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 KTM 1190 RC8R – Sharper and Lighter than Anything