Built to collect checkered flags at the track, KTM recently unveiled the 2026 450 SMR, a purpose-built track weapon centered around the SOHC 450cc engine used in KTM’s “Ready to Race” line of off-road motorcycles. For those unfamiliar, a Supermoto is essentially a dirt bike with a 17-inch superbike wheelset, ridden on a racecourse that features tight sweeping corners and often a small dirt section with a jump or two. It’s basically the most fun you can have with your pants on and allows folks that own a dirt bike to spin some laps at the track for the paltry sum of an SM wheelset.
But for those that take their Supermoto seriously, nothing compares to a dedicated track tool like that of KTM’s SMR offerings. I’ve personally had the pleasure of riding a handful of Supermoto machines, including the 690 SMC R, the big brother of the 450 SMR, as well as a few less powerful machines like Suzuki’s DR-Z 400 SM and a Honda CRF250X with an SM setup. If you take the sport seriously, though, you’ll want to avoid having to swap the wheels on and off your dirt bike and instead keep a machine in your stable that’s only purpose is to enter corners sideways and exit them on one wheel.
Enter the 2026 KTM 450 SMR. A highly refined track tool that KTM says was built for three reasons – “owning checkered flags, destroying lap records and challenging the rider to be better and faster every day.” Powered by a 450cc single-cylinder engine, the 450 SMR produces 63 horsepower and roughly 35 lb-ft of torque.
For 2026, KTM reengineered through EFI modifications, airbox inserts and silencer tweaks, the 450 SMR to meet the FIM’s stricter noise limit of 109 db. Apparently those changes made “barely a dent in the ferocious output” of the machine. Aside from a reduction in noise, the 2026 model has the same XACT WP Suspension as the outgoing model, and features traction control and launch control, Brembo brakes, CNC machined parts, ALPINA wheels, and Metzeler tires.
Additionally, the new 450 SMR has a different insulating cap for the CPC fueling connector, which provides more protection from debris, shielding riders from anything that might disrupt engine performance and the flow of fuel from the 7.2 L (1.9 gallon) tank. The 450 SMR can also be equipped with the Connectivity Unit Offroad (CUO), a KTM PowerPart add-on, which opens up more personalization possibilities via the KTMConnect app.
Oh, and we can’t forget the color. For 2026 KTM is offering their top-of-the-line Supermoto in, you guessed it, orange!
So, if you’re in the market for an absolute missile to run laps around your friends at the local karting track or aspire to line up and race alongside other SM enthusiasts, this is the bike you want beneath your butt.
The 2026 KTM 450 SMR will be available at authorized KTM dealers starting in October, with an MSRP of $12,499.00 USD.
