Italy’s Fantic Motor has been around since 1968, but the name and brand has recently gone through a major rebirth, having entered into an official partnership with Yamaha on a variety of off-road projects (yes this is another story of cross-breeding brands, which results in more awesome bikes being available in more corners of the globe). 

The latest headliner from Fantic is the release of its XEF 450 Rally and a limited edition XEF 450 Rally Factory, two production bikes that are coming straight from the proving grounds of the 2022 Dakar and Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge into hands of privateers and adventurous everyday riders as soon as November 2022.   

Let’s begin with the base model (weird to say “base” when the XEF Rally is in fact a race-ready rally bike, though the limited edition does have some higher spec’d components). At the core of the Fantic 450s is the proven platform of Yamaha’s WR450, so there’s the 450cc single-cylinder engine, aluminum twin-spar frame and KYB suspension. Yet Fantic has truly used the engine and chassis as a starting point, adding many refinements and custom components during the XEF’s two years of development.  

Dual fuel tanks, one situated centrally under the seat of the bike and the other split and positioned laterally, combine for an ample 30 liters, or 7.93 gallons. A carbon kevlar sump protector wraps fully  around the sides of the engine to protect the gas tanks, as well as beneath, protecting the engine and manifold of the bike’s custom-developed Arrow exhaust system. 

The Fantic’s custom-tuned KYB suspension is fully adjustable front and rear, with 310 mm (12.2 inches) of wheel travel offered from the 48 mm fork, and 300 mm (11.81 inches) of cush out back. Brakes, a 300mm hydraulic disc up front and 245mm hydraulic disc for the rear, are from Moto-Master. 

One of the XEF Rally’s coolest features is the 7- inch RallyScreen, which delivers the standard info, but is geared toward rally riding in that it is shock, dust and waterproof, and set up to perfectly render digital rally roadbooks. And yup, you’d also check your GPX tracks here or use whatever other navigation apps are available for the Android operating system (no mention if it will be iOS friendly). 

The device is activated via touch screen or two controls on the left handlebar. Another cool feature is that while the unit switches on and off in sync with the bike’s ignition, it employs an aux battery and can be taken off the bike for security and trip planning purposes. 

As you’d guess, the “Factory” edition, with a run of just 50 number plated units, is a bit higher spec’d. In the instrumentation department the special edition bike includes the pro riders’ steel and aluminum tower, which supports the physical road book and a trip master device.  There are also hand controls for the roadbook and the tower is designed to support a second trip master, which is required in some major events. 

The full-spec- bike also has a more complex oil cooling system mounted up front to receive maximum air flow. CNC-developed billet triple clamps and hubs, the rear being sprocketed to smooth power fluctuations, are red, which makes the Factory edition immediately recognizable next to the base Rally, with its black components. 

The custom-designed Arrow exhaust on the Factory is full titanium, shaving 3.31 pounds off the base model’s unit. 

We’ve seen rally replica bikes hit the market over the years, though they’ve been birds of a Pierer Mobility feather. The KTM 450 Rally Replica is back for 2023 and spicier than ever. And even more recently and on the wings of its Sam Sunderland Dakar win, GasGas announced a RX 450F Replica rally bike.

This Fantic rally bike is definitely a race replica of a different feather, with its Japanese bones and Italian finesse. All of XEF 450 Rally bikes, whether headed for the factory race team or a consumer’s garage, are hand built in the now Fantic-owned Motori Minarelli factory in Bologna, Italy. Prices haven’t been officially released, but they are expected to be €16,740 for the Rally and €24,240 for the Factory Rally.

Unfortunately, it appears we won’t see these models stateside anytime soon. Fantic did open a USA headquarters in Denver, Colorado, back in 2016, but to date it’s mostly been a portal for the brand’s extensive collection of electric mountain bikes and scooters. 

Fantic XEF 450 Rally & Factory Specs

Author: Jamie Elvidge

Jamie has been a motorcycle journalist for more than 30 years, testing the entire range of bikes for the major print magazines and specializing in adventure-travel related stories. To date she’s written and supplied photography for articles describing what it’s like to ride in all 50 states and 43 foreign countries, receiving two Lowell Thomas Society of American Travel Writer’s Awards along the way. Her most-challenging adventure yet has been riding in the 2018 GS Trophy in Mongolia as Team AusAmerica’s embedded journalist.