Think back to January, 2022, and what you were doing at that time. Were you watching the 2022 Dakar Rally? If so, then you may have witnessed Sam Sunderland take the win in the motorcycle category aboard his GasGas RC 450F.
Now that it’s August, 2022, and OEMs are starting to roll out new models ahead of 2023, it seems that a GasGas RX 450F Replica model is definitely on the way. This information comes from German type approval documents issued by the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt, as first spotted by the eagle-eyed Dennis Chung over at Motorcycle.com and confirmed by RideApart.
From the document, we can tell you that the model was granted type approval by the agency on June 29, 2022. It will also have a 449cc engine. Given Pierer’s previous penchant for rally replicas with sister brands KTM and Husqvarna, it seems incredibly unlikely that the company wouldn’t want to capitalize on Sunderland and Dakar teammate Daniel Sanders’ strong showings at the biggest rally event of the year.
Pierer already launched the 2023 KTM 450 Rally Replica back in June, 2022—and as Dustin pointed out, it’s worth remembering that Sam Sunderland also won a Cross-Country Rally World Championship aboard that very bike as well. So, in a way, it’s an interesting feat that Sunderland has accomplished—potentially having not just one, but two Rally Replica models released in the same year that celebrate his achievements.
We don’t yet know the specs on the GasGas RX 450F Replica, but extrapolating from the KTM 450 Rally Replica can give some clues about what to expect. A compact chromoly steel frame will cradle that 449cc mill. Other features are likely to include a Pankl transmission, Akrapovič exhaust, WP XACT Pro suspension at both ends, as well as rider-friendly ergonomics with input from the pros in Pierer’s employ. Will there also be a carbon fiber navigation tower, as found on the KTM Rally Replica? That remains to be seen.
Two other eventualities seem likely with this bike, purely based on the KTM 450 Rally Replica’s specs. One is that the higher-spec machine will only be released in an incredibly limited number (the KTM one is limited to just 70 units worldwide, for example). Two is that if it is indeed a much higher-specced machine than the standard version, it will of course boast a price to match.
The most important takeaway from the KTM 450 Rally Replica is that it isn’t just a pack of stickers and some paint—it's a performance-tuned machine, ready for a privateer to hop on and get after some serious rally competition of their own. Unless we’re mistaken, the GasGas RX 450F Replica will likely follow the same pattern.
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