Rally-inspired styling is the current trend in the adventure bike market. Contenders such as the Yamaha Tenere 700, Aprilia Tuareg 660, and Ducati DesertX lean on that rally adjacency to bolster their off-road prowess. However, KTM’s 450 Rally Replica doesn’t just dress the part, it has the resume to back up those looks.
A Dakar Rally win may have eluded the Austrian brand since 2019, but Matthias Walkner, Sam Sunderland, and Toby Price still claimed the last three Cross-Country Rallies World Championship aboard the 450 Rally. The 2023 KTM 450 Rally Replica leverages that race and title-winning platform by carrying over the same compact Chromoly steel frame and Pankl transmission utilized by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team.
Gallery: 2023 KTM 450 Rally Replica
Team Orange’s fuel-injected, SOHC, 449cc single-cylinder engine nestles nicely into that race-spec frame, and a standard-issue Akrapovič exhaust system refines the mill's power pulses and centralizes mass. The Keihin engine management system, 44mm throttle body, and Twin Air filter work in concert to optimize performance. KTM even adapted the ECU maps for the utmost oomph while still retaining the 450 Rally Replica’s smooth throttle application.
With a 48mm, closed cartridge WP XACT PRO fork up front and a fully adjustable WP XACT PRO shock out back, the special-edition model is prepared to take on the harshest terrain. To aid those campaigns, KTM tunes the cast aluminum swingarm for the ideal flex characteristics, while the linkage system benefits stability and bottoming resistance.
Based on feedback from elite rally riders, the design team devised a cockpit that toes the line between comfort and performance. The bike’s narrow midsection, ergonomically-sound touch points, and carbon-fiber navigation tower make life in the saddle and on the pegs that much easier.
As all 450 Rally Replica renditions go, KTM will limit production to just 70 units. The Ready to Race brand hasn’t announced price or availability yet, but we can expect the MSRP to hover around the 2022 model’s €25,900 ($30,986 USD) MSRP. Whether you’re a privateer racer or an ardent backcountry explorer, the 2023 KTM 450 Rally Replica doesn’t just have the rally look, it also has the rally capability to dominate the dirt.
