KTM’s Rally Replica Bike Available to Order
OutdoorHub 02.21.14
It’s been just over a month since KTM took an outstanding 1-2 finish in the notorious Dakar rally and the Austrian manufacturer is excited to announce that the all-new KTM 450 Rally Replica machine will be available very soon for customers to purchase.
The new model of the KTM 450 Rally machine in factory livery made its debut in October at the Morocco rally as a first and final test in race conditions. The machine was then subject to taking on the ultimate test at the Dakar, and the bike went on to work flawlessly throughout the 9,000km race with Marc Coma on-board to take KTM’s 13th consecutive win.
As the previous model of the rally machine was constructed for the 690cc era, this new machine was designed from the ground up to be suited to today’s Dakar terrain and the smaller capacity 450cc engine. With its vast amount of experience, KTM’s Motorsport department built the new bike with KISKA’s expertise in design from clay model to completed design, along with KTM’s R&D department and KTM Technologies.
The bike features an all-new frame incorporating an ergonomic design, a slim body shape with a better seating position, completely re-worked rear suspension and a new overhead single cam 450cc fuel-injection engine. The bike also boasts a front and rear fuel-pump system with multiple tanks, which allows the rider to pick a fuel source to utilise the weight depending on the terrain, a carbon tower at the front of the bike that gives the rider better visibility of the front wheel and thus instilling extra confidence with improved vision along with many other refinements throughout the machine’s design to create the ultimate rally race bike.
It was expected that the competition would be stronger in the 2014 rally, and this has only deepened KTM’s motivation to continue its 13-year winning streak. The years of experience and knowledge in KTM’s rally department along with the R&D team was only magnified with a 1-2 victory again this year, perhaps only more spectacular as second-placed Jordi Viladoms didn’t even ride the bike before reaching Argentina at the start of the race.
Coma and Viladoms recently visited the factory in Mattighofen and KISKA to thank everyone involved with the rally project for their hard work, which has been pivotal in the success of the factory riders.
KTM’s CEO Stefan Pierer about the all-new 450 Rally Replica: “The success this year in the Dakar rally has highlighted the experience and hard work of our KTM people, who worked closely with KISKA’s team on the new rally bike project, combined with feedback from all of our factory riders and heavy input from Marc Coma. We now want to pass on the experience of such a successful time in this year’s Dakar to any rider who wishes to own this fantastic bike, and especially to those who are committed to making their rally dreams come true or realise their Dakar ambition. The racing service we offer for privateers is as fundamentally strong as the service we give to our factory riders and we are very proud of helping many riders achieve their goals in the rally.”
For those seeking the next level in rally competition the 2014 KTM Rally Replica bike is available to purchase for EUR 24,000 (Plus VAT) and can be ordered through your local KTM dealer. A service and support package is available at the Dakar Rally at an additional cost for all models of KTM rally bike. Please ask your local dealer for more information. Please note the machine and service packages are both limited.
