FIRST LOOK: KTM’S 2027 450SMR SUPERMOTO

The 450SMR remains KTM’s dedicated Supermoto race weapon – a 450cc single wrapped in WP XACT suspension and Brembo brakes. And the bike Lukas Höllbacher rode to the 2025 FIM Supermoto World Championship. It arrives in Australian dealers from November, 2026.

Go on, admit it. No matter how much of your riding is spent in the dirt, there’s a part of you that’s watched a purpose-built supermoto machine backing it into a turn and thought to yourself: I want me a crack at that!

The problem in Australia has always been the shortage of genuinely purpose-built machinery to do it on. Plenty of blokes have slapped together a supermoto machine from a spare enduro or MX bike and a set of 17s. Fewer have bought something designed from the ground up to turn left, right and sideways on asphalt. KTM’s 450SMR is one of the very few that qualifies – and it’s not a converted MX bike wearing road rubber, either. The thing carries a SOHC 450cc single with multiple maps, traction control, launch control and a Suter slipper clutch, and it’s held together by a chassis built for the kerb-to-kerb abuse that supermoto dishes out. It also has the results to back the sales pitch. Lukas Höllbacher took the 2025 FIM Supermoto World Championship S1GP title aboard one.

For 2027, the changes look to be more cosmetic than mechanical – a sharper and predominantly orange livery, blacked-out handguards, rims, silencer and seat – with the bigger news being that the bike now falls under KTM’s new Premium Manufacturer’s Warranty at no extra cost. One local caveat worth flagging up front for our ANZAC audience: the 2027 450SMR is an Australia-only proposition. KTM has confirmed it won’t be offered in New Zealand.

Here’s what KTM Australia has divulged about the 2027 450SMR…

The technically advanced but temptingly raw KTM 450SMR is still the reference for competition orientated Supermoto. Performance, pace, purpose: the 2027 version retains all the class-leading characteristics, but with a sharp new look and extended coverage through the new Premium Manufacturer’s Warranty.

Power and agility combine to ruthless effect with the 2027 KTM 450SMR. The SOHC 450cc engine is a hyper-responsive, compact, light, and fiery heart of the bike that growls for the chronometer, and is augmented by multiple maps, traction and launch control, and a Suter slipper clutch. Grip is gold. The horsepower package (adhering to the 109db FIM noise limit) is held by reinforced mounts and is molded by the minimalistic but dependable chassis that keeps the whole bike planted and ensures line choice is a breeze. Rear-end slides become second nature.

Race design-thinking litters the KTM 450SMR – from the ergonomics, zoned centralisation, sculpted plastics (acute rider positioning) and emphasis on serviceability; like the accessible airbox, threaded radiator closure and other components. WP XACT suspension (48mm closed-cartridge fork) and streamlined rear shock are premium additions and are fully adjustable, meaning the KTM 450SMR can adapt to a billiard-table smooth strip of asphalt or also handle dirt and Supermoto jumps. Brembo brakes guarantee sharp stopping prowess.

The KTM 450SMR is a sumptuous toy for the track but also a foil for victory, having taken the 2025 FIM Supermoto World Championship title together with Lukas Höllbacher in the S1GP. The technical specifications will ask questions of the rider and dare the racer to grab those extra tenths of second or dive for that extra position. With the predominant orange livery, hardened with black handguards, wheel rims, silencer and seat, the visual effect is one of winning menace. As ever, the KTM PowerParts catalogue has a wide range of accessories and options for more personalization or more competitiveness at the highest levels of the sport.

KTM motorcycles come with a standard manufacturer’s warranty, providing confidence for any rider to push the limits with the KTM 450SMR, but the package has been boosted by the application of the new Premium Manufacturer’s Warranty, offering extra peace of mind at no extra cost.

Tap into potential and destroy the results sheets with the 2027 KTM 450SMR. Available from November, 2026 at authorised KTM dealers in Australia only (not available for the New Zealand market). Australian pricing is yet to be announced.