KTM’s 450 Rally Replica Is An Off The Shelf Racer

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The limited-edition KTM 450 Rally Replica is pretty damn close to the factory machine running in Saudi Arabia right now. (KTM/)

To many minds, the 43rd edition of the Dakar Rally will be a contest between the 2020 winner, Honda, and KTM, the Austrian manufacturer that can boast an impressive 18 consecutive victories between 2001 and 2019. To put it in perspective, Yamaha’s last win in the toughest rally in the world dates back to 1998 with Stéphane Peterhansel, so history is not on their side. But truthfully, a main element in the Dakar Rally’s DNA is the long list of amateur racers—where you find that 80 percent of the chosen bikes are of the KTM variety.

Different suspension, ECU tune, and assorted other bits differentiate this current Dakar KTM factory bike (shown with rider Sam Sunderland) from the consumer model. (Marcin Kim/KTM/)

KTM Team Manager Jordi Viladoms tells us about the secret of this supremacy. “This is arguably the result of KTM’s ‘ready to race’ philosophy; the 2021 KTM 450 Rally Replica is the direct result of the trails and dunes of the Dakar Rally. The bike developed by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Toby Price, Sam Sunderland, Matthias Walkner, and Daniel Sanders is available for all rally lovers,” explains the former Dakar rider. “Reliability is the key…if you want a bike ready to race Dakar, with a ‘guarantee’ to finish.” Toby Price, for example, finished his first Dakar on a standard KTM machine in 2015, while in 2016 Štefan Svitko took second also on a standard KTM, and Viladoms himself finished fourth in 2012.

Just 85 units of the 2021 450 Rally Replica were made for worldwide distribution (we hear they’ve sold out). (KTM/)

Behind every racebike you’ll find at least two years of development, and the 2021 machine that Price, Sunderland, Walkner, and rookie Sanders are piloting in the current Dakar competition is an evolution of last year’s bike. Viladoms explained the main differences between the factory bike and the consumer-focused 2021 Rally Replica iteration, the one that was produced in a limited run, all of which sold out in a few months (priced at 25,900 euro plus VAT).

Engine and Gearbox

The 449cc, SOHC, fuel-injected single-cylinder engine in the factory and replica bike is essentially the same, with the main difference being a slightly different tune to the ECU in the factory bike for more power. Nevertheless, the Rally Replica’s engine did also receive a boost in power over the 2019 model, which carries over to the new model as well.

In addition, the limited-edition replica benefits from a new Pankl Racing Systems gearbox with revised ratios for 2021 (the same as the rally-winning machines of the KTM Factory Racing team), and the bike also receives stiffer suspension settings to further fine-tune the already exceptional handling. The modifications are the result of testing and competition-proven developments carried out in preparation for the 2020 rally, with engine reliability being especially crucial this year considering that only one piston can be changed over the course of the race.

The 450cc factory machine also gets higher-spec suspension and a different fork, with other concessions to additional fuel capacity and protection. (KTM /)

Suspension and Swingarm

The front and rear WP suspension on the factory bikes are of a higher spec than the standard version, though the KTM 450 Rally Replica is fitted with a WP Xact Pro 48mm closed-cartridge fork using sophisticated Cone Valve technology, whereas the KTM Factory Racing bikes have a 52mm inverted fork.

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The 2021 Rally model also features an ultra-light cast aluminum swingarm with tuned flex behavior to better support the suspension action. The linkage system transfers force to the fully adjustable WP shock absorber, which gives the rider ideal traction and optimal bottom resistance for better stability.

Navigation tools are packed into this aerodynamically designed carbon tower on the Dakar racebike; the Replica’s version is slightly different. (KTM/)

Tank

This year’s Dakar factory bike gets a bigger rear fuel tank, that, coupled with its two laterally mounted tanks adds up to a total of 34 liters of onboard fuel, compared with 32 liters for the replica version. This is due to new rules for the 2021 rally, which require a range of 250 kilometers plus 10 percent; at last year’s event, manufacturers struggled with higher fuel consumption than at previous rallies. Another change this year was the removal of the 3-liter water tank that was previously compulsory. When Dakar was still run in Africa, the water tank provided an extra reserve for the rider, but these days no one drinks this fluid, so the KTM guys decided to eliminate it and replace it with a tool bag, thus saving a good amount of weight.

Chassis and Aerodynamics

The factory racer’s bigger fuel tank out back provides better range and Akrapovič exhaust helps cut down on weight. (KTM/)

The Replica engine is wrapped in a race-spec chrome-moly tubular space chassis with a series of fine details to denote the bike’s exclusivity, along with revised aerodynamics and ergonomics to handle a wide breadth of terrain. The cockpit and carbon tower that hold the onboard navigation tools are key elements of the aerodynamic design which has been tested to provide optimal rider protection and reduce turbulence, considering that a factory rally bike can reach 180 kph on packed tracks during the event.

Protection

Toby Price on last year’s bike in the 2020 Dakar Rally. (KTM/)

Considering the brutal nature of the rally, all the parts on the Rally Replica machine have also been reinforced, but with an eye toward weight. The bar grips feature special protection for riders’ hands, while special foam was designed and added to the navigation tool area, also to protect the rider. The foam was supposed to be compulsory for all teams this year, but following delays in development due to the pandemic, not all were ready by the time scrutineering began in Jeddah on day one. KTM was among the ones that—of course—were ready.

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