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It started as an overtime project, but has now grown into a full-fledged R&D project: the KTM 990 RC and RC R. The Austrian superbike is expected next year, but we were already able to ride the prototype exclusively!
The donor for the RC was the 990 Duke. When it came onto the market, it was immediately clear to the engineers in the development department what a treasure they had created, especially the great engine block. And because there was a strong sporting fire burning in the Austrians’ development department, a Duke frame and swingarm were taken, a WP front fork and a few clip-ons, with which a thoroughbred supersport on wheels was put together in the overtime. An RC model above the well-known 390 single-cylinder was initially not even on the agenda, but that did not really bother the gentlemen tinkerers in Mattighofen. Just make it, without a planning process or other organizational guidelines. If you are a real 9-to-5 employee, then you have little to look for in the development department of the Austrian manufacturer.
Once the matt black fairings were in place, the hard core set out with the rather unusual appearance. “We noticed right away how well it did on secondary roads,” explains Andreas Schülling, head of the R&D department, about that first ride. “At that time, you couldn’t call it a Duke with a fairing anymore. What potential!” And since it was still nothing more than an R&D project at that point, the creators of the machine gave it a baptismal name themselves: Frankenstein.
Where does the parallel twin get its terrifying name from? Read all about it in MotoPlus 17/2024!
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