KTM says the spring fork
works better for the finite de-
mands of supermoto riding than
the air fork, which was devel-
oped primarily for motocross
riding with the fork spending
more time at the bottom of the
stroke in areas like jumping and
in the whoops with the air fork's
greater bottoming-out control.
More so than the new softer
frame, the spring fork was the
biggest difference I noticed dur
-
ing my day on the SMR. The new
fork has a more tangible feel at
high lean angles with the kind of
brake pressure normally used in
road racing. I was lucky enough
to have my air-forked Husqvarna
at this test and could thus do a
back-to-back comparison, and
while I will grant you my bike is
a fair bit older, the differences
were nonetheless evident.
High-speed braking and turn
-
ing were better on the spring fork.
Rebound control was also a fac-
tor in that KTM would continue to
track its chosen line better than
my Husky's air fork, which had a
bit of a dead spot at the point the
front brake lever was released—
something that was especially
prevalent in low-speed, high lean
angle corners like hairpins.
Other improvements the SMR
gets for 2025 is a redesigned
rear linkage and smaller linkage
bolts, and it keeps the same
swingarm that was introduced
on the 2023 SMR. This was the
first year the SMR got a dedicat
-
ed swingarm that wasn't a direct
fit from the SX-F.
Acceleration from the now
63-horsepower 450cc single-
cylinder motor is absolutely
White men can jump, after all.
P102
RIDE REVIEW I 2025 KTM 450 SMR
