DIRTHAMMER SAYS

Batesville, VA.

Kove came out of the gates fast a couple of years ago when they burst onto the off-road motorcycling scene with their 450 Rally, which was designed to be a turn-key rally raid racer. Unlike KTM and Honda, who sell their factory rally bikes in insanely limited numbers at huge cost, Kove sent their 50-some horsepower rippers right to dealers. In fact, when Kove introduced the 450 lineup, they debuted them as race-only off-road weapons. That means a de-restricted ECU and wide-open exhaust — maximum horsepower, minimum compromise, and full speed ahead. With eight U.S. gallons of gas on board across three fuel tanks, these things weigh in under 370 pounds and have the razor sharp looks of a rally thoroughbred. These bikes have run competitively at Dakar over the last half-decade or so, under Dakar legends including Ross Branch.

This 2024 Kove Rally 450 is a two-owner bike that is currently owned by Chris Grimm, a friend of DirtHammer and a veteran of the 2008 amateur running of the Paris-Dakar Rally. His Kove 450 Rally is one of the early U.S. bikes, and was originally sold as a competition-only bike. The first owner in North Carolina went to the trouble of getting it street legal, and it will be sold on a clean Virginia street title with a valid safety inspection. The bike has a de-restricted ECU and Kove's free-flowing race exhaust. It's lightweight, swift, and ready for whatever you throw at it. In true race bike fashion, Grimm says the suspension works better and better the harder you push. In other words, this is not an adventure bike for the casual weekend cruiser, but a full-attack rally bruiser with a license plate.

At just 1,379 miles, it's just broken in. It's had three oil changes with Motorex oil, and is ready to pile on the miles. It has been used for some dual-sport road rallies and has been ridden as intended. As such, the cosmetics are not perfect. The graphics are peeling in some places, and it proudly wears the dirt of a life lived well.

Grimm keeps all of his machines in pristine mechanical condition, and never misses a maintenance interval. Bid with confidence, and take home your next rally raid ripper for thousands less than you'd pay for the Austrian competition.