Actually just some days in the past, KTM’s complete future was hanging by a thread. There have been critical doubts about whether or not the entire firm may keep afloat, and an entire bunch of Orange machines have been being put up on the market on Fb Market (a bunch of my buddies did precisely that, and considered one of them truly offered their KTM 890 Duke R for a track).
Monetary turmoil, inside shakeups, and mounting business strain had the orange model on the breaking point. However simply when it appeared like every thing would possibly come crashing down, longtime associate Bajaj swooped in with an enormous monetary lifeline, pulling KTM again from the sting.
And now, because the model regains its footing, a reminder of what KTM could be when it’s at its greatest is about to cross the public sale block: the RC16 MotoGP race bike that set a blistering 366.1 kilometers per hour (227.4 miles per hour) top-speed report at Mugello again in 2023.
Photograph by: KTM
This isn’t just a few showpiece with fancy fairings and a spec sheet stuffed with goals. That is the precise bike Brad Binder rode throughout KTM’s standout 2023 season—a 12 months that noticed the Crimson Bull KTM Manufacturing facility Racing crew land 9 podiums and show it may combine it up with one of the best. The Mugello pace report wasn’t only a stat—it was a press release. And this bike was the loudspeaker.
Beneath the carbon fiber bodywork is a snarling 1,000cc V4 that pumps out 291 horsepower by way of a six-speed gearbox. It breathes by way of a race-spec Akrapovič exhaust and rides on WP suspension, Brembo brakes, and a set of slick 17-inch wheels and tires. Tipping the scales at simply 157 kg, it’s each bit the alien machine you’d count on from MotoGP—constructed for one objective and one objective solely: pace.
Photograph by: KTM
Now, right here’s the place it will get a bit private. I spent years commuting to work on a KTM 200 Duke. It wasn’t the quickest or the flashiest, however man, it had soul. That little single-cylinder thumper taught me lots—how you can lean, how you can really feel the street, and an entire bunch of hoodrat shit I shouldn’t be saying to the world. So seeing this RC16—arguably the crown jewel of KTM’s racing program—being supplied as much as the general public? It hits totally different. It’s like watching your childhood hero exit in a blaze of glory.
However right here’s the kicker: it’s being auctioned as a show piece solely. The itemizing makes it clear—due to the ultra-specialized nature of contemporary MotoGP bikes (we’re speaking issues like pneumatic valve actuation and unified ECUs), KTM can’t simply hand over the keys and allow you to rip. RM Sotheby’s will begin it up in entrance of the customer, and KTM’s open to discussing potential observe use, however don’t count on to casually take it out on a Sunday experience.
Sucks, proper? You technically cannot experience your individual motorbike. However hey, it’s what it’s.
Photograph by: KTM
Now for the value: estimates peg it between $398,000 and $511,000. That’s supercar cash. Home cash, even. And for one thing you technically can’t experience, it sounds insane. However on the similar time… is it actually?
As a result of this isn’t only a motorbike. It’s a second in time. A record-breaking, blood-sweat-and-carbon-fiber image of every thing KTM stood for earlier than issues went sideways. And now, with the model clawing its manner again to stability, this bike serves as a high-octane reminder of what the longer term may nonetheless maintain.
So yeah, half one million bucks is bonkers. However perhaps—simply perhaps—this one’s truly value it.
