Long-Term KTM RC390: Crash Protection Installation

WRIST: Ari Henning
MSRP (2015): $5,499
MILES: 3323
MPG: NA
MODS: T-Rex Racing frame and engine sliders

The RC390's license plate and street clothes live on a shelf now, and as a track-only bike the KTM lives its life exclusively in day-long fits of totally committed, high-speed (at the apex, anyway!) riding.

Since that’s the case, and seeing as the RC390 now handles well enough that it’s reasonable to flirt with the limits of traction, I figured it would be prudent to slap some crash protection on the bike. Most of the mishaps I’ve had on small bikes have been corner-entry lowsides, and in that scenario (when the bike is already almost on its side) having sacrificial friction points in place often means the bike slides safely to a stop, undamaged.

At the moment there only appear to be RC390 crash kits available from two companies: T-Rex Racing and R&G Racing. I went with the more affordable, American-made T-Rex option. The dinosaur's kit ($200; t-rex-racing.com) includes left and right frame sliders and engine-case covers. The frame sliders mount midway up the RC's flanks by way of stout machined-aluminum brackets and industrial-grade hardware, and the engine guards slap directly onto the clutch and stator covers with the supplied longer-than-stock bolts. There's no need to cut the bodywork to fit the parts, though I did have to remove the belly pan and side fairings to mount everything up.

The T-Rex kit also comes with a set of swingarm spools, but I put those in my spares box since I'm already running a set of Fast Frank's sacrificial spools (click here for Ari's wheel spacer install). While I was outfitting the RC for a lowside I also slapped on some front axle sliders from the KTM PowerParts catalog. These $40 pucks screw into the axle, offering another sacrificial and easily replaceable contact point.

I’ve had the opportunity to examine R&G’s case covers (but not its frame sliders), and I think the T-Rex components are better parts. They’re quite a bit more robust so should hold up to multiple crashes, and at less than half the cost of R&G’s kit the T-Rex parts are a great value.

I feel like having the T-Rex sliders in place makes me a more responsible steward of the RC390. Thankfully I haven’t properly tested the parts yet. And hopefully I won’t!