2022 KTM 450SX-F FACTORY EDITION

The 2022 KTM Factory Edition is the first of a new platform. We expect it to be the basis for KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas race bikes for a long time to come. Both the motor and the frame are new, as well as all the bodywork. The motor doesn’t look that different, but it’s almost an inch shorter from front to rear in order to fit in the new chassis, which is shared with the 250. KTM also says the motor has been rotated down in the rear 2 degrees to make the countershaft sprocket 3mm lower. They say that reduces squat under acceleration. As far as the frame goes, engineers spent a great deal of time addressing flex characteristics. The central backbone splits into a wishbone connecting to the swingarm pivot. The top shock mount is on a tower directly connected to those frame members above the swingarm. They say this allows front end flex and rear suspension flex to be addressed and fine-tuned independently. The frame is thicker around the swingarm.  The shock is new, mostly to fit into the space allowed. It’s 20 mm shorter, although rear suspension travel is still 300mm. The fork is once again the WP Xact air fork with new valving.

The bike now features Quickshift, which interrupts the ignition momentarily on upshifts above second gear. It can be turned off or on through a button on the bottom of the map switch. The Factory Edition comes with a number of premium components which are certainly nice, but add to the overall weight. These include orange anodized billet hubs, split triple clamps, a disc guard, a skid plate and a gripper seat cover. This year, it does not include an aftermarket exhaust or clutch cover. The total weight for the bike without fuel, according to our scale, is 231 pounds.