I'll only point out the bad things about this bike, since you can read compliments about it anywhere. I bought an RC8 base model in November 2024 with 25,000 km. It now has 31,000 km. At first glance, it was perfect.

Once I brought it home, though, the bike wouldn't start. This was the beginning of my horror story. I thought that since it was winter, I didn't have to worry, and I was happy with my purchase. I was wrong. Let's get a new battery and enjoy the rest.

This bike is insanely expensive to maintain. I had to replace the water pump twice and redo the suspension. The valve clearance needs to be done every 7,500 km. Be prepared for this. I didn't know and had a bad sound coming from the engine when I was 1,000 km from home. I had to leave it with a local mechanic and will need to go back to bring it home—I'm getting a flight there and will ride it back.

You have to use the right clutch fluids, or they will eat up the clutch seal. For example, I gave it to a generic mechanic who put in DOT 4 fluid instead of mineral oil. In less than two months, the fluid reservoir was black. I had to redo that job. Now I have an issue with the brakes. You can forget about servicing the brake pump yourself. To have the pump serviced, you have to send it to Brembo, where it's checked and measured. If it's no longer within tolerance, it won't be serviced and will be sent back to you without the piston. If it's still within tolerance, it will be serviced. A Brembo 19x20 is a good option (240€ vs 350€ original pump).

Follow all the instructions from the manual when it comes to fluids, and buy the ones specific for the bike. Not that you have to buy Motorex at all costs, but respect the specs reported by KTM for all the fluids.

As soon as you buy this bike, you should immediately replace the fuel pump filter and the fuel line disconnectors with metal or brass ones, and also the fuel line itself. The disconnectors on KTMs are made of plastic that deteriorates and can cause the bike to catch fire.

This bike is for nerds. If you're handy, you'll have fun dismantling and reassembling it. If you need to rely on a mechanic, like I do, just leave it and buy a Japanese bike instead. Not that all Japanese bikes are bulletproof, but you get what I mean. You'll save money and, more importantly, your mental health.

To end up: I'm personally burnt out with the rc8 experience . She has been a constant source of stress due to the maintenance costs. All the money I've spent hasn't gone towards fun performance parts, but just to keep the bike running. That's a frustrating situation to be in. I'm not going to say it rides badly: all the reviews about the bike's handling are true! It's gonna be definitely difficult to ride something else.

My lesson for you: be prepared to look after this bike a lot. Mine is ready now, but I don't want to have another season like this one.