BMW Motorrad has set another milestone in the company's 80-year offroad tradition with this sports enduro to be produced in the popular 450cc class, fit for the most demanding contests in the world.BMW Motorrad can look proudly at the sporting success it has achieved with the G450X. The major highlight was second place in the world enduro championship (WEC) for Juha Salminen in class E2. It has also chalked up several successes in the German Cross Country Championships, the Erzberg Rodeo and the Red Bull Romaniacs. At this event in Rumania, Andreas Lettenbichler won decisively with his G450X against a legion of the world’s motorcycling elite at a legendary City Prolog event. Four racing days in the Carpathians, with extremely steep uphill and downhill slopes, fast rally-style sections, and difficult and selective trails through dark forests. To cap it all was a veritable daredevil ride on the roof of a five-storey building in the centre of the city of Sibiu.
And now, numerous technical optimizations have been planned for the G450X in the 2010 model year. For instance, a new dataset has been developed for the ECU. This results not only in an improvement in fuel consumption but also a reduction in engine break torque, improved start characteristics and more sensitive responses, particularly with load changes.In addition to the usual standard features, an optional extra is a slip-on racing silencer (without ABE and not homologated for road use), which serves to further enhance the technical concept of the G450X as a pure-blooded, uncompromising sports enduro. Its main benefit compared to the standard silencer is that it is around 1kg lighter. The stainless steel manifold, designed as a combined reflective and absorptive silencer, fulfils FIM regulations, is easy to assemble, and reduces the G450X's dry weight in competition to no more than 110kg.
The chassis has also received a number of modifications. The offset of the front axle to the middle of the fork rod has been reduced by 2.5mm, resulting in more neutral handling and optimum directional stability.
Furthermore, the new of the upside-down fork has been recalibrated with a stronger damping progression, resulting in more sensitive response and improvements in overcoming bumps.The recalibration of the rear strut has resulted in a more progressive characteristic, favoring more sensitive responses.
Ergonomics have been improved with a new seat design; it is filled with soft foam and displays an enlarged radius in the upper thigh area. The new design features increased comfort and affords the rider increased control over the machine.
The design of the new G 450 X is oriented towards the successful factory racing models of the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team, with matching gold-anodized fork inner tubes.