KTM’s 990 RC R is the brand’s modern return to a road-going, full-fairing supersport machine, positioned above the single-cylinder RC models and shaped by KTM’s recent MotoGP experience. The nameplate was first announced as a 2025 model, with KTM describing it as a street-homologated performance bike intended to bring serious track focus to public roads. It follows the company’s earlier RC8-era flagship sport bike tradition, but with a newer generation of LC8c-based hardware and contemporary electronics and chassis development.
For the 2025 model year, KTM presented the 990 RC R as the street-legal core of a broader RC R family, with a track-only derivative planned soon after. By the 2026 model year, KTM was still actively marketing the same nameplate, indicating that the bike had moved from announcement and launch phase into continuing production rather than a one-off limited run. In KTM’s lineup, it serves as the company’s flagship supersport expression: an Austrian-built road bike that emphasizes race-derived styling, aerodynamic bodywork, and a more focused riding position while still remaining homologated for the street.
Because the nameplate is currently in production, there is no confirmed final model year yet.