Will the #1 Team KTM Factory Edition 450SX please stand up.
Yes the bike you can buy at the KTM dealer says Factory Edition but the real KTM Factory Edition was hand built for defending champion and current leader of the Monster Energy Supercross Ryan Dungey at the KTM race shop in Temecula, California. Yes the two bikes do share some similarities that are required via the decades old and semi-evolving production rule, yet they are far from the same motorcycle. Read ahead and scope the pictures for the evidence.
So what makes this such a lethal machine? Is it the rider, is it the bike, or is it the holy grail of team managers Roger DeCoster? The answer is probably all three. You can make a great PB&J with only three ingredients and it seems like KTM has found the recipe for a winning sandwich. Yes there are other spices to add to the flavor such as a good mechanic, trainer, and overall team, but they have found the primary concoction to place a number one plate.
KTM has played the game for decades but over the past 10+ years has become an honest-to-goodness contender in a market that used to be dominated by the big four Japanese brands.Their factory bike is a piece of art and surprisingly they don’t have to do a load of work to shave weight to meet the AMA minimum weight category. The production bikes are very close by themselves so moving weight around using exotic components is part of the mix–as well as taking a little more weight off the machine.
Like all bikes at that level, a good grouping of the components are not available to the public and are specifically made for the Factory Team. Yes, some of the parts do look like production aftermarket parts, but most are not the same items you and I can buy off the shelf—they just look that way. They are special built for Ryan Dungey and his exact specifications from hours of testing and just for that specific type of racing.
KTM is the only factory to run WP suspension components, probably because WP is owned by the same company that owns a big chunk of KTM. And some of you might not be aware that WP is not just a suspension company. In fact, WB is the supplier for some of the frames and radiators for KTM as well. WP also makes exhaust systems, both two- and four-stroke.
There was a time that pre-1986 Factory Works bikes had very few aftermarket sponsors or aftermarket components, yet today sponsors help pay the bills and teams and bikes have a slew of parts that are not Works or OEM components. KTM runs Akrapovic exhaust, Kite wheels, Renthal sprockets, special Brembo brakes, MotoMaster rotors, Acerbis guards, Dunlop tires, Raptor pegs, Hinson clutches, DID rims, Neken clamps.
In addition to solid team partners, they have “The Man” Roger DeCoster. Not only is he a team manager, he has always been directly involved in the development of the race bikes. Mr. D is not afraid of getting his hands dirty. It’s not odd to see him behind the levers of a mill or lathe machining parts for testing.
Now take the pilot. Ryan Dungey has been called a lot of things, “The Diesel,” “Energizer Bunny,” and even a little boring because he is such a meticulous and calculated rider that his smooth speed at times looks effortless. No matter what the combination is, the bike, the team, the manager, or the work ethic of the racer, the team has created a winning combination and barring a strange event, is well on their way to securing the 2016 Supercross title.
Click on any of the images below for a gallery of exotic factory stuff.
