Ryan Nitzen | April 13, 2024
You can’t do this in any other motorsport. Sure, you can buy a Ford, but it’s not the same Ford that races in NASCAR. Yes, you can own a Ferrari, but not the Ferrari that races Formula 1. Even MotoGP racers ride machines made of pure unobtanium. But motocross is different. In our world, you can buy virtually the same bike that races inside stadiums on Saturday nights. Sure, the factory riders have their one-off parts or nuanced setups, but the “production rule” keeps their base model very similar to the one we roll off the dealership floor. KTM took this idea up a notch in 2012 when they released its first Factory Edition model.
Photos by Ryan Nitzen & Trevor Hunter
What’s Up? | 2024.5 KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition Review
The latest KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition, the 2024½ model, received a generational change just two model years ago in 2023 with a new frame, engine, and swingarm. The works. This was a significant change for the Austrian brand as its steel-framed chassis became much more rigid than in previous years. Stiffer for Supercross. While some riders, including myself, liked this feeling, many others did not. I thought this chassis made jumping from a Japanese bike to an Austrian one feel less drastic as the KTM was stiffer than prior ones but still less than, say, a Honda or a Kawasaki with their aluminum chassis. But among the critics were some now former factory KTM riders, one who even skipped an entire outdoor season and even switched teams midyear, likely due to his fits with the bike. But that’s just speculation, of course.
So, two short years later, we have a new 2024.5 Factory Edition. The highlighted update everyone is discussing is the point of contention, the frame. Now, the steel-tube structure features new cut-outs or “windows” up near the shock tower to mitigate the stiffness and offer more flex under load. Think softer for outdoors instead of stiffer for Supercross. This bike was homologated just before round one of the 2024 Supercross series, which allowed the Factory KTM/Husqvarna/GasGas riders to choose this frame or the one from the standard ’24. The Factory Editions usually foreshadow significant changes with the standard SX-Fs in the coming model year. We expect the 2025 base model to be fitted with this frame.
The KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition features subtle but important changes following the 2023 model rebuild.
Another new addition to the KTM is their new Connectivity Unit Offroad (CUO). Sounds like the Austrian translation didn’t quite come through right. Remember the bar-pad mounted phone app introduced in the 2021 FE but died a quiet death just one year later? This is the 2.0 version. This new and more modernized two-piece unit mounts to the front fender and routes to a “black box” behind the front number plate. Pair this with your smartphone via the KTM Connect App, and you will unlock a whole host of tuning capabilities, maintenance logs, and the full range of LitPro software. Lap times, rpm, shift points, and more can auto-log to your phone once you complete a moto. And remember, this is a Factory Edition, too, with all the fixings that make a vet rider’s mouth water. For 2024 (and a half), KTM brought back the factory wheelsets, triple clamps, Akrapovic exhaust, Red Bull graphics, gripper seat covers, and more to give buyers the full factory experience.
Horsepower is not an issue.
Factory Reset | 2024.5 KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition Review
This bike easily wins in the looks category, but is it enough to win on the track? Honestly, it’s difficult to feel the changes in the frame right off the bat. The shock had more engagement and overall felt less “dead” than I remember from last year’s bike, but we know these steel frames take time to break in. Comfort is undoubtedly there, but being an “advantage” might be a tough call unless you ride at or near the caliber of Aaron Plessinger. But even AP said at the A1 press conference, “What frame am I on? I don’t even know what tires I’m running.”
The new fender-mounted Connectivity Unit Off-Road (CUO) system replaces the old bar-pad-mounted phone app that came and went.
After riding so many different KTM models this year, the cockpit on the new 450 SX-F feels comfortable and neutral, which I’ve become happily accustomed to. This generation features a flat seat, wider pegs, and a standard bar bend that’s not too far in either direction. In years past, the Austrian machines felt obviously different from the Japanese, and I still feel confident in saying this style of KTM makes it harder and harder to tell. This is a bike you can feel comfortable on before you even make it to the starting line.
As usual with the Factory Edition models, you get a lot of parts upgrades, like the Akrapovic muffler.
The engine is its standout feature. If a Honda CR500R two-stroke is equivalent to a 1932 Ford rat rod–loud, aggressive, and raw–then the KTM 450 is a Mercedes AMG, buttoned up and still fast as hell, but gets you up to speed without spilling your $15 latte on the inside. The SX-F does a top-notch job of packing the power of a 450 into an ultra-usable spectrum. Its most standard setting doesn’t feel like it will rip your arms off but still has the juice to clear any jump from the inside rut. And that’s before you dive into the phone app. More on that later. In a way, the motor is deceivingly fast while also being velvety smooth. I’d find myself casually riding down a straight before looking down and thinking, “Holy crap, this is way faster than I remembered!”
Most of the changes to the frame revolve around rigidity and compliance.
Along with the motor are the new tuning capabilities from the KTM Connect App. The app allows you to set the bike up for specific conditions and adjust key engine characteristics within a designated map. I almost immediately turned the engine braking down two clicks while bumping up the throttle response by one click. I wanted a touchy throttle while keeping the engine free when off the gas going into a turn. As mentioned, the engine is butter-smooth, and these adjustments allow you to find and save settings without hurting the bike in any way. Within the app, you also can change traction control, launch control, and quickshift sensitivity on a five-position sliding scale.
Changes to the steering head are designed to help enhance the frame changes.
The final chapter in the app is the “Rider” feature. Essentially, it packs the full LitPro capabilities into your phone alongside the engine tuning. After a moto, the CUO auto-log syncs the engine data to your app and labels it every time you start and stop the bike as its own individual session. Once you dive into the app, you’ll see interesting data like laps completed, lap times, rpm and gear position, top speed, longest jump, number of shift points, and more.
My fellow Strava users will find similarities in the interface, but I equate it to Strava for dirt bikes because you can see the track’s overall leaderboard. Beware, Broc Tickle, once I shave seven seconds off my time, you better watch out! The app also gives you “Lap 99,” your fastest lap if you link all your best sections together. It gives you tips like, “If you improve your speed by one-quarter mile per hour in segment five, your lap time will drop 0.7 seconds,” and shows where you’d be on the leaderboard with that time. It’s essentially a ghost racer you chase around on your favorite MX vs. ATV video game. While the app’s data is almost overwhelming at times, I found it fun and helpful to play with after my motos. I am excited to try it in a race scenario. If anything, it motivated me to ride longer and more intensely.
After the ride on the KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition is almost as much fun as riding it, now that its new KTM Connect App records all kinds of cool things, like how many times you shifted per lap, how much time you spent in third gear, your top speed, etc.
Will the average rider notice the difference between this frame and last year’s? Probably not. But if you want the latest and greatest, you will like KTM’s latest Factory Edition. This bike comes straight off the lot with every catalog add-on you could want, and it’s certainly the talking point in the garage or the pits. If your new FE isn’t enough to make your buddies drool, you can now show them how fast you are with actual lap time data. Well, maybe hide that. Lap times are like that old fishing story–the older I get, the faster I am. Either way the 450 SX-F Factory Edition is the latest twist on KTM and will likely set the tone for the next gen of orange machines.CN
VIDEO | 2024.5 KTM 450 SXF Factory Edition First Ride
2024.5 KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition Specifications
| MSRP |
$12,449 |
| Engine Type |
4-stroke, single |
| Cooling System: |
Liquid |
| Displacement |
449.9cc |
| Bore x Stroke |
95 x 63.4mm |
| Starting System |
Electric |
| Fueling |
Fuel Injection with Keihin EMS |
| Transmission |
5-speed, w/hydraulic Brembo clutch |
| Frame |
Central double-cradle-type 25CrMo4 steel |
| Subframe |
Polyamide |
| Handlebar |
Neken aluminum |
| Front Suspension |
WP Xact 48mm |
| Rear Suspension |
WP Xact Monoshock with linkage |
| Front-Wheel Travel |
12.2 in. |
| Rear-Wheel Travel |
11.8 in. |
| Front Wheel |
21 in. |
| Rear Wheel |
19 in. |
| Front Brake |
Brembo 260mm |
| Rear Brake |
Single 220mm, Brembo caliper |
| Steering Head Angle |
63.9° |
| Seat Height |
37.7 in. |
| Ground Clearance |
14.1 in. |
| Fuel Capacity |
1.9 gal. |
| Weight (claimed) |
229 lbs. |
