MOTO 450 is an exciting new class originally conceived by Roland Sands and Gavin Trippe in the USA under the banner of "Super 450 Singles". It came about when they were looking for an affordable proper racing class and they looked towards the 450cc single cylinder machines designed for dirt bike riding and available in huge numbers. It was almost by accident that they tried a set of forks from a CBR600 to see how they measured up on a Kawasaki KX 450 project and discovered that not only were they an excellent fit, but the resultant geometry was almost identical to a Honda RS250 GP bike they had in the workshop at the same time!
A bike was bolted together in a matter of days and they took it to Willow Springs raceway to see if it was any good. Surely something so quick and easy to build wouldn’t cut it as a road race bike without major modifications? It handled beautifully and the standard chassis was surprisingly positive and easy to handle, remember this has a stock chassis, swing arm and motor with only minor adjustments to the suspension and a set of RS 250 bodywork! In the USA they are currently planning on using the four major Japanese manufacturers to supply all the bikes, but being European (and a bit quirky) Thundersport GB and the ACU want to welcome as many different brands as possible in Moto 450.
Thundersport GB have tailored the rules to suit the UK market, but acknowledge the great work done by Roland and Gavin in the States.
This is our Yamaha RLR450WR in its finished state with road race forks and dymag wheels in place fully clothed in 250 race bodywork. Everyone who looks at our web site is surprised by how good these bikes look after they are made over and at a price you can’t argue with.
The ACU Road Race Committee have agreed that these are an excellent machine for young riders to move onto also and have agreed a starting age of just 15 years old to compete on them.
The ACU Road Race Committee have also agreed to a rule change allowing the Moto 450 to be raced in the F400 class using treaded tyres,
With such a short build time and the benefit of being able to use the same machine for off road activities in the closed season (nothing is irreversibly changed during the transformation) the value for money aspect cannot be argued with. The technical regulations have capped the power at 60bhp, and 100kg weight limit realistically these machines will be competing with a good reliable 50-58 bhp and should produce top quality racing for participants and the fans alike.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
Any 450cc single cylinder machine eligible for off road competition with the FIM, UEM or ACU manufactured after 2000. The swing arm, frame and engine mounting points must remain standard. The engine may be tuned using standard parts only (exception Connecting Rod may be changed or shot-peened for safety) to an absolute maximum of 60bhp at the crank, nominally 55bhp at the wheel. Only 17 inch wheels are permitted. Racing slicks and full wets can be used. Minimum weight 100kg.
Colour of bodywork:- Kawasaki = Green, Honda = Red, Yamaha = Dark Blue, Suzuki = Yellow, Husqvarna = Red and White, KTM = Orange, Others = White. These are the base colours Competitors may add any colours and graphics to these base colours but it should remain clear which manufacturer the machine relates to. A series sponsor will be announced and it will be mandatory to carry the sticker above the front number board (all other graphics are free).
Click an image to see a larger version
RLR Motorsports have built a reputation as one of the UK’s leading performance road race motorbike tuning and modification experts.
