Here’s a preview look at the new KTM 450 Rally that will race at the 2011 Dakar rally with a line-up of impressive riders. While KTM got its nose a little out of joint over the new rules for the Dakar rally, it got to it building a new bike and has on-board for this year riders Cyril Despres, Marc Coma, Juan Pedero and Ruben Faria.

While we imagine KTM might dominate the 2011 Dakar all the same, if not because of its new technical development then because of its long experience, we can expect a more balanced rally that might challenge the KTM status quo in this sector. Aprilia put in a good performance last year and is back again this year with its RXV twin-cylinder, and there is some mixed competition turning up that might put a spanner in the KTM decade-long dominance.

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The 2011 Dakar rally has a list of the usual suspects for its motorcycle categories, but with a few changes in the number of participants. Making its presence felt is the new 450cc capacity rules, meaning that KTM has a lot less bikes in the rally this year than previously. There will be a reduction from 126 to 62 KTM bikes, but the flipside is that other manufacturers are increasing their competition, with Yamaha, Honda, Aprilia and BMW all entering extra bikes.

This is not to say that KTM won’t take home the prize in the 2011 Dakar anyway with its new 450 Rally bike; it’s been on a winning run since 2000 after all. Last year, though, it had to share the podium with the new Aprilia RXV 4.5. Meanwhile, news has broken that before Harley-Davidson killed off the Buell brand, there was an Erik Buell 450cc off-road model in the works.

According to an interview between Buell and motorcycle journalist Alan Cathcart, that offroad project is back in the development books. The 450cc Buell offroader uses a single-cylinder Rotax motor and has an aluminium frame, although it may not be the lightest bike in this segment. While Erik Buell Racing is clearly born of track roots and will probably stay that way, it plans on investing specifically in the reliability of its offroad model.

Continue reading: The 2011 Dakar rally and future Erik Buell offroader in the works?

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The KTM 450 Rally is KTM’s response to changes which initially threatened to stall its 10-year dominance of the Dakar rally. While Aprilia proved in the last edition that it knows how to build a competitive 450cc bike with its Aprilia RXV 4.5, KTM’s first reaction was to drop out. Rather than having a little tantrum though, the company luckily came to its senses and started to develop its own 450cc model. After all, it’s one of those companies you’d expect would be able to innovate and adapt.

Which means we can now see Cyril Despres putting the new KTM 450 Rally through some teaser paces in this video. What’s more, KTM has been intelligent about the way it’s going to develop its new bike, concentrating not just on its offroad characteristics but also what it needs from a touring point of view to get it through the tough Dakar.

KTM is therefore probably looking at a chassis option of a steel trellis frame similar to the 690 Enduro as it would be better able to fit additional equipment. In this video Cyril Despres tries out the new KTM 450 Rally on his private track in the Pyrenees before it debuts in October at the Rally de Maroc. We might get to see it at the 2010 EICMA, too.

Source | Bikes in the Fast Lane via HFL

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