2010 KTM 1190 RC8R
Well, KTM, long known only for its highly capable off-road bikes, is doing it by being different – mostly. One look at the 2010 KTM 1190 RC8R is all it takes to know that it wasn’t designed by an Italian. KTM is based in Austria (as is designer Gerald Kiska who has worked with KTM since 1991) just a day ride over Stelvio Pass from Italy, but there’s no mistaking KTM’s non-Italian Teutonic design language. Perhaps the distinctive design of the RC8R is the result of Austria’s location snuggled between Italy and Germany: the cold, engineering-driven German influence blended with the romance of Latin Europe.
The RC8R’s chiseled design creates a sensation wherever it stops. If an F-117 stealth fighter crashed into a motorcycle factory, the RC8R would be the likely result. Slim and angular, and swaddled with matte-black paint, it looks stealthy, even if its radar-evading qualities are dubious. Although few would describe the black and orange machine as “pretty,” we admire the courage to step outside of the well-worn sportbike design box with its bold origami shape. Opinions vary.
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2010 HONDA VFR1200F
Honda’s big news for the 2010 model year is the new VFR1200F, a sporty sports tourer that can be had with an amazing new dual-clutch transmission – the first ever on a motorcycle. The VFR has drawn a wide-ranging variety of opinions. Is it a heavy sportbike or a lightweight super-sport-tourer? It’s actually somewhere in the middle, as we found out after riding the VFR1200 on and around the Sugo Sportsland race circuit in Japan. Honda’s newest V-4 nestles into a spot between the smaller VFR800 and the more luxurious ST1300. The seemingly obvious competitors are the big sport-touring machines we compared in our 2009 Sport-Touring Shootout: the ST1300, Yamaha FJR1300, Kawasaki Concours 14 and BMW K1300GT. But our ride on the innovative Viffer revealed that it is sportier than that quartet, comparing most directly to the K1300S.
Compared to those bikes, the VFR has lower hand controls and the footpegs are set further back. It’s not uncomfortable, just slightly racier. An attractive seat resides 32.1 inches from the ground, and the narrower pair of rear cylinders allows legs a straight shot when stopped. A 0.6-inch lower seat is available as an option.