Triumph dipped it’s toe into the competitive motocross market in 2024 with the introduction of the Triumph TF 250-X. With none other than Ricky Carmichael – the GOAT – spearheading development, Triumph made its MX intentions clear from the outset. The TF 250-X was well received, with lavish global and domestic launches signalling the British brand’s serious commitment to dirt. Now, less than a year later, Triumph has upped the ante with the long-awaited TF 450-RC.
But it wasn’t the production TF 450X that we all expected.
Rather than rolling out the expected production TF 450-X, Triumph hit hard with the TF 450-RC – the Ricky Carmichael signature edition. Though not officially dubbed a limited-edition model, that’s exactly what the RC appears to be. Loaded with premium parts and RC-approved tech, the TF 450-RC is Triumph’s first big-bore dirt weapon. So let’s take a minute to break down the new machine and dissect the bulk of its features and see how it performed at the Aussie launch recently held at Victoria’s renowned Ride Park circuit!
Australian Launch engaged!
The Australian launch took place at the beautifully prepped Ride Park circuit, west of Melbourne. Media from around the country were flown in for a two-day program of tech presentations, fine food and, of course, throttle time on the TF 450-RC.
Things kicked off at the Mantra Melton with an in-depth presentation on the new bike. We were joined by the Winner Triumph Racing Australia Team on the night spearheaded by 450cc rider Jack Simpson who was joined by 250 MX2 rider Connar Adams.
The TF450-RC sat perched at the front of the room in all its glory for the photographers and media representatives to gawk over, with many an iPhone video edit being uploaded to social media on the night.
After dinner and a tech presentation, we connected via Zoom with Triumph’s Scott Lanzi (Off-Road Product Lead) and James Wood (Senior Product Marketing Manager) for a Q&A session. While many questions were met with “We’re only here to talk about the TF 450-RC,” there were a few gems – including confirmation in answer to my question that American tester Kris Keefer played a major role in development alongside RC himself.
Once the presentation had wrapped up we were treated to a cocktail-style dinner, then the following morning we were up at 6.30am for a Melton-style continental brekky before making our way out to Ride Park where moto heaven awaited us.
Bits and pieces
The TF 450-RC is stacked with high-spec kit. It scores a Hinson clutch cover, ODI RC replica handlebar and ODI grips, a multi-level X-Trig holeshot device, a gripper seat cover, D.I.D. DirtStar rims, MX Tune Pro smartphone app, standard Wi-Fi comms module and Dunlop rubber specifically requested by RC himself. We were told the relatively skinny looking 110 rear tyre has been fitted to the 450 in standard trim to maximise traction and improve handling, however my gut instinct tells me that the 110 size was chosen to save a little weight on the scales.
Interesting to note also is that the TF450-RC utilises the exact same frame as the TF 250-X… other than some minor changes to accommodate the different engine mounting.
The new 450 uses Titanium Del West valves along with a Dellorto 44mm throttle body (the same as the 250), punching out a claimed 45kW (61.5hp) at 9500rpm and 50Nm of torque at 7000rpm – measured at the countershaft, not the rear wheel.
Suspension is handled by KYB, with 48mm coil-spring forks and a matching KYB shock. Braking is Brembo, with a 260mm front rotor and 220mm rear.
The price is set at $16,996 ride away.
All aboard!
Upon arrival at Ride Park, we were greeted by 11 TF 450-RC units, each with just under two hours on the clock. The track was prepped and watered to perfection and we were all champing at the bit to get geared up and throw a leg over.
Knowing full well that the congregated media crew come in all shapes and sizes, we were still specifically told not to request any changes to the standard set up, including suspension ride height, along with ’bar and lever setup prior to having our initial warm up ride. The reasoning was that Triumph wanted us to ride the bikes exactly how a customer would ride them, straight off the showroom floor.
I geared up quick and was first to put tracks into the groomed Ride Park circuit. The track was deep! And when I say deep I mean Western Australian sand-track deep. So my first couple of laps basically had me with a wedged throttle to the stopper while I bedded in some lines for everyone.
Initial impressions revealed a high rear end with too much preload. Combined with the sandy downhills on the track and the bike felt twitchy and in need of some attention. Once I came back in we backed off the preload on the rear spring a couple of turns which lowered the rear end to a comfortable height for me. I ended up with around 40mm of static sag (free sag) and approximately 102mm of ride height, which for me weighing around 80kg on the dot without riding gear felt spot on and well balanced.
From the moment I went back out for my second ride the bike felt so much more comfortable and I didn’t need to revisit suspension settings for the rest of the day. It was noticeably better on the downhills and it didn’t want to knife on me in the sandy berms. Balance is critical on the Triumph TF 450-RC and I found this to be the case last year when testing the TF 250-X, so I implore those who buy one to take the time to get the height of the rear end set up to suit them. It is well worth the reward because static sag numbers in the mid 30mm range are just not enough for this chassis.
Power Play
The power delivery is ample and smooth, and the TF 450-RC will suit a wide range of riders. There was some pretty intense detonation coming from the 450 engine, and I didn’t want to risk a big step over the ’bar if something bad happened at the base of one of the monster Ride Park up-ramps, so I came in to assess the situation. I asked the Triumph crew what fuel we were running and was told we had 95 octane pump fuel in the bikes. We threw in some 98 premium which fixed the detonation issue and seemed to even pick up the midrange torque ever so slightly in the process, which was a bonus.
By this stage some awesome lines had developed in the track and I really wanted to feel what this engine had to offer. The standard map seemed to lack a little bottom-end torque that most of us love from a big bore 450 but it picked up into a fairly strong midrange and top end. The second of the two map choices was smoother and it robbed the engine of much needed power on this sandy track.
I was excited to try the much hyped ‘Ricky Carmichael’ map that had to be put into the module via the app – a 60-second job for one of the Triumph techs. The RC map immediately improved the bottom-end torque and allowed me to carry a much taller gear everywhere, however it did taper off rapidly once it reached the midrange. Now while the RC map wasn’t ideal for me and the way I like to ride a 450, it was extremely positive to feel the difference just by changing the mapping. I came back in and asked for a map somewhere between the standard map and the RC map, and low and behold I was presented with the ‘Expert’ map.
Like the RC map, the Expert map doesn’t come standard with the Triumph TF 450-RC, but for me it was a game changer. It came on strong and smooth off the bottom (not quite as strong as the RC map) but it ramped up into a midrange and top-end that was more impressive than the standard map. This map was definitely the best of the bunch!
After I found this little gem of a map I quickly went around to the other testers recommending they give the Expert map a try, almost certain that the majority of the faster test riders would be on board with me. I was a little surprised to find out that it was only Dean Ferris who joined me in the gob-smacked impressiveness of the Expert map, while everyone else fell in love with the torque and smoothness of the RC map. Different strokes for different folks!
Handling
Once I got the balance right the handling characteristics of the bike were really impressive. I think its important to note that we had a super smooth track so there wasn’t much of a need to play with clickers to fine tune compression and rebound. The trick was making sure that we had enough stability to handle the uphills and downhills in the deep conditions.
That being said, the KYB suspension felt great on the huge jumps that Ride Park is renowned for and at no stage did I feel the bike bottoming out on any of the take offs or landings.
It would have been great to have some chattery bumps to put the bike to the test and see how it tracks when things get a little more technical. The aluminium frame gave good feedback with minimal unwanted vibration, and the chassis provided a very lightweight feeling with agile handling characteristics in the air. Not too dissimilar to its TF 250-X younger brother.
Overall
The TF 450-RC is a well-rounded package that will suit a wide range of riders, from beginners right the way up to expert level. Quite possibly the most impressive part was just how tuneable the engine is via the app, and how much you can change the power delivery depending on your needs. There is nothing to me that stands out as a character flaw of this bike.
Good looks, a well-rounded handling package and tuneable power is a solid starting point for anyone.
Push the button
Triumph has a fantastic selection of handlebar-mounted buttons that allow you to do just about anything other than launch a missile.
And while I’m a little old school and tend to not be a huge fan of some of these electronics that mellow the power for jumping out of the gate, or traction control on slippery surfaces, I made sure I gave everything a go.
The TC (traction control) map located on the left side of the handlebar is impressive in the way it smoothes out the power. And while it definitely wasn’t needed on the deep, sandy Ride Park circuit, you could feel that it would really make life a lot easier for the right type of rider in either rock-hard dry or slippery-wet conditions.
The LC (launch control) button always seems to let me down whenever I try it on any colour bike. I’m yet to find one that improves my start as I like to be able to use smooth throttle control while also having the maximum amount of horsepower available once I launch out of the gate. This is not directed at Triumph in the slightest and I’m sure there are plenty of lighter riders out there who will benefit from the smooth transfer of power out of the gate using the Launch Control.
