at the end of the video.
In short that’s upgrades to the engine to boost performance, expanded electronics and further weight savings, which leave the 2023 RC 8C boasting 135 horsepower and weighing just 142 kg, although that is a dry figure.
That’s an increase in seven horsepower, although my notes from 2022 suggest that previous model was 140 kg dry in comparison. While power is also up, torque is slightly down to 98 Nm, and while on a street bike torque is likely the bigger figure to note, on a track machine peak power plays a larger role, as you can actually take advantage of it.
As far as the updates, in the engine department we’ve seeing new lighter titanium valves and conrods, with two piston rings run, higher compression and a bigger throttle body to flow more fuel.
Clutch preload is increased, the top balancer removed and the crankcase balancer shaft has also been adjusted, with an eye on durability, while a Pankl oil cooler is also run to keep things cool.
KTM also reckon they’re running a new titanium Akrapovic exhaust system, but I can’t spot any obvious differences to the outgoing version with a cursory look.
The chassis side of things is trick and mirrors what we saw last year, with that Chromoly steel tubular or trellis frame with adjustable steering head and CNC machined triples, mated to a set of WP Apex Pro 7543 forks, Apex Pro 7746 shock and joined by a Apex Pro 7117 steering damper, which apparently is the same unit run by WP supported racing teams.
What has changed for 2023 is the suspension configuration, with the setup now softer according to KTM, for better comfort and contact, where we can only assume the previous model was a bit punishing in comparison.
Top end Stylema four-pot calipers fitted and mated to 290 mm floating rotors, while a RCS19 Corsa Costa..
