| Kawasaki
KFX450R ATV Links |
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| 2008
Kawasaki KFX450R |
Columbia, SC - Not long after its official
unveiling at the Indy trade show in February, the long
awaited racing debut of the 2008 Kawasaki KFX450R finally
materialized at the opening round of the Grand National
Cross Country Series in Vero Beach, Florida. Interest
in the ground-breaking ATV was escalated even further
with new Kawasaki factory racer William Yokley piloted
the machine to an impressive fourth place finish in
his first race on the nearly stock machine. Everyone
in attendance was treated to a first-hand look at the
most advanced 450cc sport quad currently in production,
which utilizes the newest technology such as an aluminum
frame and fuel injection. So when I got the call to
attend the official press introduction of the KFX450R,
I couldn't wait to find out what this new ATV was all
about. More importantly, I had to find out if it had
the potential to be better than the quad I'm currently
racing in the GNCC Series!
Whether it’s building World Championship-winning
dirt bikes for the likes of James Stewart or Daytona-winning
superbikes, Kawasaki is always going that extra step
to be the best. The press introduction for the KFX450R
was no exception, as they rolled the big rigs into
the beautiful Carolina Adventure World in South Carolina
to have a perfect area for everyone to test, evaluate
and document the new quad. The Kawasaki Factory ATV
Racers were on hand, with William Yokley, Josh Creamer
and Jason Luburgh ready to fill everyone in on the
competitive details of the quad. ATV Factory Team
Manager and racing legend Jimmy White, along with
Kawasaki's U.S. race teams head honcho Reid Nordin
were in attendance as well as many other people who
were instrumental in the development of Kawasaki new
entry in the Sport ATV market.
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After
developing the Chassis, a full scale clay mock-up
was assembled to finalize styling |
The KFX450R was originally conceived in 2004 as the
continuation of Kawasaki's two-stroke race quad program
that helped Yokley win many GNCC overalls. William's
"works" quad was a Doug Roll chassis that
had been modified to accept a current KX250 dirt bike
powerplant. The hybrid was a capable machine, but
vibration from the non-counterbalanced engine would
cause the chassis to fail prematurely and also became
too much for even the tough-as-nails Yokley to hold
on to for two hours plus.With the introduction of
Yamaha's YFZ450 and Honda's TRX450R in 2004, the KFX450R
project went into full swing.
The dirt bike lineage is still present in the new
quad, which utilizes the same basic engine found in
the production KX450F that James Stewart and Tim Ferry
are campaigning with great results in the AMA Motocross
and Supercross Nationals. The heart of the engine
is a 3-ring forged piston with a large diameter 21mm
wrist pin. Lightweight titanium is utilized for the
engine valves and exhaust header. The proven 4-valve
dual-overhead cam configuration is used, and the exhaust
cam has a centrifugal compression release system that
makes starting easier. Fuel delivery is handled by
a state-of-the-art 32-bit digital fuel injection system
that delivers consistent fuel amounts at all temperatures
and altitudes through a 42mm throttle body. The rev
limiter is a two-stage type that changes the fuel
mixture at 10,500 rpm and cuts the ignition at 11,000
rpm. One major difference between the bike and quad
motor is the reverse gear. A first for a 450 sport
quad, the reverse gear should prove vital for cross-country
racing and inevitably will be the deciding factor
for many potential buyers to choose the KFX over its
competitors.
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| The
KFX450R power plant was adopted from the KX450F
Motorcycle with a few modifications. The engine
was tilted forward 9 degrees to lower the center
of gravity and the reverse gear was added for
added maneuverability on the trails or race
track, which was a first for a 450 Sport ATV.
The reverse lever was conveniently located right
along the thumb throttle for easy accessibility
without removing your hands from the grips.
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