2012 KTM 450 RFR Rebuild

Since doing the Amageza qualifier some time back in 2011 on my previous 990, it has always been something I've wanted to do. Due to family commitments I missed the event in 2012 and when it later became a cross country rally it was clear the 990 was never going to be the right tool for the job. After a lot of research and nearly purchasing a KTM 450 EXC to build into a rally bike I decided against it for various reasons. However, my desire to do the event remained and realised that finding a 450 RFR would be the ideal opportunity. Well in January this year I was fortunate enough to find one and committed to purchasing it the next day after a quick test ride.

The plan was to do some basic clean up and checking on the bike, attend the Baja in March and then do a rebuild for Amageza. Unfortunately, I never made it to the Baja as I ended up having knee surgery on the 25th Feb, due to a torn left meniscus, which has prevented me from doing any riding, and miss all the CSMX Enduros / WCOC Off Roads, until about 4 weeks ago. This also meant that I would just go ahead with the rebuild while I give my knee a chance to fully recover.

So without further adieu, below are some random pictures for the strip down process…






















After a bit of cleaning...
















Some shock damage