2016 Rc390 Cup or 2017 Rc390 (new) to purchase

[JoeShmoR1]

Hi, I’m in the market and have the opportunity to buy either a 2017 Rc390 new at my local dealership for $4499 before registration and tax; however, I plan to race it as my daily is an 06 R1. The dealership also has a 2016 KTM Rc390 Cup bike $6995 that comes with all street parts and two stands.
Im looking for advice into which path I should go as this will be my first track bike. Is it worth it in the end to go with the Cup bike that’s already setup?
would love to hear some constructive criticism from those that race these bikes.

 

[Jon W]

It would be cheaper to start with a Cup bike than to Bild a street bike.

 

[thunderrun53]

I suppose it depends on your budget and end goal. The new 2017 would be appealing only as it's brand new with full factory warranty. That would be about it for the benefit though. Be prepared to dump money into either version of the RC to get it where you want it. The cup version is a great platform and is pretty great right out of the box, but you'll still end up wanting to upgrade certain parts. Obviously you'll dump a TON more money into a street version to get it as competitive as the cup version.

If you have spare time, make a shopping list of stuff that you would want to add on to the street version to make it equal to the cup version. Does the price plus warranty out do the initial price for the cup version? Stuff like suspension, rear sets, exhaust, brakes and body work can add up quick! Don't forget about the time it takes to pull apart the street version to get all the extra crap taken off. That's like a full week of work just to make sure you do it right.

I bought the street bike and made it a race bike. Now, I've gone way past what the cup version is, but the amount of money in this bike is a small fortune. It's up to you though.

 

[Superpacman13]

It all depends on how far you want to take this kind of racing. If you plan on being on the bleeding edge of the ULW racing world, you need to start with a street bike. If you want to spin some laps with minimal effort, the cup bike is the perfect option.