KTM RC390 Racebike Sets Lightweight Twin Lap Record At Sonoma Raceway | ONBOARD GOPRO VIDEO

How much horsepower does it take to haul ass? Evidently 43 hp is plenty! In this video from Sonoma Raceway, Motorcyclist magazine’s Senior Road Test Editor Ari Henning takes his KTM RC390 project bike from a fourth-row start to first place, and sets a track record for the Lightweight Twins class in the process.
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For most of the world, Sonoma, CA, is known for one thing: wine. For motorcyclists, however, the area is equally famous for the eponymous raceway that sits at the southern end of this fertile grape-growing region.
Draped onto a hillside within sight of the San Pablo Bay, Sonoma Raceway is as technical as a string-and-ring puzzle. Corner speed, rhythm, and precision are more critical here than horsepower, which is one of the reasons the circuit is a favorite for racers on bikes like the Kawasaki Ninja 300, Yamaha R3, and KTM RC390.
That last machine is the small-bore sportbike that Senior Road Test Editor Ari Henning took on as his long-term testbike last summer, and it's been his mission to make the little RC live up to KTM's "Ready to Race" slogan. After months of development, the KTM has become a quite the track tool.
In this onboard video from an American Federation of Motorcyclists race at Sonoma Raceway, Ari takes the RC390 from a fourth-row start to the front of the pack-and sets a new track record for the Ligthweight Twins class in the process.
Having a touch of déjà vu? This isn't the first time a long-term testbike has circulated a track faster than its competitors. A while back we posted a similar onboard video, only that time Henning was turning a hot lap on a Honda CBR300R at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway.
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[@CubanRider]

This has to be the best commercial for KTM I've seen (had I not known about the engine rebuild). Ari is killing it. Congrats on the record time!

[@nutterbirdmoto]

Those KTM 390s like to blow up lol I had a Duke 390 and blew gaskets just commuting.

[@asdlkfjawoeijfldkf]

With all of the modifications, its not a KTM anymore. All that's left is the frame and engine. The engine is unreliable. The only positive aspect of it being a KTM is that it is very light weight.

[@rgm_]

asdlkfjawoeijfldkf could i know, why are you calling it, as 'unreliable'..??

[@sinki19841984]

Because it ate head gaskets for breakfast

[@felixarbable]

to be fair in a class like this thats basically all that matters,, an engine rebuild every race on a bike like this isnt really costly or that difficult

[@giff74]

Watching Ari's flying laps on these small CC bikes is awesome! You can tell how aggressively smooth he is and how much you can manhandle a lighter bike in the turns.

[@SquidWithGear]

2:08 that wall pad looks awfully close

[@LukeDodge916]

In my next life I will be Ari Henning. Wish me luck.

[@AndreyUlanovxzzz]

I like how the check engine light is taped. Who need that bloody light, right?

[@MrTay675]

lightweight twin class and he sets a record with a single

[@sarahdell4042]

Ari is a super stout rider, and so is Zack. A lot of talent you guys have there.

[@sarahdell4042]

***** Awesome!

[@JohnPaulV]

Did you develop your riding skills by going to a school or by practicing in a dirt track ?

[@Captaincappy1177]

is there a video of this, i'd like to watch it.

[@abhijitray771]

the way he took the 1:39 corner, brilliant!!!

[@ninjeff]

Good lord! Ari blows my mind every time with these videos. Good camera angle to so we can see what you're doing throttle wise. Keep these up man.

[@HamzaFaruqui]

Those were the most perfect lines I have ever seen someone take on a track as technical as Sonoma.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@88Heckenlively]

The double pass at turn 3 & 3A was amazing. Throttle pinned all the way through turn 5 😳. Best video on KZbin.

[@sonoma314]

Dude that was so cool, thanks for taking us on the ride!

[@JohnnyWooh]

Holy crap, Henning! That was one hell of a lap. Thanks for sharing.

[@Kevin-yh8ol]

+Ari Henning Then do share more videos like this please! \(^_^)/

[@DarkRiderMotovlogs]

Wow that was some super smooth riding Ari! Well done on the record :)

[@dry509]

Ari Henning What did you have to do to get the rc390 to work well?

[@StefanSLR]

Nothing like scraping pegs at full throttle! Excellent Job Ari

[@tomatron64]

Holy hell, that's some fearless and precise riding!

[@SurenMOF1]

Ari looking from on board you rode really well with the KTM RC390 sharp in the chicane and hitting the apex perfect rider to me.....will get a superbike ride...

[@Pantimoto]

Super impressive! What you did to your bike too is also excellent

[@sachinpnarkar]

that was freaking quick..i am one of ur fan..the M C garage fan..love from india...

[@shivaloptimus]

great vedieo . please make a special one for just on what you have done to the bike . so that other RC owners can too ready their bikes for the track.

[@Alamuzik]

Awesome. I knew you would. Was hoping to see the overtake at the end.

[@krishanant]

Nice riding! You should do one video covering all the mods done to the RC 390.

[@ashrafsururi2937]

i feel like wanting to buy this ktm after watching this video.... so agile, fluid movement, looks fun too!

[@Miketoomanyhobbies]

Bro this is amazing ! Your really good

[@motoholota]

Great riding! I was going to ask about the mods, but you've got that covered. ;D

[@shivaloptimus]

great start off the line..Ari

[@HeinzLammerding08]

you have done many mods on that rc , those clip on looks great! awesome riding

[@frankfitzpatrick5300]

Good riding Ari!

[@aviduke]

another great ride, i love the videos of the smaller cc bikes you do. Does this mean the RC has taken your focus off the CBR or will you still use both?

[@manuelmartin8890]

Fearless to a point to not over ride the bike ,yet confident in his skills to smoke everybody else .

[@Visionery1]

Great riding! You almost scraped the track with your handlebars. :)

[@rupesh97067]

Could you post full race video?....love to see that....Regards!!!!...And thanks for video...

[@groundhogdaymoto3425]

Nice! I'd love to see some full race videos. How are you liking the new cartridge kit?

[@mr.ajayjose]

Ari's properly on it! ✊✊

[@InvictvsNox]

Man, that's intense!

[@adityamanjunath5030]

That was beautiful

[@alessandrobicego7132]

Would love to see the full race!

[@barrintimo7412]

Good riding buddy👍

[@benjaminh.2658]

Clean driving at its finest :)

[@dodroads4922]

what a bike, what a rider, both of them is a beast :'D

[@Ts_Evildroid]

That was awesome! Way to show that track who owns it!

[@DearMajesty]

You guys are INCREDIBLY fast. Aaah, if only you could teach me to have surgical Lorenzo-like precision.

[@filipbunalti]

Mega lap. Well done, Ari! What tires were you running?

[@iRidetas]

oh hell yeah! AWESOME!!!

[@mariobondanza5149]

Ari, damn, you have flown like hell!

[@Alamuzik]

Great ride!!! But who was that in front of you at the end ?

[@JensEskildsen]

Awesome riding..

[@SKTK612]

You are awesome rider man.

[@the_derpler]

This makes me want to purchase an RC390 and go to Sonoma. A question, what is that little piece of tape on the dash covering?

[@drewkillen5554]

Flawless!!

[@dpicardi23]

Nice video Ari! I can live vicariously through you! So glad you kept both wheels on the ground this time. :) How does this bike compare to your friend's 300 that you tracked not long ago?

[@dpicardi23]

+Ari Henning look forward to it. Thanks! Keep up the great work!

[@Dygear]

@Ari Henning, is there any way around not decking the pegs?

[@coregamer2662]

Ari, can you tell me which brake pads are the best for RC390?

[@Ajay7962]

gr8 run and nice bike

[@renzjervissanandres2402]

Good Lord Ari! 😱😱😱

[@bgr511]

Ari.. you were not using clutch during up shifts..and also did not close the throttle grip...can that be done only on slipper clutch or..can also be done in "non-slipper clutch"

[@amazingmusti]

have you installed a easy pull clutch??

[@bxl1121]

amazing skills

[@Mushu88]

what tires are you running here?

[@m.rraghav817]

IS it a race fairing? if soo can you link me?

[@bravethewildgaming8139]

Get it!!

[@aammaraman]

wow amazing

[@riderboyavi6760]

bro what is the top speed in this bike?

[@VaibhavSarda]

Amazing lap and riding!! How did you manage to keep the gopro so stable? any special mount??

[@VaibhavSarda]

+Ari Henning Thanks for the super fast reply! The video is exceptionally stable and the content is truly mind blowing!

[@stephenlepore4476]

so siiiiiiiiiic!

[@meifyoucan]

Is that dash in MPH or KPH??

[@jigsaw3917]

Nice!!!!

[@dailylife6324]

Which other bikes compete with you.

[@martinparker6536]

its like fuck the corners im ridin thru em like im on a straight road (gearchanges and revs) ...!!! awesome ride dude.....FEARLESS OR CONFIDENCE INSPIRING MACHINE AT WORK

[@bustinjieber9539]

Whoa, shit...... That's some serious talent you have there, Ari........

[@wuzihuzi]

Does your bike upshift like stock or like a gp bike, I.e. press down to shift up?

[@MotorcyclistMag]

It's set up for GP shifting.

[@Kevin-yh8ol]

Could you tell us what other bikes were out there that you were up against?

[@Kevin-yh8ol]

***** Oh! And "Lightweight twins" means small, two cylinder motorcycles right?

[@Anilkumar-de6vj]

😘😘😘😘💓 I Love RC 390

[@MPI1000]

That last turn, though! Yikes. A bit too close for comfort to those bales...

[@33BRR]

Fantastic lap! Ari, do you still race the CBR300R?

[@33BRR]

+Ari Henning Awesome, I will keep an eye out for that video. I ride a CBR300R so it's fun to see it being raced.

[@juliecampagna2388]

You should see Zack on a 125gp bike.He is a talented rider.

[@kierenrogers425]

Sonoma Raceway?? I played a lot of Gran Truism 4 when i was younger and this track looks awfully like the "Infineon Raceway". Has the track had it's name changed??

[@MotorcyclistMag]

Yes, it used to be called Infineon, and Sears Point before that.

[@rahuldobhal9037]

Wow!!

[@CrisURace]

How many kilos this bike weight? Wanna compare with race prep Aprilia RS 125

[@CrisURace]

+Ari Henning Thanks...uuh, quite heavier, 125 has around 125 kilos.

[@ziting5756]

Is the engine stock ?

[@riccardofilippini1732]

where did you buy those beautiful plastics?

[@AriH211]

They're Tyga.

[@whyowhy4571]

Pickup is everything

[@mayurkulkarni1990]

where can I get that push pull accelerator cable mod?

[@mayurkulkarni1990]

+Ari Henning thanks

[@mayurkulkarni1990]

what about that starter button kit?

[@dhiyahangrai6855]

Is quickshifter fittes on this bike?

[@dhiyahangrai6855]

Fitted*

[@autojunkee]

How do I come out to the next event in NorCal? I would love to see a race in person!

[@autojunkee]

+Ari Henning very cool. Does the whole Motorcyclist gang come out to every AFM race to cheer you on?

[@badguylookingforgood1948]

Mileage?

[@MannyKangmangRai]

God ! you are amazing ...

[@fessss83]

👏👏👏

[@666Kudos]

Is that speedo on Kph or Mph ???

[@TurkiyeCumhurbaskani]

mph

[@nikolager23]

At a about 12s in the lap is that sound of your scraping exhaust or pegs? Haha

[@imfaith99]

I kept on tilting my phone to look straight 😅😅

[@apocrypto]

O.M.G.

[@user-cx2nu4wy7w]

What kind of fork and shock does it have?

[@AriH211]

JRi shock and Andreanni fork cartridges.

[@user-cx2nu4wy7w]

Thank you! I found out later you posted the project build on the website

[@fagyu7502]

Woah is that in miles per? Thought that this bike can only do around 80

[@r.a7253]

Even stock rc390 can do 108 mph

[@peenx6977]

that guy is good

[@haryudha1993]

So, the track name no more Infineon?

[@mikoyangurevich3863]

Haryudha AT changed years ago.

[@DinhoPilot]

nice

[@homefront3162]

Ari straight up OWNED those Noobs

[@deadeyenic6833]

At my club were only aloud to do prody racing so everyone has the ninja 300 and they fucking fly

[@ElectricRides]

Please tell me that speedo is in miles and not km because that just makes it so much more impressive.

[@cheesysnacs]

miles per hour obviously

[@johonanandrewgomes7593]

ElectricRides it's in kmh probably because it goes to 100 like in 5 seconds

[@anonymousjohn254]

yes its mph

[@nutterbirdmoto]

It's MPH. This bike can do 0-60 in around 3.5 to 4 seconds I imagine