ASK any pirate what their favourite letter is and they'll say 'R'. And so it is with motorcycle manufacturers.

The R suffix has long been put to use to imply vehicles of a sportier nature. Take for example the GSX-R, the ZX-10R, the Street Triple R or the rather-greedy-when-it-comes-to-Rs CBR1000 RR. Even car-makers are in on the act.

Look at the Honda Civic Type R, the Nissan Skyline GT-R or the completely unnecessary Bentley Turbo R. Well now the Austrians want some R action, too. And lo and behold, here it is: the KTM RC8R – a significant upgrade from the standard RC8 model first seen in 2008.

It's quite a statement of intent from a company to decide that within a couple of short years its all-new flagship 150 bhp supersports machine is ready for a tweaking, but that's what this small European engineering firm has done. They've given it the R treatment, good and proper.

So, out goes the standard 1148cc motor and in comes a fully-tuned, ready-to-race 1195cc lump instead. Where the former pops out a healthy 150bhp, the latter squeezes out another 10.

To boot, the RC8R also gets competition-style WP suspension and lightweight Marchesini wheels. Trail figures are increased to make for a more stable ride through corners, and any sticky gearbox issues from the standard model have been well and truly overcome.

What KTM has achieved is to create possibly the most track-focused motorcycle ever to wear a tax disc holder. At 16 kg lighter than the already fabulous RC8, and with the extra power in hand, the RC8R begs to be ridden hard. Fortunately that's not difficult, because the whole balance, from the chassis to the expensive damping, is perfect – giving the rider the knowledge that whatever speed you attack the next bend you will soar round it with ease and fire out the other side grinning from one ear to the other.

A near linear line of torque ensures incredibly strong drive from the 1195cc motor throughout the rev range. Upwards of 6000 rpm you'll be tucked in behind the screen enjoying the fabulous V-twin roar from the exhaust, emerging only to pop a knee out for bends. As you would expect from a machine that can cost just shy of £15,000 the brakes are pretty fancy affairs, and they don't get much better than Brembo Monoblocs.

The thing that shocked me most about the RC8R though – apart from its razor-sharp lines and my mildly toasted right calf muscle – was its all-round user-friendliness.

Its seat is actually comfy over distance, despite feeling like a piece of wood when you first climb on; it's not hard on the wrists; you don't have to duck below the screen to see the full road and race applications on the MotoGP dash; and the impressive turning circle is about half the size it is on my GSX-R.

So, the addition of the R makes the new RC8 a bike that you could happily commute on from Monday to Friday – then use to embarrass Rossi on the weekends.