KTM's RC390 has always flown under the radar, being overshadowed by the company's larger and brutal naked sports bikes. But it still remains KTM's biggest-capacity faired sports bike. Not that it should be seen as anything other than a brilliant motorcycle in its own right, with 44bhp in a featherweight chassis. New Euro5 emissions regulations mean that the new model is unlikely to have more power but, crucially, won't have lost any, either.

KTM RC390 Gets an Update

Since the demise of the KTM RC8, the Austrian manufacturer has been without a fully-faired superbike, but that doesn't mean it has been without a faired sports bike. It might have a capacity of 373.2cc, but the RC390 was still a fully-faired sports bike and one that punched way above its weight.

If we look at large displacement models, KTM has concentrated on the naked sports bike market, with the 890 and 1290 Super Dukes. While it doesn't seem likely that a litre-superbike is on the cards any time soon - and why would it be, given the collapse of that market - that's not to say that KTM has abandoned the class altogether.

The RC390 was always a sleeper of a bike. Producing 44bhp in a featherweight chassis, it offered performance way above its specification and was a blast to ride, forcing the rider to concentrate on corner speed rather than outright speed, something that the chassis encouraged.

Few Details, Much Expectation

Now, leaked photos from the factory show that KTM is about to give the RC390 a bit of a makeover to give it a new lease of life. No firm details have ben released regarding power output but, with the new Euro5 emission regulations, if the new RC390 can match the outgoing model while staying compliant, that is a small victory for the factory.

Outwardly, the main difference that can be discerned is the headlight, moving from a dual headlight set-up to a single light unit. Elsewhere, there is a new set of handlebars, a larger fuel tank and a larger single-disc front brake, as well as a TFT dash.

It's very little to go on but no doubt details will be revealed, possibly as soon as this weekend as the MotoGP circus heads for the Red Bull Ring in Austria for the Styrian MotoGP. Given that it is in KTM's back yard, it would make sense for the announcement to be made there.

Other than that, we're going to have to wait for more details. Hopefully, that won't take too long.