KTM 450 SMR supermoto gains some minor updates for 2022
If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it! The race-only KTM 450 SMR gains minor updates for 2022
WHEN it comes to shredding it up on the Supermoto track, few bikes can hold a candle to the KTM 450 SMR. Evolved from the multi-championship winning KTM 450 SX-F motocross machine, the updates for 2022 centre mainly around the frame and styling of the race-only machine.
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Power the 450 SMR is an engine that is directly descended from KTM’s motocross and supercross machines, although in SMR trim it's adjusted and modified for optimum Supermoto use. Weighing in at just 27 kg, the single-cylinder engine produces a hefty 63hp. The gearbox is a Pankl Racing Systems 5-speed that benefits from a sensor that permits specific engine maps for each gear. Fuelling for the 450 SMR is provided by a 44mm Keihin throttle body.
As you’d expect from a KTM, the bike is suspended by top-spec WP XACT AER 48 mm forks and XACT rear shock. Braking is taken care of by a Brembo four-piston caliper and 310mm disc at the front and a 220mm dual-piston item at the rear. With no ABS to hinder your progress, the 450 SMR instead relies on super-sticky Bridgestone slick tyres that are wrapped around super-light ALPINA rims.
For 2022, the KTM 450 SMR introduces a frame finishing coated in racing orange to further reinforce the proximity to the race-winning machines of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team. The updated frame is matched by a new blue seat cover and the fresh colours in the graphics to emphasise visually the close link to KTM’s Factory racing machinery.
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
