The Triumph Motorcycle company has a very rich history dating back well over a century. This UK born OEM has survived through wars, economic uncertainty, and most recently a global pandemic. However, through it all Triumph has remained steadfast in producing durable, highly advanced motorcycles that have been enjoyed by customers all over the world. This is why Triumph’s latest plunge into the motocross market with their all-new TF 250-X earlier this year, and now with their TF 450-RC Edition has been extremely exciting. Triumph has proven over and over again throughout the years that when they decide to take on a project, failure is simply not an option. Here is an excerpt from Triumph’s web site on their storied history.
“First established in 1902, Triumph Motorcycles has a glorious racing history, competing in and winning races in almost every class and field of motorcycle sporting achievement. From winning the second ever Isle of Man TT in 1908, through to 1960s road and track domination in Europe and America, right up to contemporary racing achievements with the Triumph triple powered 2014 and 2015 SuperSport titles and World SuperSport racing, Isle of Man SuperSport TT wins in 2014 and 2019, courtesy of Gary Johnson and Peter Hickman, plus an average speed of over 130mph 2023 by Peter Hickman on his Triumph STR765, and a thrilling last-lap victory at the legendary Daytona 200 by Brandon Paasch on the Street Triple 765 in 2022.”
With the launch of Triumph’s TF 250-X back in March being a success, MXP was very excited when the call came in to travel down to Triumph’s official factory race team’s training facility in Georgia for the global launch of the all new TF 450-RC Edition. Not only was it going to be exciting to test ride this new bike, but it was also going to be interesting to see Triumph’s new factory racing HQ and training facility. Not to mention that with it being mid-November here in Canada, good riding days are few and far between. What could be more fun than heading south to ride some dirt bikes in the famous red clay of central Georgia.
After a slight flight delay, I finally arrived at the Triumph Factory Racing HQ and training facility for the opening night presentation. Since it was 7pm and quite dark outside, I was unable to see and get a sense at just how large this training facility was. Once I exited my Uber it was straight into the brand new race shop, complete with meeting rooms and all of the other bells and whistles a factory race team needs to be competitive in the SMX Championship Series. Thankfully my arrival coincided with Triumph’s MX Ambassador Ricky Carmichael taking the stage to talk about he and Triumph’s first ever collab, the 2025 TF 450-RC Edition. As you may remember, RC had a big hand is helping develop and test the TF 250-X that I tested back in February in Florida, but this RC Edition TF 450 has multiple RC signature items on it, including the RC bend ODI bars, a slightly lower than normal seat, cool little RC ‘Goat’ logos, as well as a pre-programed RC map in the ECU. As RC spoke, you could hear the pride he was feeling as his RC Edition was being released to the world.
As they did on their new TF 250-X, Triumph has certainly done their homework on the 2025 TF 450-RC Edition. From the KYB Suspension, the easy to use ECU, as well as all of the high end components that make up this new model. With an overall weight of 240 pounds, this bike is the lightest bike in its class that uses a coil spring front fork. So, this bike is very light and nimble, and you can feel this trait the moment you hit the track. The TF 450 RC Edition used the exact same frame as the TF 250-X, so the overall feel of both bikes are quite similar. Back in February when I rode the 250, I enjoyed the feel of the chassis. I thought it was compliant, and predictable. Over the years, Triumph has been known for their thoroughness when it comes to testing and getting everything just right. After all, you only have one chance to make a first impression, and that is even more important with the Social Media age that we all are currently living in. One of the items that makes the Triumph MX line unique is the use of a ‘single back’ aluminum frame. We haven’t seen a frame like this in some time, and I believe you have to go back to the 2008 and 2009 Yamaha 450 to see this design using aluminum (the Austrian bikes use this design but, their frames are steel). As I mentioned above, the result of this chassis design is an extremely comfortable motorcycle that turns well, but is also stable in a straight line. With that said, let’s talk more about how the 2025 TF 450 RC Edition felt on the track.
Unfortunately, when we woke up the next day it was raining and we knew the track was going to be challenging to ride. When the famous red Georgia clay gets wet, it instantly turns into heavy, sticky, and unpredictable mud. Thankfully though, Matt Walker (who used to own the facility where Triumph Racing now resides), was hard at work on the tractor trying to make the track rideable. In my group of test riders, were individuals from around the world including; Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and California. This meant that regardless of the weather or track conditions, we were riding at some point during the day. With a small delay, and the rain still lightly falling, we finally took to the track around 10 am. I must say that Matt Walker had done an amazing job on the track, so the conditions were slippery, but still very manageable. Despite the unpredictable traction, the new Triumph 450 felt very connected to the track. The front end tracked very well into corners, and the rear wheel hooked up while exiting the corners. The bike felt balanced, and the motor was silky smooth with its power delivery. The main goal of all of the OEM’s in today’s riding landscape is to have their 450 models turn well, without giving up too much straight line stability. This is a real challenge, and as we’ve seen with a few models over the past few years, it can be a struggle to design a 450 to do both well. However, with their unique chassis design, and solid KYB suspension settings, it was noticeable quite quickly on the track that his new Triumph turns well, and is very stable in a straight line. There was one particular section on the track that demanded just about everything out of a dirt bike. The section began with a slight downhill straight into a small, rutted, and muddy double jump. The speeds were high, and like I said, traction was scarce. After the small double jump you had to brake and then navigate a right handed, off camber, uphill corner. It took perfect balance, smooth braking and throttle inputs, and just the right amount of nerve to consistently get through this section without incident. Lap after lap the new TF 450 RC Edition handled this section with ease, and it made me feel very confident.
In my opinion, that is all you can ask of a motorcycle. Yes, everyone has a different riding style, as well as a different way to get from point A to point B. What works and feels comfortable to you, might feel different to the rider next to you on the starting gate. My feeling, and honestly all of the test riders who were there that day, agreed that this new Triumph TF 450 RC Edition did a lot of things well on the track. Also, with its large range of adjustability, it was easy to make small changes to improve both handling and power output. Thankfully, as the day went on the rain lightened up and conditions improved. This made for a great test day as we had ever changing track conditions throughout the day.
In the end, we had a great time in Georgia hanging out with the Triumph Family. From the presentation to the tour of the all-new state-of-the-art Triumph Factory Racing facility to a great day of riding, it was an unforgettable experience. I want to thank the fine people of Triumph for making us feel so welcome, and for working hard to get the track rideable, despite the adverse weather conditions. Finally, with riders like Austin Forkner and Jordon Smith racing for Triumph in the 2025 SMX Championship, there is much to be excited about on the competition side of things. Also, in Canada, Triumph Racing is making its first big splash with riders Blake Davies and Julien Benek and the Sky Racing Team. 2025 is going to be a great season for Triumph, and with the new TF 450 RC Edition set to be released in the early spring, there are certainly a lot of reasons for everyone to be excited. For more information and pricing, please visit Triumph Motorcycles | For the Ride
