TF 450-RC
The big deal of the range . Triumph ’ s 450 motocrosser is the pinnacle of what the team says it wanted to deliver . It brings all the aspects of the 250-X to the party and just goes bigger where it counts . The RC model , obviously standing for Ricky Carmichael , comes with all the accessory extras which adds to an already awesome package . Side-note : everything that comes on the RC model is available as an accessory on the 250-X if you want to go full retard . If you shoot back to the initial rundown of the 250-X earlier in this write-up , you can pretty much copy and paste all those specs right into the 450 and be done with it – save us both some time . The 450 shares the same frame , swingarm , linkage , bodywork , throttle body , wheels , nuts and bolts of the 250 . The suspension units are the same but with upped spring rates and valving . The difference in the engine sees the 450 running a Uni-cam design and it also sports a steel clutch basket over the
alloy basket found in the 250-X . There ’ s a raft of accessories that come standard on the RC model ; an X-Trig holeshot device , RC ’ s signature bend ODI bars , a gripper seat , Hinson clutch cover , Dunlop MX34 tyres ( the 250 wears Pirelli ), front brake disc guard , Neken triple clamps , the WiFi connectable engine management system is installed and the bike runs RC signature graphics to stand out from the rest . More interestingly , the RC model is the only 450 that Triumph is currently offering . There will be no ‘ standard ’ version of the 450 initially coming to market . So , it ’ s factory or nothing for you MX1 riders . If I had to guess , this will probably change sometime in the next six to 12 months . And finally , weighing in at a claimed 108.8kgs , this is the lightest 450 MX bike in the class . We are only talking less than 0.5kg against the KTM , however the Triumph runs spring forks while the KTM has air forks so that ’ s a big deal .
450 FIRST RIDE IMPRESSIONS The RC model is basically a more powerful 250-
68 KIWI RIDER