ALL-NEW from the ground up, the new KTM 450SX-F is the Austrian factory’s latest attempt to lead the pack in the most competitive racing class there is.

Some will scoff at the fitment of electric start, but the weight penalty is very low these days and the seconds saved in the event of stalling the engine during a race can’t be discounted.

One day we will all look back on kickstarters as quaint relics from an earlier age.

Beyond the button KTM has put in a lot of effort in building a class-leading machine.

New parts adorn from front to back, making it look like a very sleek modern day motocrosser.

KTMs are known for their strong engines and the new donk is no different. The power it produces is amazing, there is plenty available to use and it’s very controllable. It’s not as strong off the bottom as some of the other competitors but it is a very high revving 450. The mid range and top end are standout packages and the thing really takes off once you give it a bit of stick.

You don’t have to be a pro racer to use the power that this bike produces, it’s lots of fun for riders at all levels. KTM is even claiming the thing punches out a whopping 59 horsepower at the 9500rpm mark.

All this grunt only requires a four-speed ’box according to the manufacturer. In the past four-speed boxes have usually been stuck with wide ratios, giving the impression you’re riding around in the same gear for too long, with the powerplant feeling flat and doing nothing. The new ’box, however, is unbelievable; the bike pulls hard in every gear and goes all the way to the next gear wanting to flip you off the back. The power is by no means flat and boring. Fourth gear was never too short and we didn’t even get close to topping out in top gear.

KTM went all out in a bid to save as much weight as possible throughout the motor and has made every case and cover out of magnesium, a nice touch.

But the exciting new feature on the orange machine is the electric starter. There is no kick starter and you rely primarily on the magic button on your handlebars. Just press the button and off you go, the 450 started no worries for the duration of the test and it is definitely a luxury we could get used to. Even after throwing it down the track it started no worries; trust us we found out the hard way.

To improve the handling for 2007, KTM has replaced the old forks with closed cartridge 48mm inverted units very similar to what can be found aboard the factory SXS models.

The new forks are aimed at smoothing things out on the track, and creating more precise adjustment at the clickers. A new shock goes along with the new forks to complement the ride. One of the major changes to the (still linkage-free) shock is the new PDS ratio; it creates 10mm more travel in the rear end, and a higher piston for a more progressive damping curve. An aluminium shock body tops it off for that trick factory look. A new lighter alloy swingarm is designed to flex accordingly to match the new shock.

As you take to the track the new KTM has a great new feel. The forks work much better and it doesn’t tend to wander around like the previous models. The clicker adjustments were quite sensitive and we used that to our advantage to come up with a good standard suspension setting. On a middle-of-the road clicker set up we found we were getting a floating feeling in the rear end. Coming out of hard packed, slick turns the rear end felt like it was floating around and not biting in and driving. We played around with the clickers and before long we had the KTM tracking wherever we wanted. At times we found the overall suspension package a little soft, but we were also riding a track with some big Supercross-style obstacles.

KTM didn’t stop at the suspension, it created an entirely new chassis to house all of these new bits and pieces. It’s still not the aluminium perimeter frame we are getting used to seeing aboard the Japanese bikes, but KTM is claiming that its steel design is the best on the market. It is designed to have a rigid feel but still be light and nimble. The big oval tubes catch the eye and look classy. The feeling through the chassis on the track is much improved over the previous model. There is less vibration coming through to the rider and the 450SX-F turns and steers better than any other KTM before it. It feels stable and confident coming into turns under brakes and sits in ruts with minimal effort. The brakes are fantastic. The front brake is possibly the best brake we’ve come across on all of our ’07 model tests, it is that good. The rear brake is an excellent unit as well, it never failed us all day and with the fancy wave disc it looks the part too.

The KTM feel is still there when you sit on the bike, it’s got the top quality KTM bend Renthal fat ’bars that we have been seeing for years, and a hydraulic clutch which is really light and works well. The levers and pedals are all good quality units and work effectively.

The all-new plastics also give the bike a really modern, trick look and the graphics are integrated into the radiator shrouds to help them last and stay looking fresh for longer.

So what’s not to like about the new KTM? Well not much at all. Some might not like the four-speed ’box and others will prefer a kickstart, but once you’ve had a good ride on one of these I reckon you’ll come across to KTM’s way of thinking.

After you’ve set up the bike to your own personal liking, e 450SX-F is every bit as good as its Japanese competition. If you’ve got a few dollars left over once you make your purchase you could personalise the suspension settings, other than that you wouldn’t need to spend your hard earned cash on engine gadgets and gizmos because this bike simply doesn’t need it, they are already there. It’s a strong competitive bike and if the other four-strokes KTM produces are anything to go by, the 450SX-F will also be very reliable.