GASGAS
MC 450F

Built in, not stuck on

Graphics

Red, with black where it counts. The graphics are in-mould (IML), so they are part of the plastic rather than a sticker on it — they do not peel at the edges or fade under the pressure washer, and the white logo still reads from the far side of the track after a season. Seat cover, handlebar and rims are blacked out to match.

Grip it with your knees

Bodywork

Smooth-profile bodywork with large contact surfaces at the knees and shins, so you grip the bike with your legs and move around it without catching on a step or an edge. The seat cover is black and properly grippy — under hard acceleration you stay where you put yourself, not sliding back towards the fender.

Hold on, not too tight

Neken handlebars

Black Neken aluminium bars, Ø 28/22 mm tapered, in mounts with a larger contact area against the bar so they are less likely to twist when you go down. Lock-on ODI grips in a medium compound — no glue, no wire, a two-minute swap between motos. A comfortable set-up is not a luxury; arm pump is where the last five minutes go.

Breathe in deep

Airbox

One-piece air intake, stiff enough not to deform under load, so the engine gets a clean, unrestricted feed of air without exposing the filter. Filter mounting is tool-free: pull the left side panel, check, clean or replace, done. Less time on the stand, more time with the gate in front of you.

7.9 litres

Fuel tank

7.9 litres, sitting inside the bodywork on a substantial rubber support that holds it firmly and stops it chafing the frame. The fuel pump is integrated inside the tank, so it picks up fuel through a long sand moto without starving — and there is less hanging off the outside to catch a rock.

Boot hold

Footpegs

Large-surface footpegs for grip when you are standing, mounted so they are less likely to catch the edge of a deep rut or a take-off when you scrub. Light, and shaped so mud does not pack around them — a peg that has turned into a lump of clay is not a peg any more.

Big power on tap

Engine

449.9 cm³, 95 mm bore, 63.4 mm stroke, and the torque and peak power a 450 is bought for. The compact single-cam engine sits in the frame where its mass helps rather than hurts, which is why a bike this powerful turns the way it does — and why the delivery stays smooth enough to use all of it, lap after lap, without thinking about it.

• 449.9cm³
• 13.1:1compression
• 103.6 kgwithout fuel

Light and compact

SOHC cylinder head

A single-cam head kept light and compact so the top of the engine stays low. The intake ports are shaped for horsepower, and the camshaft runs on a fine-punched cam chain chosen for reliability — the part that has to be right when the bike is doing 90 hours between crank services.

13.1 to 1

Cylinder and piston

A lightweight aluminium cylinder with a CP bridged-box piston at 13.1:1 compression. That number is where the peak power comes from, and the piston design is what keeps the delivery refined and controllable rather than a wall of hit — strong and smooth, which is the whole point of a 450 you can ride for thirty minutes.

Five, by Pankl

Transmission

Five-speed gearbox built by Pankl Racing Systems. A well-engineered shift shaft reduces the force needed to change gear up and down the box, so the shift is clean under full load. A sensor on the shift drum tells the engine management which gear you are in, and the ECU runs a map tailored to each one.

90 hours between

Crankshaft

The crank is calculated for traction and rideability as much as for output, and its position is part of why the 450 feels agile. A plain big-end bearing on two force-fitted bearing shells carries a 90-hour service interval — reliability designed in, and fewer rebuilds on the team calendar.

Thin walls, strong case

Crankcases

High-pressure die-cast crankcases: thin walls, high strength, lowest possible weight. The internals are placed so every shaft sits as close to the centre of gravity as it will go — the case is part of how the bike handles, not just a box for the gears.

Short and quiet

Exhaust system

Two-piece header pipe wrapped tightly around the engine, feeding a short, compact aluminium silencer. Maximum performance at the lowest possible weight, with mass pulled towards the centre of the bike, and updates to the exhaust and airbox that keep sound levels inside the latest AMA and FIM limits — the power stays, the decibels do not.

Hook up, hold on

DDS clutch

A Damped Diaphragm Steel clutch in a CNC-machined steel basket: one diaphragm steel pressure plate instead of a set of coil springs, with a damping system built in to help the power reach the ground instead of spinning the tyre. Robust, reliable, and the reason the engine is as narrow as it is.

Small, light, fast

Engine management

A Keihin engine management unit that is small, light and quick at processing what the sensors tell it. It engages an engine map tailored to each gear, feeds the hour meter, and carries a rollover sensor that cuts the ignition in a big crash. Fit the Map Select Switch (an accessory — ask us to spec it) and it synchronises plug-and-play, unlocking launch control, traction control, the quickshifter and two maps.

Ask us to spec it

Map Select Switch

The Map Select Switch is a GASGAS Technical Accessory rather than standard fitment, and we recommend ordering it with the bike — ask us to spec it. Plug and play, it gives you launch control for the gate, traction control for hard-pack and slick conditions, a quickshifter for full-throttle upshifts, and two maps: Map 1 (Mellow) is linear and predictable for most tracks and riders; Map 2 (Aggressive) is sharp.

Tune it from the phone

CUO & GPS sensor

Engine tuning in the rider's hands: pair the GASGAS+ app with the Connectivity Unit Offroad (CUO) and the GPS sensor — both available as Technical Accessories — and you get three sections. ENGINE customises the power delivery for style or conditions; SUSPENSION gives recommended settings for different types of circuit; RIDER records lap times and lets you analyse how the bike is running. Set-ups can be saved and recalled.

Direct response

44 mm throttle body

44 mm Keihin throttle body with the injector positioned for the most efficient flow of mixture into the combustion chamber. The throttle cable mounts directly to the body, so what your wrist does, the engine does — an immediate response with nothing in between.

Press and go

Electric start

Electric start, every time, with the engine-stop button in the same housing as the start button to keep the bars clean. The lithium-ion battery weighs roughly a kilo less than a lead battery, so the convenience costs you nothing on the scales. Stall in a rut, press, go.