Bike Review | 2025 Triumph TF 450-RC launch Test

Fresh off our ride on the TF 250-X, we headed to the Ride Park Victoria for the Australian launch of Triumph’s new TF 450-RC—a factory-built 450 priced at $16,995 Ride Away that promises serious performance straight out of the crate. Here’s how it stacked up…

Dan Thomerson rated the 250 highly, and was eager to ride the 450. The high score speaks for itself…

With a quick drive to the Western suburbs of Melbourne I arrived at the Mantra Melbourne Melton, where I got to meet the team from PSI before the TF450-RC presentation. Walking into the presentation room the brand new Triumph 2025 TF450-RC was on show for all to see.

The presentation consisted of all the details and tech talk about the TF450-RC as well as a video call with James Wood (senior product marketing manager) and Scott Lanzi (off-road product lead).

Triumph TF 450-RC Australian Launch.

Dan Thomerson, BikeReview.com.au

Triumph TF 450-RC Australian Launch.

Triumph TF 450-RC Australian Launch.

These two experts had in-depth knowledge on the build of the TF450-RC. This was an awesome opportunity to pick the brains of two people that played a big role in the production of the brand new MX bike. After the presentation there was a light dinner followed by an early night to make sure I was well rested and prepared to ride Triumph’s new TF450-RC.

Read our other Motocross Bike Reviews here…

The following morning we left the accommodation and made our way to Ride Park where we were greeted with a line-up of 10 brand new TF450-RC’s, just waiting for us to get in our gear and head out to the track to put the bike to the ultimate motocross test.

The Ride

The wait was finally over. Ever since riding the TF250-X I had been eagerly waiting for the moment when I would get on the Triumph TF450-RC and hit the starter button for the first time. As soon as you hit it you can hear the roar of the 450cc powerhouse that Triumph has unleashed. Awesome!

“The stock maps offer a very smooth and linear power delivery with a punchy mid to high rev range.”

After a couple of site laps around Ride Park I started to open the TF450-RC up to feel what the bike had to offer. The stock maps offer a very smooth and linear power delivery with a punchy mid to high rev range. The smooth crisp throttle controls the TF450-RC power with ease. After having a go on multiple maps throughout the day I finally settled on the dedicated Ricky Carmichael map with its down low torque and power delivery being my favourite of the day.

Once I settled on the map I had a play with the traction control, which you can increase or decrease using the MX Pro Tune app with ease. The traction control allowed me to get the power to the ground with limited slip or loss of traction when coming out of a corner and hitting the big Ride Park jumps.

“After having a go on multiple maps throughout the day I finally settled on the dedicated Ricky Carmichael map”.

The TF 450-RC comes equipped with a Brembo hydraulic clutch, which is smooth and lightweight, making it easier to control power delivery and revs while riding. The five-speed gearbox is easy to use allowing for smooth gear changes.

As we were the first to ride these 2025 Triumph TF 450-RC’s the gearbox was fresh and very tight, but using the quick-shifter made it easier and more efficient to change gears without the use of the clutch between 2nd and 5th throughout the day. I found myself using the quick-shifter for nearly the entire day and was very impressed with the difference it made.

The chassis and suspension is one of the biggest areas that Triumph focused on. I felt that the TF 450-RC chassis flexes in all the right moments, whilst retaining its rigidity giving you optimum feel around the track. The KYB front fork and rear shock offer a smooth and comfortable ride, while providing easy optimisation. Throughout the day I put the suspension to the test over the large jumps and sandy roller sections that Ride Park had to offer. The KYB suspension soaked it all up with ease, making the TF 450-RC feel effortless to handle, inspiring confidence in me through every section of the track.

“Throughout the day I put the suspension to the test over the large jumps and sandy roller sections that Ride Park had to offer.”

Paired with the KYB suspension the Brembo brakes made pulling up this TF 450-RC powerhouse easy. With the comfortable Brembo brake lever and smooth pedal action the brakes were easy to control and modulate through the different sections of the Ride Park track, and plenty strong enough with no fade.

Brembo brake package is impressive.

Brembo brake package is impressive.

Good rider triangle.

Excellent quick-shifter.

Although the 2025 Triumph TF 450-RC is designed with performance in mind, it doesn’t sacrifice comfort. The seat, while on the firmer side, is comfortable, ergonomic and offers sufficient support for all types of MX riding. The ‘bars are set at an ideal height for a balanced riding posture, and the footpegs finish off a rider triangle that allows for aggressive cornering without compromising comfort.

“The ‘bars are set at an ideal height for a balanced riding posture, and the footpegs finish off a rider triangle that allows for aggressive cornering without compromising comfort.”

Triumph left no stone unturned as even at first glance you can tell that the TF 450-RC means business with its aggressive minimalistic bodywork, the Triumph Performance Yellow, black and white colour scheme. With RC edition graphics and Ricky Carmichael’s signature logos the TF 450-RC stands out from the rest of the 450 class.

The 450 powerhouse.

Strong off the bottom and with multiple maps.

Overall, I was very impressed by the Triumph 2025 TF 450-RC. With its smooth linear power delivery and comfortable ride position making the TF 450-RC the perfect bike for riders of all motocross abilities. The MX Pro Tuner app is very easy to connect and easy to use making it easy for customisation of the riding maps and giving the rider full control of the 450cc power.

The Triumph TF 450-RC tackles everything with ease whether it’s those tight twisty sections on the track to the large wide open jumps, this bike makes riding feel effortless and inspires confidence in the rider.  As the day neared the end I found myself not wanting to go back in, as all I wanted to do was ride this awesome bike that Triumph had unleashed. Fantastic…

Triumph TF 450-RC Tech Talk

Starting off with the liquid-cooled, SOHC four-stroke engine boasting 62hp (46kW) at 9,500rpm, the 450cc engine comes with a König forged aluminum piston and Del West titanium valves, all inside Triumph’s in-house manufactured crankcases and linked to a wet Execy Belleville spring clutch.

The TF450-RC comes with a Bespoke Dellorto 44mm throttle-body with a single Keihin injector, which sprays onto the throttle butterfly at WOT for increased fuel atomisation. The airfilter is a Twin Air filter located in a tool free and easy to access air box. The stock exhaust is a lightweight stainless steel exhaust system, with an integrated Helmholtz resonator in the header pipe to improve cylinder evacuation and performance of the TF 450-RC.

The chassis utilises a hand TIG-welded aluminium frame, shared with the TF 250-X model, with a lightweight central spine with twin cradle design, with post fabrication machining for dimensional accuracy, giving the TF 450-RC mass optimisation and flexibility to tackle any terrain.

The TF 450-RC comes equipped with KYB 48mm upside down AOS coil forks with compression, preload and rebound adjustment. The forks are attached to the frame with Neken 7075-T6 forged and machined lightweight triple-clamps. The shock is a KYB three-way piggyback rear coil shock with 50mm piston, with H (high) and L (low) speed compression adjustment, preload and rebound adjustment.

The brakes of the TF 450-RC are Brembo calipers, master-cylinders and levers. The front is a twin 24mm piston floating caliper paired with a Galfer 260mm brake disc, while the rear is a single 26mm piston floating caliper paired with a Galfer 220mm brake disc.

The wheels and tyres on the Triumph TF 450-RC are D.I.D DirtStar 7000 series alloy rims in a black anodised finish and laced to a Triumph designed lightweight cast and machined alloy hub. These wheels are paired with Dunlop Geomax MX34 mx tyres, tyres that are highly consistent with excellent rider feel and control.

The TF 450-RC comes with RC4 signature ‘bars. Constructed of seamless 2014-T6 alloy, triple-butted, tapered wall tubing offering precise feel with excellent vibration and impact dampening qualities, with the signature edition RC4 graphics on the ‘bar pad. They are paired with ODI half-waffle lock on grips for the best comfort.

The left hand control module of the TF 450-RC has four buttons for easy selection. The first being LC launch control, for holeshot winning starts, delivering maximum traction and minimal slip out of the gate. The second QS quick-shift, to enable clutchless upshifting between 2nd and 5th gears.

The third TC for traction control, that manages traction using Get Power Assist patented technology, monitoring and responding to wheel slip. Traction control can be adjusted via the app between levels 1-10. The 4th M for maps, with selecting between one of two maps. Map 1 being full power delivery and map 2 being a less aggressive power delivery, with a solid blue light indicating that map 2 is selected.

The TF 450-RC comes with an Athena engine management system with high focus on drivability and tractability. With the fitted wifi module the TF450-RC easily connects to the MX Tune Pro app. The app offers access to a live sensor dashboard and fault code diagnosis, with user selectable 11 additional factory maps with unique fuelling and ignition setups and a dedicated Ricky Carmichael engine map.

2025 Triumph TF 450-RC Specifications

triumphmotorcycles.com.au

Price: $16,995 Ride Away
Warranty: N/A
Colours: RC Edition
Claimed Power: 41kW [55hp] @ 10,700rpm
Claimed Torque: 50Nm @ 9,500rpm
Wet Weight: 111kg
Fuel capacity: 7.5L

Engine: Liquid-cooled four-stroke, DOHC, four-valve, 95 x 63.4mm bore x stroke, 449.9cc, 13.5:1 compression, Dell’Orto EFI, electric start, five-speed gearbox with quick-shifter, Wet, multi-plate Belleville spring clutch, 13/50 final gearing.

Chassis: Frame: Aluminium
Rake: 26.5º degrees Trail: 122mm
Suspension: KYB 48mm coil spring fork, preload, compression/rebound adjustment, 310mm travel (f)
KYB coil, high/low-speed, preload, compression and rebound adjustment, 305mm travel (r).
Brakes: Brembo twin 24mm piston, 260mm disc (f), Brembo single 26mm piston, 220mm disc (r) Wheels & Tyres: 80/100 – 21in (f) Dunlop Geomax MX34, 110/90 – 19in (r), Dunlop Geomax MX34

Dimensions:
Seat height: 961mm
Ground clearance: 343mm
Overall width: 840mm
Overall Length: 2185mm
Overall height: 1290mm
Wheelbase: 1480mm

Instruments & Electronics: Hourmeter, multifunction switch cubes

Editor’s Note: If you are reading this article on any website other than BikeReview.com.au, please report it to BikeReview via our contact page, as it has been stolen or re-published without authority.