The posh kids get dirty with a 450 Motocross machine.
All a bit 'Phil Collins' When you know, you know...
Triumph have joined in the offroad 450cc foray. Long dominated by the likes of Yamaha and KTM the posh kids from Hinkley have decided that they want to get dirty. To get it right they’ve recruited none other than the living legend that is Ricky Carmichael to help develop a new TF 450.
It's never going to look this clean again.
With the catchy title of TF 450 the company have kicked things off with a pretty lofty claim that there machine has the best power to weight ratio in the class.
In the meantime there’s a whole lot of wonderful built into the bike. Fuelling can be set via a phone app, by MX Tune, when connected to the bike. This allows for features such as traction and launch control. All the magic is delivered via a Dellorto throttle body. This is married to a nice and precise Athena engine management system, ensuring precise fuel delivery and throttle response as well as being easy to set up with unique maps. Mr Carmichael has even added his own to it as one of the optional default settings.
Brembo are just one of the big names on the bike
DelWest titanium valves and a Konig-forged aluminium piston are well proven endurance motorcycle partners and add a lot of credibility to the new Triumph. More of the impressive list includes diamond-like carbon coated rockers and even an air filter by TwinAir. ODI RC4 Signature handlebars with their well regarded grips continue the roll call of who’s who in the off road world.
Some of the more practical spec includes a quickshifter which can be used from second to fifth gear. The clutch is facilitated by a Brembo master cylinder.
Triumph branded clothing by Fox
An XTrig Holeshot Device preloads the front suspension and lowers the centre of gravity. This helps keep the front wheel on the ground when getting it off the line. Those wheels are D.I.D DirtStar rims and they come from the factory wearing Dunlop Geomax MX34 tyres. These tyres are regarded by many as the gold standard of their class.
There are a number of accessories available including an Akrapovič titanium exhaust system. This even comes with it’s own dedicated engine map. Suspension is by KYB and their AOS coil suspension while stopping comes compliments of Brembo married to a set of Galfer discs.
It's what's inside that counts
Steve Sargent, Triumph’s Chief Product Officer, said “At the end of 2023, Triumph revealed the long-awaited TF 250-X – the first in an all-new range of off-road motorcycles. We now have a brand new 450cc competition motocross powertrain, which Ricky Carmichael, who is without doubt the very best in the business, has worked with us to develop. The TF 450-RC Edition offers a balance of power, precision and durability that sets a new standard in the 450cc motocross class. It seems only right that the first edition should have Ricky’s name on it.”
The best tyres in the business
When asked for his opinion the off roading legend that is Andrew ‘Trick Monkey’ Reeves looked down his nose, sneered and said, ‘Traction control, Launch control, Ricky Carmichaels engine maps. What next, will the riders need a little hug when they DNF?’ He then fell face first into a mountain of an illicit substance with such an unmerciful thump that it raised a cloud of the stuff which in turn drifted down onto the back of his head like some sort of deeply disturbing pixie dust.
The bike will be available from Triumph Dublin. Call Declan on 014642211 for prices and delivery dates.