The 2024 KTM 450 Rally replica has been launched, being the latest edition of the ultimate production rally racing bike.
There is little doubt that the Dakar Rally is the pinnacle of motorcycle rallies. Regardless of your opinion on the challenge of the event in its modern form based in Saudi Arabia, it is the rally that all top rally riders want to win.
Over the past 20 years, most top rally riders have ridden for KTM – and/or one of its sister brands of the Pierer Mobility Group – and in Mattighofen they have found perhaps the best rally bike in the world.
The combination of top riders and a top bike has led KTM to dominate the Dakar in the 21st century. It won every Dakar edition between 2001 and 2019, and also won the last two editions in 2022 and 2023.
Well, more or less. GasGas is one of those sister brands of the PMG company and won the 2022 edition with its own version of the KTM 450 Rally, the RX450F, ridden by Sam Sunderland. That victory brought with it GasGas’s own production rally racing model, but for now, the 2024 model is only available for KTM.Only 80 are being manufactured, making this one of the most exclusive motorcycles of 2024 already in September 2023, but of course it was built with a very specific goal in mind.
Source:https://www.visordown.com
As one would expect, since they are also part of the Pierer Mobility Group, WP provides the suspension. Specifically, the 2024 450 Rally replica receives 48 mm WP XACT Pro Cone Valve forks and a WP XACT Pro shock absorber with full adjustment. There is also an Akrapovic exhaust system connected to the 450 cc SOHC engine and a frame derived from competition, as well as the same gearbox as the factory competition bike.
It’s not entirely factory, but it’s as close as you can get without a factory contract. But, as Mason Klein discovered in 2022, it remains a worthy motorcycle not only to finish the Dakar, but also to be among the top 10.
