TVS RTR 450 FX First Ride Review

TVS RTR 450 FX First Ride Review

It’s got proper head and tail lamps, it runs a temporary number, and it is allowed to run on public roads, albeit under special circumstances like a rally. But, sadly it isn’t on sale. And that makes me miserable because I am in love with the TVS RTR 450 FX. It’s light, fast, controllable and an absolute hoot in the dirt. 

The RTR 450 FX is TVS Racing’s weapon of choice for all things dirt, be it the National Supercross Championship, the National Rally Championship, or even the Raid de Himalaya. And this year, it has won every event it has entered, giving it a 100 per cent success rate. How cool is that! 

So, how does it do it? Well, to begin with it has some really talented riders piloting it. R Natraj being one of them. And then it has the specs for the job. 

The 450 FX is powered by a 450cc, liquid cooled, fuel injected, single cylinder engine. It shares its bore and stroke with the Sherco TVS Dakar 450, but not the latter’s horsepower output.

Now, the true bhp figure for the FX is unknown – at least to me, but it felt plenty powerful. And torquey. What’s more, the FX is lighter than the Dakar bike, weighing in at just 120kg. It also has a slightly lower seat height; thank god for that!

Meanwhile, if you want to read more about our riding experience of the Dakar 450, click HERE.

The RTR 450 FX also uses cycle parts similar to the Dakar bike. It runs a perimeter frame, it gets WP suspension front and rear, and in typical dirt bike style, it’s shod with a 21-18 inch wheel setup front to rear. These wheels come draped in a 90/90 section rubber at the front and a 140/80 tyre at the rear, both with seriously pronounced knobs.

And just looking at those knobs can get your confidence soaring. You know because it’s a factory competition bike, those knobs would be of the highest quality, being both supple and grippy. And that means leaning on them in dirt wouldn’t equate to falling, regardless of one’s offroad riding skills, or lack thereof.

Not surprisingly then, I wasn’t nervous about dropping the 450 FX. Also, there were five bikes. And, there’s no expensive carbon fibre on it. Plus, it’s as light as a scooter to pick up! And with those knobs egging me on, I went as hard as I would dare from the word go! Which, of course, as the pictures suggest, wasn't hard at all; it was more like a pale custard than a frozen bar of intense dark chocolate.

But even so, I had a blast! Despite being difficult to mount, the 450FX was actually quite accommodating. Feed in the throttle gently - be it on straights or exiting corners - and those big rear knobs just dig into dirt, leaving you with only a mild fishtailing sensation. The throttle itself is light, linear and lovely; there's no snatchiness to it whatsoever.

Brakes and the front knobs are equally potent. One can really lean on those brakes entering corners.  And if you do end up sitting almost at the bars - which might feel silly but is the right way of doing things on dirt - the front end grip when leaned over will leave you dumbfounded. It feels like someone has been lying about lack of traction on dirt to us motorcyclists all our lives.

Then of course there's the forgiving nature of the suspension. It has 300mm of travel, and its suppleness rivals a baby's tush. So, getting jumps wrong or constantly landing on the front, sometimes completely crossed up (unintentionally, of course), was becoming second nature to me. Well, I had no reason to correct myself because the FX just refused to take me to task for these blunders. 

Did I mention I love this thing? Well I do. And I am gutted that TVS doesn't make it available to us mere mortals, but keeps it all to itself. 

How selfish is that!