2010 Gas Gas EC450 Desert

[Taz]

This is nice. Would make a neat adv trail machine.

17 litre tank too.

[young1]

Now that is really nice! All that is missing is the letters KTM on the side and a 690 engine!!

[Taz]

Now that is really nice! All that is missing is the letters KTM on the side and a 690 engine!!

This is a real Legit rally bike not like those outlawed 690's. :woohoo:

I cold get a kit for my 525 to make it look like that but it's hell expensive.

[Woodman]

I reckon that we are gonna see a few 450 dakar/adv bikes coming into production soon.

Wr450r adv bike ?? would be cool if the 250 is anything to go by.

[Taz]

I reckon that we are gonna see a few 450 dakar/adv bikes coming into production soon.

Wr450r adv bike ?? would be cool if the 250 is anything to go by.

Yeah I've ridden the WR250R and all it needed in my opinion was a bit more grunt. I hope if they do make a WR450R it gets a 6 speed box. That's one of the major reasons I chose the KTM525 over the WR450F as an adventure mount. 525 is very smooth at highway speeds where as the WR450F was too buzzy.

[clint640]

I reckon that we are gonna see a few 450 dakar/adv bikes coming into production soon.
.

I doubt it, the Dakar will now be raced with modded enduro bikes, followed by a truckload of spare motors to swap very night. The days of cool Dakar tech filtering down to us mortals in the form of bikes like the Africa Twin, the DR Big & the 690 Enduro are over.

Although I do agree that a WR450R would be a very cool bike.

Cheers
Clint

[.chris]

I doubt it, the Dakar will now be raced with modded enduro bikes, followed by a truckload of spare motors to swap very night. The days of cool Dakar tech filtering down to us mortals in the form of bikes like the Africa Twin, the DR Big & the 690 Enduro are over.

Although I do agree that a WR450R would be a very cool bike.

Cheers
Clint

But the bike above is at least step towards the right kind of bike (IMO) for adventure/trail riding.
I guess since the market for dualsport bikes is on the rise, so we are going to see more options similar to this coming out. It does not really have to be dakar/race tech to suit most of us.

[Padmei]

Thats going straight to the...

[Eddieb]

....Pool Room.

[Padmei]

close......

[cooneyr]

I doubt it, the Dakar will now be raced with modded enduro bikes, followed by a truckload of spare motors to swap very night. The days of cool Dakar tech filtering down to us mortals in the form of bikes like the Africa Twin, the DR Big & the 690 Enduro are over.

Although I do agree that a WR450R would be a very cool bike.

Cheers
Clint

+1. Great bikes in concept but they are really just big tanked enduros. Look at the bikes that are in common use in the Ausi Safari now 450/530 bikes with big tanks (some with tail tanks) and a nav tower. Great fun and fast for a few days but if they were to be used like we use bikes for adv riding, can be up to 18 hours a weekend, we would be getting engine rebuilds once or twice a year. I'd still have a 690 Adv over one of these any day - pity there unlikely to see the light of day.

Cheers R

[Taz]

+1. Great bikes in concept but they are really just big tanked enduros.

Cheers R

Of course they are! That's what I love about it and what I love about my 525 with the big tank......

[NordieBoy]

This is a real Legit rally bike not like those outlawed 690's. :woohoo:

Only outlawed for the Dakar at the mo.
Other rallies are fine.

[Alpha Solo]

Did any of these make it to NZ / AUS?

[Night Falcon]

I dont get how manufacturers dont produce rally adventure style bikes for general consumption any more? Lets face it most bike nutters start to drool whenever they see a picture of one so why aren't the likes of Suzuki, Kwakazaki and honda for example producing them? The non existant 690 adventure is the classic example of a market waiting for a product. :mad: It seems to me companies like Rally Raid are skimming money off KTM's bottom line, producing aftermarket adventure kits for a bike that is screaming to be adventurised from the factory....unless KTM have secret share holdings in RR they aren't telling us about that is :shifty:

[cooneyr]

+1. Great bikes in concept but they are really just big tanked enduros. Look at the bikes that are in common use in the Ausi Safari now 450/530 bikes with big tanks (some with tail tanks) and a nav tower. Great fun and fast for a few days but if they were to be used like we use bikes for adv riding, can be up to 18 hours a weekend, we would be getting engine rebuilds once or twice a year. I'd still have a 690 Adv over one of these any day - pity there unlikely to see the light of day.

Cheers R

Funny how times change aye. Guess what I'm now riding - a big tanked enduro and changing oil after each major ride!

Cheers R

[Alpha Solo]

Hmmm I regret selling my old 640 Adventure almost hourly now...!