Every year, KTM offers up its rally raid racebike for purchase, and now we see the machine returning to market for 2024—in very, very limited numbers. The 2024 KTM 450 Rally Replica will see a production run of only 80 units.

While such limited production runs often elicit much moaning from allegedly potential buyers (who mysteriously disappear when the bikes hit showroom floors), the reality is that these are specialized machines built to win at the highest level of desert racing. Your average local “fast guy” would be far happier riding the dunes with something that cost him much less money, and if you don’t participate in rally raid, some of the features are wasted on you anyway.

Here’s what the bike has to offer:

Engine

A 450 SOHC single-cylinder tuned for racing. KTM doesn’t give away many details, simply saying “The 450 cc powerplant is light yet durable with an optimized power delivery thanks to its cutting-edge Keihin Management system and ECU maps that have been refined for the conditions of rally racing. The Pankl transmission is the same as used by the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team.” So while it might not be identical to what the fastest guys on the factory team are using, it’s very, very similar.

KTM put an Akrapovic exhaust on the bike, although sponsored racers may quickly switch that out if they’re being paid by a competitor.

Chassis

Once again, KTM says this is race-spec, and it’s “as used by the factory rally teams.” Remember that KTM updated the chassis on its rally raid factory bikes last year; this is probably the first time that new chassis has been available to customers outside the fastest riders. Suspension comes from a 48 mm WP XACT PRO fork (with cone valves) and WP XACT PRO shock as well (fully adjustable).

Parts supply

The press release doesn’t mention this, but it’s one of the biggest reasons to buy a KTM. The factory brings a parts truck to the Dakar Rally, and if you pay for access, you can buy spares off them, which can be the difference between finishing or not. None of the competition offers this. This is a big reason why so many privateers opt for KTM, when a self-built Honda or Yamaha would be much cheaper.

Want to buy one?

If you want one of these bikes, KTM says to ask your local dealer, and gives you no price tag. No doubt it’s one of those things that, if you have to ask the cost, you probably can’t afford it anyway… The last time we saw price tags for these machines, they were around $25,000 USD, but we would expect  that’s higher now. And don’t forget that once you buy it, you’ll still have to do considerable work setting up the machine for individual racers, plus add navigation equipment and safety equipment required by race officials.