With 235 Dakar stage wins, and 10 overall Dakar Rally Championships – of which KTM holds 19 in total – the KTM 450 RALLY REPLICA has become synonymous with Rally Raid Championships. For 2025, it sets its sights on even more victories, boasting its most extreme refresh to date.
Holding the accolade as the most successful motorcycle in Dakar Rally history. From Dakar Championship titles to Malle Moto privateers, it is the go-to machine when it comes to multi-stage rally racing.
For 2025, the KTM 450 RALLY REPLICA has undergone its most major update since 2020. With a new powerplant, sharper bodywork, and refined chassis developed by KTM Factory Racing, it is the closest version of a production Factory Racing machine there has ever been.
At its heart sits a reworked version of the championship 450 cc fuel-injection motor found in the KTM Motocross and Enduro stables. Fitted with a newly designed SOHC cylinder head, a reinforced clutch, and a strengthened gearbox, it is a feast of high-end hardware engineered to deliver unrivaled power and reliability. Two separate radiators take care of cooling instead of the previous single unit. This ensures more cooling power and efficiency for the engine.
These are now mounted to a new frame which is welded by hand in the KTM Motorsports production facility. Assembled from laser-cut, hydro-formed sections, the frame features specifically calculated longitudinal and torsional flex parameters compared to the previous steel trellis frame construction but maintains exceptional rider feedback, energy absorption, and straight-line stability. This is supported by a new hollow, die-cast aluminum swingarm designed to offer optimal stiffness and reliability at the lowest possible weight.
At the rear, a self-supporting 16-liter fuel tank doubles as the subframe with two additional 9 and 9.5-liter tanks up front, driven by two separate fuel pumps which can be activated independently from either the front, or the rear tanks. This pushes the total fuel-carrying capacity of the 2025 KTM 450 RALLY REPLICA to approximately 34.5 liters, making it capable of dominating the longest rally stages.
From a handling perspective, the 2025 KTM 450 RALLY REPLICA is fitted with the latest WP PRO COMPONENTS. In the front, 48 mm WP XACT PRO 7548 closed cartridge cone valved fork is clamped into a new 23 mm offset, CNC machined triple clamps ensuring optimal stiffness. The upper clamp also boasts an in-house developed PHDS system, fitted with a SCOTTS steering damper.
Taking charge at the rear is the WP XACT PRO 7750 shock. Fully customizable for individual set up of rider and specific terrain. Tried, tested and used in multiple Rally stage wins by the likes of Kevin Benavides and Matthias Walkner.
Visually, the 2025 KTM 450 RALLY REPLICA has undergone a major styling update, with a sharper, more aggressive profile. A specifically developed navigation tower made of extra-light carbon fiber sits behind an improved fairing, which provides significantly improved aerodynamics. This means riders experience less turbulence and buffeting while in a seated riding position.
The fairing also protects an all-new, lighter, narrower dashboard, with integrated warning lights and mountings for a digital roadbook system. A new LED headlight system is now incorporated into the front mask, increasing overall lighting output by 33%, which plays a vital role in the early morning stage starts or late-night arrivals.
The 2025 KTM 450 RALLY REPLICA also features a well-thought-through and unique space for tools integrated into the engine cover. This gives riders quick access to wrenches and frees up additional space and weight on the riders person.
The 2025 KTM 450 RALLY REPLICA is the only customer-facing motorcycle completely produced and assembled in the KTM Motorsports building in Austria, with only 100 units being made available to ambitious rally racers around the globe.
Orders open on 24 April 2024. Visit your nearest authorised KTM dealer to order your 2025 KTM 450 RALLY REPLICA.
Discover more about the 2025 KTM 450 RALLY REPLICA at KTM.com.
Discussion about this post