2009 KTM 1190 RC8 vs. 2008 Suzuki GSX-R750

Superbike Bookends

By Don Canet | Photos by Chris Cantle

November 2008

2009 KTM 1190 RC8

Price

$19,498

Dry weight

423 lb.

Wheelbase

56.2 in.

Seat height

32.0 in.

Fuel mileage

42 mpg

0–60 mph

2.7 sec.

1/4-mile

10.07 sec. @ 137.97 mph

Horsepower

135.9 bhp @ 10,200 rpm

Torque

76.4 ft.-lb. @ 5200 rpm

Top speed

166 mph

Suzuki GSX-R750

Price

$10,599

Dry weight

419 lb.

Wheelbase

55.4 in.

Seat height

32.0 in.

Fuel mileage

43 mpg

0–60 mph

3.1 sec

1/4-mile

10.44 sec. @ 136.32 mph

Horsepower

127.5 bhp @ 13,100 rpm

Torque

55.1 ft.-lb. @ 11,200 rpm

Top speed

169 mph

Photos: 2009 KTM 1190 RC8
vs. 2008 Suzuki GSX-R750 >>

If ever there were a sportbike that has weathered the test of time in a changing two-wheel climate, it's the Suzuki GSX-R750. When it first emerged in the European and Canadian markets in 1985 (arriving stateside the following year), it defined what a race-bred superbike should be. Over the years, this 3/4-liter inline-Four has been battle-hardened and refined through numerous updates and wholesale revisions, but one constant has remained: Suzuki's commitment to the Gixxer's hypersport philosophy.

While adjustments to global Superbike racing rules over the past decade have left this lone "classic" 750 Four out in the cold in terms of top-level competition, it remains a superb example of well-balanced performance and was voted Best Superbike in Cycle World's Ten Best Bikes as recently as 2006. Suzuki's essential formula for success the past several years has been to simply endow its agile-handling 600cc supersport platform with an increased bore and stroke to deliver a sizable boost in horsepower and torque.

The backside bookend of the recently revised Superbike rulebook is the KTM RC8, the latest arrival on the sportbike scene. Don't be fooled by the 1190 designation on our orange-n-black testbike's flanks, because actual displacement of its 90-degree V-Twin engine is 1148cc, 52cc under the current 1200-cube allowance given to Twins in sanctioned World Superbike competition. Surely KTM has Ducati to thank for taking a "build it and they will come around" initiative with its 1198cc 1098R. Race fans can look forward to 2010 when KTM plans to mount its own factory-backed assault in WSB.

As was the case with the original GSX-R all those years ago, the RC8 was first launched in Europe (last January) and is now finally reaching our shores, with 450 units slated for the States in 2009. It was well worth the wait as a few wrinkles have been ironed out of KTM's first effort in building a pure sportbike. Our testbike was one of 50 early arrivals that KTM North America refers to as 2008-and-a-halfs. What this amounts to is that while our bike features the fuel-mapping and gearbox refinements of a 2009 model, it wears '08 bodywork that curiously has three slightly mismatched shades of orange. If that doesn't sound like the level of finish quality you would expect from a bike that lists for $19,498, KTM agrees and promises a more consistent hue will be applied to its 2009 machines.

But hey, the stopwatch is colorblind and we were eager to see the outcome when our pair of unlikely foes met on the street, track and strip. Before things got rolling, both bikes were weighed with a dry fuel tank, revealing that the RC8 weighs 4 pounds more than the 419-pound GSX-R. No surprise as to which bike packs the most muscle when strapped onto the CW dyno, as the larger-capacity RC8 built a mountainous plateau of torque hovering around 70-75 foot-pounds across its rev range. Although residing some 25 ft.-lb. lower, the Gixxer's torque curve proved equally flat and broad. While the RC8 holds an 8-peak-horsepower advantage, comparing output through the midrange revs reveals the full value a big Twin offers as the Katoom pounds out 40 more ponies than the silky-smooth Suzook at 8000 rpm!

As impressive as the Austrian mill's Schwarzenegger-like strength may be, how does it fare when pickin' on someone its own size? Overlaying the power graphs of the RC8 and its natural rival—the Ducati 1098—delivers a greater appreciation for the linear nature in which the RC8 builds power. While the Italian Twin's delivery sags a bit from 4000–6000 rpm, it takes command above 7500 rpm with a strong upper thrust of 10–15 more horses. Another comparison of interest is pitting the RC8 against that other Austrian-built engine, the 1125cc Rotax Twin that propels the latest Buell. Here, the RC8 maintains a 5 horsepower advantage throughout the bottom half of the rev range, with the two converging at 6500 rpm and running pretty much neck-and-neck to their rev limits.

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