2023 KTM 450 XC-F Dyno Test

When KTM gives its SX and SX-F motocrossers a complete overhaul, the Austrian manufacturer doesn’t make its cross-country motorcycle consumers wait an entire year or more for their models of interest to receive the same treatment. It helps that the XC and XC-Fs share much in common with their MX-focused counterparts in terms of components including the frame, subframe, swingarm, engines, suspension, and bodywork.

At the top of the heap in KTM’s cross-country model lineup is the 450 XC-F, which has proven to be quite the weapon in the hands of FMF KTM Factory Racing riders such as Dante Oliveria, who used it to win the 2022 AMA National Grand Prix Championship (NGPC) title, and also races it in the AMA West Hare Scramble Series (WHS). His younger brother Mateo will also pilot KTM’s flagship cross-country racer in NGPC this year as well as the World Off Road Championship Series (WORCS).

After being given a 2023 KTM 450 XC-F to test, the first thing we did was weigh it on our automotive scales. At 246 pounds wet, it gained 6 pounds over the previous generation (2019–2022) model. On the Dirt Rider dyno, the Austrian manufacturer’s 450cc four-stroke engine produced 54.6 hp at 9,500 rpm and 33.0 lb.-ft. of torque at 7,000 rpm. In terms of peak figures, that’s an increase of 2.5 hp and decrease of 0.8 lb.-ft of torque compared to the prior platform. Now it’s time to take the all-new 450 XC-F to the trails and track to see how it performs in the dirt.