Just days before the 2012 AMA Supercross Series got underway, KTM North America announced the official release of its 2012 450SX-F Factory Edition - the all-new, fuel-injected production machine that Red Bull KTM Factory Team's Ryan Dungey is racing this season in the AMA SX and MX series. Yes, it's actually KTM's second release of the 2012 450SX-F, and will be sold alongside the carbureted model. So what's KTM up to?
As outlined in Transmoto's December Issue, homologation rules in America stipulate that race bikes must be based on a production model. As such, KTM North America is obliged to have a minimum of 200 units of the new Factory Edition 450SX-F available through US dealer by March 1, with a further 200 units by June 1. Hence their pre-season release about the Factory Edition production bike available to the public.
In the wake of Dungey's smooth transition from Japanese to European machinery and his success at the opening two rounds of the 2012 Supercross series, the performance of the new KTM has quickly come into sharper focus and questions are now being asked about whether KTM's Factory Edition 450 will also be available in Australia.
"The Australian market will see this bike
in the second half of 2012 as a 2013 model."
According to KTM Australia's General Manager, Jeff Leisk, "For the time being, the Ryan Dungey Factory Edition will only be available in the US in a quantity of 420 units. The Australian market will see this bike in the second half of 2012 as a 2013 model."
Leisk couldn't be drawn to comment about whether Australia's JDR Motorex KTM team were likely to start the 2012 race season in April aboard the new 450. But with JDR's American team presence and their close ties with KTM North America, it's hard to imagine they wouldn't already have their mitts on a few of the new fuel-injected 450s for the Aussie team.
And how did Leisk respond to Dungey's historic first AMA SX win for KTM last weekend? "Mate, it is the biggest monkey off our backs," he enthused. "I have been waiting a long time for this. More than 14 years ago, I remember lobbying for KTM to have a fair dinkum crack at the AMA SX and we offered to levy all bikes that we bought into Australia by $50 to $100 to assist the cause."
Dungey wins his first AMA Supercross race for himself and KTM. Pic: Hoppen
As was evident when Dungey turned up at the Monster Energy Cup in October last year (on what was then a pre-production machine), the engine on the Factory Edition 450SX-F is heavily based off the 450EXC enduro model that KTM released mid last year, running the same lightweight die-cast engine cases and configuration. The 450SX-F, however, gets a larger 44mm Keihin throttle body (the EXC runs a 42mm), a different piston, camshaft, valve-train, and a five-speed transmission instead of the enduro machine's six. It also gets a new orange powder-coated frame, black-anodised triple clamps, black Excel rims, updated bodywork, and a heap of other small but significant tweaks for MX/SX applications.
