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Kawasaki
Slip-On Exhaust |
Good news for the hardcore racer crowd comes in the
form of a factory race kit for the KFX450R. This kit
will include a lightweight exhaust silencer derived
from the KX450F, a programmable fuel injection controller,
and a kickstarter mechanism that can either be used
in conjunction with the electric start or by itself
to reduce weight. Unfortunately a battery is required
to power the electronics on the quad, but the factory
team has been testing smaller batteries to further
reduce weight when only the manual starter is utilized.
The kickstarter will kick backward, and the kit includes
a reshaped heel guard. Kawasaki will be offering bolt-on
performance and cosmetic upgrade parts directly from
their dealers, including skidplates, nerf bars, bumpers
and a slew of other trick items.
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| Kawasaki
will be offering numerous racing accessories
for the KFX450R from performance enhancement
items to aluminum accessories including nerf
bars, skid plate, bumpers, and many other items
including headlight guards.
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The chassis of the KFX450R is a work-of-art, and
the centerpiece is a beautiful aluminum frame and
subframe. A combination of extrusions and castings
are welded together mostly by hand to make the super
rigid and lightweight frame reliable for the pounding
that only extreme racing conditions can deliver. The
stiffness in the frame has been achieved through experience
gained through years of producing aluminum road bike
and dirt bike frames, and it is not heat-treated so
welding can be done without detriment. The front of
the frame is a Doug Roll-inspired narrow width design
to achieve maximum a-arm length. The lower frame rail
is a large rectangular thick-wall tube with replaceable
a-arm mounting brackets. The width of the frame in
this area is easily 2-3" narrower than the competition.
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| Kawasaki's
revolutionary aluminum frame weighs in at only
26lbs, which is approximately 20% lighter than
steel frames on the market |
The
frame utilizes a single box-tube lower frame
front suspension setup, which decreases bump
steer and allows for longer A-arms and longer
stroke suspension |
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Cast
Aluminum SwingArm and eccentric-style carrier
along with a wave brake rotor |
The rear swingarm is a cast unit with an eccentric-style
chain adjustment that has become the standard of the
industry. The front suspension is a set of piggyback
fully adjustable shocks with rebound, compression,
and spring preload adjustments. The height of the
upper shock mounts looks to be somewhere in between
the YFZ and the TRX, and if long travel shocks are
mounted a shock length in the 18-19" range should
be attainable. The rear shock is also a piggyback,
but has high and low speed compression adjustment
capability as well as rebound and spring preload.
Looking at William Yokley's race quad, he has been
utilizing a standard length rear shock with the factory
linkage and swingarm, a testament to the design and
reliability of the stock parts. The front brake system
is a set of dual piston calipers with a high-volume
master cylinder and adjustable brake lever. The rear
caliper is a large diameter single piston design that
grabs a 200mm wave rotor.
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The
front and rear outer fenders are easily removed
for a new look or more freedom to slide around
the machine on the trails or in the air |
The KFX450R has a unique look mostly attributed to
the radical bodywork design, and the massive amounts
of aluminum surface area visible on the chassis. With
three color schemes to choose from, anyone buying
a KFX450R will be able to satisfy their own tastes
in styling. The fenders are a multi-layered design
that enables the front outer trim to be removed for
MX use, and also allows smaller parts of the bodywork
to be replaced. This makes repairing crash damage
cheaper and easier. The fuel tank, a 2.6 gallon unit,
is tucked completely under the bodywork, and will
not get scuffed and look rough on the sides of the
quad like some of the other 450's. Renthal Fat Bars
are standard issue on the KFX450R, and add to the
race-oriented character of the machine. An aluminum
front bumper and rear grab bar complete the lightweight
chassis.
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Black
wheels are available on the limited edition
model and the rear wheels come standard with
drilled re-enforced rings for added durability |
The Dunlop tires are of a general purpose radial
type, and should be good for the average trail rider
with a 21" diameter front and 20" rear.
The rear 9" diameter rims offer the perfect combination
of sidewall height and rigidity, and give the owner
the most choices of aftermarket racing tires. The
lightweight aluminum wheels are perforated with weight-saving
vent holes and incorporate a rolled edge design that
significantly strengthens the rim. Another first in
the 450 market, the wheels are fitted with reinforcing
rings on the inside edge, which alleviate the common
problem of bending wheels during the hard impacts
typically encountered in competition.
