Ktm Rc250gp
KTM RC250GP
IF MONEY IS NO OBJECT
SAMPLING KTM’S FACTORY MOTO3 MACHINE
AT THE END OF THE 2014 MOTOGP
season, I had the chance to sample a trio of KTMs that included the RC250R Production Racer and the Red Bull RC250RBR Rookies Cup machine. But the clear highlights for me were the two five-lap sessions I had aboard the KTM RC250GP Moto3 bike that young Australian Jack Miller had just ridden to victory on the very same Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia, Spain.
The first thing I notice is the bike’s much firmer chassis settings. The RC250CP is equipped with a 40mm WP fork and dual twin-piston Brembo calipers. Braking stability is improved,
but I do feel a hint of patter in corners. The CP gets lightweight magnesium wheels in place of forged aluminum hoops. The top triple clamp is also magnesium to save weight. Chassis geometry is further tuned with kit inserts for the steering head and swingarm pivot.
As for the riding triangle, it feels more spacious than that of any 125cc Grand Prix bike I’ve ever ridden. Since I am accustomed to far heavier bikes, it takes me a handful of laps to get used to the KTM’s ultra-agile handling. The factory RC250GP has a claimed dry weight of only 176 pounds, and the immediate impression is not unlike
riding a bicycle at speed, tipping into corners a bit deeper than intended and the bike even feeling a touch twitchy on the straights.
But all that soon fades as my senses calibrate to the task. The faster I ride, the better the KTM factory RC250CP flows around the circuit. Although no official numbers are divulged, Miller’s engine feels like it produces maybe a half-dozen extra horsepower than the other RC250s I rode, and it revs to a 14,000-rpm redline. Curious to me is the selection of internal gearbox ratios that cause the revs to dip nearly 2,000 rpm when changing into top gear on
the main straight. Perhaps the mega draft and slingshot passes of a characteristic Moto3 multi-bike lead pack would make sense of it all?
Possibly. But this much I know for sure: It’s a complete thrill sampling these KTM singles on the same track where MotoGP had just finished its 2014 season. And thanks to this test, I’ve developed a better respect for Moto3. Although all three of these KTMs are about as far removed from “cheap seats” as you can get, I now better understand how the series has become a springboard to MotoGP, as proven by what has happened with Miller this year. -Don Canet
2015 KTM RC250R
DOHC single
DISPLACEMENT 250cc
H=FU!HH!bi 29.9 in.
IdUdWTYJUU'M 2.8 gal.
BH ■1:VâVJJH!bi 181 lb.
rnraa $55,000
