POV VIDEO: 2015 KTM RC 390 Track Action

Why is it that grown men suddenly get foolish when they get on a small bike? At the global press introduction for the 2015 KTM RC 390, held in Modena, Italy, there was a raft of front-end slides and an (un?) impressive number of lowsides. And, yes, I was among the guilty, losing the front and sliding to a complete stop on my knee, elbow, and shoulder, miraculously protecting the RC 390 from any damage aside from a broken brake pedal. Does that even count as a crash?

When I went back out to lap some more and get some onboard video after getting the brake pedal fixed, I followed another rider to help capture some on-track action accompanied by a bit more sound and fury. Well, I managed to get more than that when he proceeded to lose the front end in full camera view!

While it’s true we all tend to push a bit harder at the track when we are riding smaller, less intimidating bikes such as the KTM RC 390, I also suspect tire pressures played a role. It’s not uncommon for a single-day sportbike press launch to include both street and track riding, but it is pretty unusual to be cut loose on the circuit with standard street-tire pressures. But that’s what happened here. As a bargain-priced entry-level bike, the RC 390 doesn’t offer suspension tuning beyond adjustable shock preload, but it does come equipped with decent rubber in the form of Metzeler Sportec M5s.

Could tire pressure have been the culprit that led to a surprising number of crashes during our brief track time? We’ll find out when we get an RC 390 stateside and get back to the track. Meantime, enjoy the video.