Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1535302
P108 RIDE REVIEW I 2025 KTM 450 SMR This looks cool, but if you go down on tar- mac, which you almost certainly will at some point, you'll probably end up scratching your new shrouds. At that point, you'll either have to fit stick-on graphics to cover the gashes or replace the shrouds entirely. Another nice little piece is the gripper-style seat covering. In full Alpinestars leathers, the seat material holds you in place so much bet - ter than the smoother covering I have on the Husky, which in turn allows you to better center your weight, especially on acceleration. Later in the day, I was given the go-ahead to take former AMA Supermoto Champion Chris Fillmore's recently built racer for a spin. Based on the 2025 SMR, Fillmore's weapon had pretty much everything possible done to it, includ - ing full factory WP suspension, triple clamps, engine work, twin-disc front brakes, a 30mm shorter swingarm and a 16-inch front wheel. If the stock bike was impressive, Fillmore's steed was another level, especially on accelera - tion. The man himself couldn't say, but I'd bet this bike had upwards of 70 horsepower on tap, making it absolutely vaporize anything in its path. But it retained the character the stock bike possessed of being so easy to use. The 16-inch front wheel was also a revelation. Turning was a case of waiting until the absolute last second, hooking your head into the direction you wanted to go, and the bike would turn on a quarter. It was a wild experience and an insight into what you can do with a wide-open budget and KTM's PowerParts catalog at your disposal. But for mere mortals, the 2025 KTM 450 SMR is an incredibly sharp tool and will pro - vide years of riding and sliding before you get bored. This motorcycle is not a Swiss Army knife. It's a Japanese Katana sword, not great at many things but the thing it is good at, it does it better than anything else. Supermoto is one of the greatest things ever to happen to motorcycle racing, and with bikes like this available to the public, it should be far more popular than it is. Suddenly, ol' Betsy's place in the garage looks decidedly under threat from the pretty new bike dressed in orange. CN 2025 KTM 450 SMR ($12,149) ENGINE Single-cylinder, 4-stroke DISPLACEMENT 449cc BORE X STROKE 95 x 63.4mm COMPRESSION RATIO 13.3:1 FUEL SYSTEM EFI; 44mm throttle body TRANSMISSION 5-speed ELECTRONICS Two throttle maps, traction control, Launch Control, Quickshifter CHASSIS Central Double-Cradle Type FRONT SUSPENSION 48mm WP Xact USD Closed Cartridge REAR SUSPENSION WP Xact Monoshock FRONT-WHEEL TRAVEL 11.1 in. REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL 10.4 in. FRONT BRAKE Single 4-piston Brembo M50 radial-mount caliper, 310mm disc REAR BRAKE Single-piston caliper, 220mm disc FRONT TIRE 125/75 R16.5 REAR TIRE 165/55 R17 RAKE 26.1° TRIPLE CLAMP OFFSET 16mm WHEELBASE 57.9 in. SEAT HEIGHT 35.3 in. FUEL CAPACITY 1.9 gal. WEIGHT (WET, NO FUEL, CLAIMED) 239 lbs. S P E C I F I C AT I O N S