Starting in 2001, KTM won every single Dakar Rally until 2020, and though the ready to race brand was finally dethroned by Honda at the latest running of the rally raid event, there’s no doubt that the Austrian outfit objectively produces some of the finest race-grade adventure motorcycles on the planet. And KTM is now giving a lucky few members of the public the opportunity to own one of its true competition-grade desert racers with the 2021 KTM 450 Rally Replica.
Essentially one of KTM’s 450cc four-stroke single dirtbike engines that have been dropped in a competition (690-based) chassis and draped in Dakar-style bodywork with supplementary fuel-cells, and a massive windscreen, navigation tower, and adventure LED headlight setup, the 450 Rally Replica gets a number of key updates over last year’s iteration. This includes a bigger throttle bodies, revised PANKL-derived gearbox and shift mechanism, updated WP XACT PRO suspension front and aft, and competition Akrapovic exhaust, a carbon fiber skid-plate, and EXCEL rims shod in dual-sport rubber. Limited to 85 units in total, the 2021 KTM 450 Rally Replica will hit dealerships in September of this year, where it will carry an approximately $30,700 MSRP — which is actually a pretty reasonable price for a factory race bike.
