If you’re looking for a rally racebike you can buy over-the-counter, you’re in luck. Or at least, some customers are in luck, as GasGas has confirmed its RX450F Replica is coming to market—but, uh, we haven’t seen any confirmation it’s coming to Canada.
In case you forgot, GasGas actually won the 2022 Dakar Rally, with Sam Sunderland putting in a top performance after being booted from the KTM factory team (allegedly). KTM and GasGas and Husqvarna are all very similar bikes now, as they’re all owned by Pierer AG. So, this GasGas EX450F is not just very similar to the bike SunderSam used to win the ’22 Dakar, it’s also very similar to the Huskys and KTMs that were used there.
Here’s what you get, with the new GasGas racer:
- Super-light carbon fiber navigation tower
- WP XPLOR PRO 7548 front fork
- WP XPLOR PRO 7750 rear shock
- Red anodized X-TRIG triple clamps
- Red Supersprox Stealth rear sprocket
- Neken ‘bars
- Akrapovic exhaust
- Oversize Brembo brakes
- GASGAS branded Hinson clutch cover
- Continental TKC 80 tires
- Black anodized EXCEL rims
- Optional sticker kit
Nice. That’s a lot of decent upgrades, and GasGas marketing basically presents this as a racebike you can buy over-the-counter at a dealer: “Whether you’re a full-on rally-raid privateer or part of a team, the all-new RX 450F Replica from GASGAS will make your rally career, or next desert adventure, so much easier and way more fun! Needing absolutely nothing to go racing, the replica bike is assembled by hand with a long list of essential rally-specific components, most of which the exact same as can be found on the race bikes of Sam Sunderland and Daniel Sanders.”
Of course, given the nature of motorcycle racing in general and rally raid racing in particular, this is just a starting point, as riders will need to configure their navigation and survival equipment to meet their needs and the rules of whatever race they’re entered. However, GasGas has already done a lot of the hard work with this machine, and it seems likely they’ll sell out just as quickly as KTM’s rally replica bikes do.
GasGas says “The GASGAS RX 450F is available through dealerships worldwide in very limited numbers! Availability may differ from country to country. For full pricing details and more information, please contact your national GASGAS dealer or importer.” And, we haven’t heard anything about this bike being available in Canada yet. At this point, GasGas doesn’t seem to be prepared to fully enter the Canadian market, as the new ES700 models aren’t here either—yet. We’re sure that will change someday.
