MotoAmerica KTM RC390 Cup Race BikeThe MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup debuts at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., May 29-31. The class was designed with budget in mind; KTM will sell you a 2015 RC 390 Cup race bike for $9,999. Rules state competitors must endorse an AMA Superstock Limited license, and be born between 1993 and 2001.MotoAmerica’s spec class for riders aged 14-22 – the KMT RC 390 Cup – begins at Road America on May 30. The series will feature 24 riders from 14 states, Mexico and Canada. Some known last names will vie for points in the KTM RC390 Cup, including Ezra Beaubier – the brother of Cameron – and Ashton Yates, the son of nine-time AMA Superbike race winner Aaron Yates.
Based on the street-going KTM RC 390, the Cup race bike offers upgraded fully adjustable WP suspension, an Akrapović muffler, a KTM PowerParts 320mm front rotor, racing brake pads, stainless-steel braided brake lines, adjustable hand levers, racing footpegs (with optional “upside-down” shift pattern), racing bodywork (with larger windscreen), racing chain and sprockets, removed ABS, and a lower fairing that doubles as a oil catch.Buying a street legal RC 390 ($5499) and adding these pieces would cost $3500 more than the RC 390 Cup Race Bike.The 43mm inverted WP forks are adjustable for compression and rebound damping, as well as spring preload. In the back, the WP shock has spring preload adjustments, shock length, rebound damping and high- and low-speed compression damping adjustments.The high-revving 373cc liquid-cooled DOHC single is stock, though it uses an Akrapović muffler. An RC Cup spec intake restriction plate is mandatory, and included.By removing the ABS, the RC390 shed 2.6 pounds. Other weight savings arrive from the racing bodywork and final drive components. The wheels and frame on the race bike are the same as on the standard KTM RC 390.In addition to cash payouts for win, the series winner will be taken to Silverstone Circuit in England to compete in Round 11 of the 2015 British Superbike KTM RC Cup Series. Included are travel and hotel expenses, as well as a fully prepared KTM RC 390 Cup Series Bike and KTM trackside support.“We are super pumped to have the KTM RC Cup in our series,” says Wayne Rainey, three-time 500cc World Champion and MotoAmerica President. “We think it’s a great opportunity for both young and new racers who want to be a part of the National Championship. If something like this was around when I was starting road racing, it would have been something I would have pushed really hard to be a part of. We expect to be finding some new talent from this, and that’s what the MotoAmerica series needs.”2015 KTM RC390 Cup Race Bike Specs:
Engine: DOHC, liquid-cooled, single cylinder, 4-stroke
Front Brakes: Four piston, radially bolted caliper, 320mm disc
Rear Brakes: Single piston, floating caliper, 230mm disc
ABS: None
Wheel Front: Cast aluminum, 3.00 x 17 inches
Whee Rear: Cast aluminum, 4.00 x 17 inches
Chain: PowerParts racing specification
Rake: 23.5°
Wheelbase: 52.75 inches
Seat height: 32.28 inches
Fuel capacity: 2.6 gallons
Weight (ready to race): 304 pounds
2015 KTM RC 390 Cup Race Bike MSRP: $9,999
2015 MotoAmerica KTM RC390 Cup Schedule:
May 29-31: Road America
June 12-14: Barber Motorsports Park
June 26-28: Miller Motorsports Park
July 17-19: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
September 11-13: New Jersey Motorsports Park
KTM Contingency:
1st- $500
2nd- $400
3rd- $300
4th- $200
5th- $1009
2015 MotoAmerica KTM RC390 Cup Championship Grand Prize:
1st Place: Will receive a sponsored KTM ride for round 11 of the 2015 British Superbike KTM RC Cup Series at the Silverstone GP. Prize includes, travel and hotel expenses paid, fully prepped KTM RC 390 Race Bike, and KTM trackside support
2nd Place: $2,500 in KTM PowerParts
3rd Place: $1,000 in KTM PowerParts
Photography by Don Williams
MotoAmerica KTM RC390 Cup Race Bike Photo Gallery:
Hello everyone and welcome once again to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly Podcast—Motos and Friends.
My name is Arthur Coldwells.
This week’s Podcast is brought to you by Yamaha motorcycles. Discover how the YZF-R7 provides the perfect balance of rider comfort and true supersport performance by checking it out at YamahaMotorsports.com, or see it for yourself at your local dealer.
This week’s episode features Senior Editor Nic de Sena’s impressions of the beautiful new Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST that is loosely based around the original FXRT Sport Glide from the 1980s. Hailing from The Golden State, these cult-status performance machines became known as West Coast style, with sportier suspension, increased horsepower, and niceties including creature comforts such as a tidy fairing and sporty luggage.
In past episodes you might have heard us mention my best friend, Daniel Schoenewald, and in the second segment I chat with him about some of the really special machines in his 170 or so—and growing—motorcycle collection. He’s always said to me that he doesn’t consider himself the owner, merely the curator of the motorcycles for the next generation.
Yet Daniel is not just a collector, but I can attest a really skilled rider. His bikes are not trailer queens, they’re ridden, and they’re ridden pretty hard. Actually, we have had many, many memorable rides on pretty much all of the machines in the collection at one time or another.
From all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!