Fox Racing Friday | 2012.5 KTM Ryan Dungey Edition 450 SX-F

Fox Racing Friday | 2012.5 KTM Ryan Dungey Edition 450 SX-F

Presented by Fox Racing

In late 2011, KTM shocked the motocross industry by signing 2011 Supercross Champion Ryan Dungey to join the Red Bull KTM team, and a few months later dropped another bomb on the motocross world by announcing the 2012.5 450 SX-F Ryan Dungey Edition. Now known more commonly as the Factory Edition 450 SX-F, the first special machine varied greatly from the standard 2012 450 SX-F and was debuted as a 2012.5 so that Dungey could race it in the 2012 Monster Energy Supercross Championship. To meet the AMA’s homologation rules, KTM had to produce 400 of the exciting new machines and they did just that. The Dung scored KTM’s first-ever 450 Supercross win later that year, and went on to win the 2012 450 National MX Championship as well. This bike, for all intent and purposes, truly changed the face of motocross and Supercross racing in America as today, KTM and its sister brand Husqvarna, are arguably the most popular manufacturers in the sport.

This particular 2012.5 450 SX-F is housed in the lobby of Fox Racing’s Irvine, California, headquarters, and as far as we can tell it has never even been ridden. “When KTM announced the bike, I knew that we had to have one,” said Pete Fox. “It was a piece of motocross history. Ryan Dungey had been riding us for several years, and I knew that his move to KTM to rejoin Roger DeCoster was going to shake things up. We went to a dealership and bought one of the first ones that became available.”

We texted Ryan Dungey a photo of this bike and asked if it conjured up any emotions. “The 2012 Factory Edition KTM 450 was special because they rushed to get that bike into production a year ahead of when it was originally supposed to be built,” he replied. “When I signed with the team, they put the bike into production as soon as possible, which showed their dedication and the level of commitment. It was also special because that is the bike I started a new chapter of my career with. The new team was exciting, and it was awesome to win the 450 National Championship in our first year with the new bike.”

“After signing Ryan Dungey, Roger DeCoster wanted some big changes made so that he would have the best bike possible,” said SML test rider Mike Sleeter, who was instrumental in the bike’s development in his then-role as KTM R&D rider. “The team in Austria went to work and it put a lot of pressure on the North American R&D team. The first Factory Edition was actually the 2013 bike, but it was rushed into production early so that it could be homologated for Dungey to race. The race team was huge in development of the 2013 model as so much was learned through competition. The standard 2013 bike was actually very different than the 2012.5 Factory Edition because of things we learned through the Red Bull KTM race team, and also from consumers who purchased the bikes. KTM has maintained the Factory Edition pattern ever since and it has been great for development. The bikes really are ready to race.”

We noticed that the left footpeg on the Fox Racing KTM is missing, and  Fox’s MX Merchandise Manager Mark Finley shared the explanation with a laugh. “When we were developing the Instinct boot, we explained over and over to the manufacturers the rigors and abuse that the boot soles would have to hold up against,’ he said. “Finally, we removed the footpeg and sent it to the factory so they could see for themselves and perhaps use it for some durability testing. The KTM Factory Edition came with some really aggressive footpegs, and it was the perfect example to show them as the boot’s sole quality leapfrogged forward after that and we now have one of the longest wearing boots on the market.”

Editorial Fox Product Spotlight of the Week

Fox V3 Helmet featuring Fluid Inside

Price: $499.99

The Details

Introduced last month, the all-new Fox V3 Helmet boasts a wealth of new design and safety features that make it stand out from other premium off-road motorcycle helmets. At the heart of the new helmet is an all-new MCT (multi-composite technology) shell that comes in four shell sizes, and is paired with a Varizorb EPS liner, which features multi-density foam to help disperse impact energy more efficiently thanks to its cone-shaped injected design. To address the dangers of rotational impacts, Fluid Inside technology is incorporated into the inside of the helmet, between the EPS and comfort liner. The fluid pods are designed to mimic the cerebral fluid that protects your brain from coming into contact with the inside of your skull, offering both linear and rotational impact dampening. In total, seven Fluid Inside pods are spread throughout the helmet to help disperse impacts in a crash. Another unique feature of the new V3 helmet is its two-piece construction. While the main shell is traditional in design, the entire eyeport and chinbar is a separate piece, dubbed The Cage. Made of composite materials, the piece is designed to offer impact energy management than a traditional one-piece design. The entire helmet is extensively vented, with massive ports that are protected by injected mesh screens. Finally, Fox’s patented MVRS magnetic visor system is incorporated. Designed to detach on impact in the event of a crash, the system helps guard against snagging on the ground and mitigate external rotational forces.

SML Says

The all-new V3 definitely looks unlike any other motocross helmet. In fact, it looks much like the Rampage Pro Carbon mountain bike helmet we’ve come to love. What do we think of the new moto helmet, though? Having given it a thorough and complete test (unfortunately?) by suffering a massive crash in it on our first day of riding in it, we can confidently give it a two thumbs up review. 

But let’s get to our pre-crash impressions, first! The new V3 fits very well, and we encountered none of the pressure points that we initially suspected that we might from the Fluid Inside pods. Instead, the helmet slips on nicely and has a soft, luxurious feel inside against your head and face. Unlike the previous V3, the new helmet has a deeper fit, and the chin bar offers plenty of clearance for your face. The previous V3’s chinbar felt close to our face and had a much different feel. We love the fit of the new helmet, and it offers a great field of vision and accepts all goggles well, even the current trend of oversized goggles from other manufacturers.

Ventilation is amazing in the V3, as air flows through the massive vents and cools your head. On cold days, we found ourselves actually cold inside the V3! As one might expect, more sound reaches your ears due to the generous venting, but that is something that only takes a few laps to grow accustomed to.

The MVRS visor is not adjustable, but the height of the visor seems just right for the majority of riders who will race in it. Trail riders might wish for a lower setting, but the standard location is proper! The MVRS is more sturdy than it was on earlier helmets, and it takes quite an impact to dislodge the visor. But, we can state from experience that it does indeed detach on impact.

The crash we had in the new V3 was pretty significant. (Switch to a first-person account, here.) An overdose of throttle in a dry, slick corner sent me into a violent high-side, and I slapped my head onto the hard-packed SoCal dirt with such force, that it rendered me kookoo for the better part of an hour. A trip to the ER for a CT scan revealed no bruising, bleeding, or swelling of my brain, and I was released with a clean bill of health and a prescription for pain killers. Initially, I was bummed out about suffering a mild concussion in the new helmet, but a few days later I connected with Mark Finley from Fox Racing and got to take a look at my crash-damaged lid. The damage done to the helmet made it obvious that the impact it protected me from was pretty damned big. Having more helmet-smashing experience than I’d like to admit, I can honestly say that the V3 likely saved my life, and I would have suffered a mild concussion at best in any helmet I could have been wearing. The brunt of the impact was in the right forehead area, and the EPS was compressed to the point that it cracked. The Cage eyeport and chinbar was completely intact, proving that the two-piece design is indeed sturdy enough to protect against big impacts.

Would I ride and race in the new Fox Racing V3 again? Absolutely. Learn more about the helmet in the video below, and see my crash-damaged V3 in the video beneath it.

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