Recent years have brought forth a paradigm shift in the world of adventure bikes. As if injected with youthful energy, adventure bikes of today have transformed from pocket protector-esque machines to rally racing-inspired bikes eager to shred sand dunes and fire roads. Indeed, bikes like the Yamaha Tenere 700 and Aprilia Tuareg 660 are largely to blame for this, as the recent wave of made-in-China ADVs seeks to capitalize on this design language.
EICMA 2023 was proof of this, as numerous new adventure bikes, such as the Kove 450 Rally and the CFMoto 450MT are clearly inspired by machines we’d see competing in the Dakar Rally. Keeway, a brand under the Chinese conglomerate Qianjiang Motors (also known as QJ Motor), also unveiled a new adventure bike in the form of the TX450R. It follows a similar formula as other rally/enduro machines in that it makes use of a lightweight configuration with a 450cc-class thumper.
From a styling perspective, the Keeway TX450R is, quite frankly, hardly original. It makes use of bodywork commonplace to bikes of this nature, so yes, it looks pretty cool. On top of that, its livery screams Ready to Race, if you know what I mean. That being said, it does get premium components such as a full-LED multi-optic headlight, as well as a massive full-color TFT display.
On the performance side of the equation, the Keeway TX450R is powered by a 449cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, single-cylinder engine with a max output of 44 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and 38 Newton-meters (28 pound-feet) of torque. Power is then transferred to the rear wheel via a six-speed manual transmission. Fuel is fed through a trio of fuel tanks designed to provide optimal balance. Combined, they offer a capacity of 28 liters.
The rally-inspired bike is underpinned by a cast-aluminum double-cradle frame, and is suspended by fully adjustable Fast Race inverted forks. The rear suspension is handled by a linkage-equipped monoshock that provides a healthy 280-millimeters of wheel travel. Like all rally-derived ADVs, the TX450R rolls on a 21 and 18-inch wheel combo, and gets aggressive Pireli RallyCross MT21 tires.
As of this writing, the Keeway TX450R’s availability and pricing has yet to be disclosed. However, given that the brand’s counterparts, such as CFMoto, Benelli, and Kove are positioning for the global market, chances are that Keeway will be implementing a similar strategy for the TX450R.
