The 2024 GASGAS MC 450F may just be the bike for pro and clubman alike. We send one to our Chief tester Ben Grabham to find out.
For over a decade, 450cc machines have been viewed as the premium bike to be on for motocross racing, and while ever the likes of Jett Lawrence and Jorge Prado are dominating all over the world on these machines, this is not going to change in a hurry. Even though my motocross racing history is limited to three rounds of the Australian MX championship, motocross 450s have played a huge role in my racing and training over the years. It is no secret that a rider needs to be crazy fit and strong to swing off an 450 for any length of time and that is why every chance that I got to name my practice bike, I would pick a 450. That was until I rode the 2024 GASGAS MC 450F.
Then for desert racing I had plenty of success winning multiple Finke and Hattah desert races on motocross 450s. Their general nature of aggressive power and lightweight handling was a perfect base to start with for a desert race bike.
During the last few months, I have managed to attend both the World 2024 GASGAS launch in Italy as well as the Australian 2024 GASGAS launch at Chucky Sanders apple orchard in Victoria. During both these trips I found myself spending quite a bit of time riding the new 2024 GASGAS MC 450F. This new model already has quite a bit of hype attached to it as Jorge Prado used this platform to dominate the 2023 World MX championship, so let’s take a look at what GASGAS has done with this model.
The Austrian 2024 GASGAS MC 450F as we know it was first introduced as a 2021 model, and since its introduction there have been minimal changes through to the 2023 model. For 2024, GASGAS has just about changed everything and it is actually way easier to list the parts that haven’t changed between the 23/24 models as they are basically only the front wheel and front fork tubes. Pretty much every part that makes up this bike is new for MY2024.
Visually I am a huge fan of the fiery red colour scheme and minimal graphics and if only it came with a set of black anodised rims then it would easily be the best-looking bike by far.
Jumping on this new machine the bodywork feels nice and sleek, and the medium compound ODI lock-on grips add to the comfortable feel.
The bonus of riding this motorcycle at two different launches was that I got to experience it on dry Italian hard pack and damp soft ground in Victoria. At both locations the power this bike produced was impressive, and it actually surprised me how smooth and controlled the power comes on down low. This makes finding traction and picking precise lines quite easy. As this engine builds revs so does the power, and whenever I approached any jump or obstacle that I needed to pop over, I only needed to get the power into the mid and it would launch forward over anything.
It was not until the deeper wet soil in Victoria that I could really open the throttle and really rev this engine. I can confirm this bike produces more than enough power to run at the front of any desert race in Australia.
One of the big talking points in Italy was the switch from Brembo to Braktec for the hydraulic clutch. I have zero complaints about the new Braktec unit as it had a nice smooth consistent action that provided pinpoint movement to achieve the action I desired.
It makes sense with this bike being a new generation that the frame is also all new as well as the subframe.
The main pre-ride talk about this frame was about the anti-squat technology that makes up the frame. At first this took me a bit of getting use to as I am so used to exiting a corner and feeling the rear end lower as I roll on the throttle. On this new frame the back end does not feel like that at all.
The bonus that I experienced with the rear end not squatting much was more consistent weight and grip with the front tyre, then when riding in soft conditions the bike tracks really well in a straight line. My previous experience with 450s is that they generally do not like to turn on slippery flat corners unless you twist the throttle and make them. This bike turns really well on hard pack even with minimal throttle. My only complaint about this frame would be the firm feedback it produces when you are rolling around a corner with the bike leant over.
Attached to the frame are all-new huge foot pegs, easily the largest foot pegs I have seen standard on a motocross bike. They are also mounted further inward on the frame as that makes them less prone to catching the edge of deep ruts. Then up front are all new forged triple clamps, not only do these look trick they have been developed to produce the right amount of flex for precise steering.
With this bike producing more than enough power and grip to launch over any jump, the suspension performance is extremely crucial.
Up front the WP XACT air fork surprised me with the overall comfort and performance it provided. On small to medium bumps the action was quite smooth and forgiving and when I got a bit adventurous and launched over some decent sized jumps it took the big hits very well. The only negative I experienced was how sensitive it was when the air pressure increased over a long day of riding. In Italy I was struggling to turn on the hard pack late in the day and it turned out to be the fork had pumped up to 150psi instead of my preferred 140psi.
On the rear end I found the linkage WP XACT shock to be slightly more aggressive than the action of the fork. This meant unless I rode at more of a race pace over small to medium bumps the shock would transfer most of the bumps into my body. Providing I raced around the track the rear end stayed quite settled and felt very planted. Where this shock was totally at home was on fast rollers where I was jumping into the faces and when I did this the whole bike felt like it was glued to the ground.
Probably the biggest talking point in Italy when they lifted the cover off this bike was the move to Braktec brakes. Brembo units are renowned as being the best brake and with GASGAS moving away from them it had plenty of people worried. After riding this new Braktec shod MC450F on two tracks that both require precise and extremely powerful braking there is nothing to worry about.
The new Braktec rear brake provides great feel and did exactly everything I asked from it every time. The front Braktec brake was just as good, and the lever has a really nice profile that was gentle on my fingers. The initial stopping power comes on very smooth and every time I needed to pull up in a hurry I only needed to give the lever a good squeeze with one finger.
Overall I like what GASGAS has done with this 450, it ticks all the boxes for a pro motocross rider to run at the front of the pack. Most of all I like how there is a gentle softer side in both the suspension and engine performance. I could see a rider who doesn’t have great fitness or doesn’t want to do massive jumps being very comfortable on this bike when they ride at the local motocross ride park once every few weeks.
2024 GASGAS MC450F
ENGINE Single-cylinder, four-stroke
Displacement 449.9cc
Bore & STROKE 95mm x 63.4mm
Cooling Liquid-cooled
Compression ratio 13.1:1
Fuel metering 44mm Keihin throttle body
Tank capacity 7.9 litres
Transmission Five speed
Clutch DDS Wet multi-disc clutch, Braktec hydraulics
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase N/A
Seat height 956mm
Ground clearance 354mm
Claimed Weight 103.3 kg without fuel
SUSPENSION
FRONT WP XACT-USD 48mm
REAR WP XACT Monoshock with linkage
BRAKES
Front Braktec disc brake
Rear Braktec disc brake
RUNNING GEAR
Handlebar Neken
Front tyre Maxxis ST 80/100-21
Rear tyre Maxxis ST 120/90-19
PRICE & CONTACTS
RRP $14,634
BROWSER www.GasGas.com
BLOWER 1800 644 771
Warranty 6 Months
WORDS | BEN GRABHAM
PHOTOS | SEBAS ROMERO