Off-road maestros rip up tar with hot superbike

Raftfahrzeuge Trunkenpolz Mattighofen, better known as KTM, began producing motorcycles in 1954.

The company was founded in 1934 in Austria by engineer Hans Trunkenpolz and started out as a metal working shop. KTM is now known for its off-road motorcycles and has in recent years expanded into street bikes.

This company started out with just 20 employees and motorcycles were built at the rate of three per day.

But in the business year ending in 2005, KTM delivered 80000 motorcycles worldwide.

By building race-ready motorcycles for both competitive and recreational riding, the Austrian manufacturer has won more than 130 world championship titles, including victories in the Dakar Rally and many national championships.

Recently, the company entered into the street bike category with a variety of sporting and adventure-touring road-going machines.

One which got my heart rate up is the 2011 KTM 1190 RC8R. This is the company's most powerful and sophisticated model, offering numerous innovations that make it just the thing for chasing lap times or taking invigorating rides on public roads.

The 2011 KTM 1190 RC8R also comes with a high-gloss paint job, new LED daytime running lights and improved gearshift linkage. It is powered by a liquid-cooled 1195cc, 75° V-twin which delivers 129kW of power.

The dry weight of the RC8R is 186kg.

KTM focused on thorough development of all aspects of the RC8 R.

The development team's goal was to build on the strengths of the previous generation super-bike while using all the experience gained over the last two years in order to improve it further.

In keeping with the KTM corporate philosophy, tight networking with the RC8 R racing team was of key importance.

This is the ultimate power tool from KTM, as a rider you have one of the most powerful V-twin engines between your legs and one of the best chassis at your disposal.

Keep in mind that it's utterly street-legal, there are no limits - okay maybe there are - but this is one of the best production bikes for 2011.

It's not cheap though, retailing at R185999 (prices may vary according to dealers). But as it will still be a looker three to four years from now, look at it as an investment.