Despite its track-ready look the SMC R makes a usable roadster, and it even coped tolerably well with a short stretch of motorway, shortly after leaving the Barcelona launch base. It cruised quite smoothly at 120 km/h, and rumbled up to about 180 km/h, feeling faster due to some vibes coming through the wide, one-piece Renthal handlebar, and to my inability to hide behind the tiny headlamp surround.
The SMC R stayed impeccably stable at speed despite the forces being fed through the chassis, even through fast motorway curves. But, inevitably, it was more at home on slower roads — and especially after we’d turned off at a nearby kart-track. This was a typically tight, tyre-lined circuit where even the KTM spent almost all the time in its first two gears, and where its flickability and lightness were major assets.
Few bikes would have kept up with the light and ultra-manoeuvrable KTM on a track this tight. Its WP suspension is excellent and fully adjustable, the forks via neat, hand-tweakable damping knobs on their tops. The single was fun to thrash around the twisty track although its long-travel suspension gave a slightly vague feel on the tarmac surface, and I couldn’t make up my mind whether to try a leg-out supermoto style or ride it like a road-racer.
Stopping power was fierce thanks to the lightweight KTM’s big 320-mm disc and Brembo radial calliper, with an ABS system that worked well even on the track. For normal riding the system incorporates an anti-stoppie function, but the launch bikes were fitted with KTM’s under-seat dongle that disables the rear ABS, allowing skids of the ContiAttack SM radial into turns. Well, it does in theory, though in half-an-hour I didn’t get close to mastering that technique either…
Still, the SMC R was fun for a few laps and some wheelies. It’s not practical, except by the standard of other supermoto bikes, and it’s not cheap either. It’s a specialised bike that won’t make much sense for many riders. But the KTM is a classy piece of kit that works better the harder it’s ridden. And for road-going thrills at speeds that probably won’t get you locked up, it’s very hard to beat.
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