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Construction
workers were vigorously working on the various
building and tracks in preparation for its opening |
The Kawasaki representatives shared a wealth of knowledge
on the new quad, and answered any questions we had
for them. After the information session, we hopped
on the machines and spent the day riding them in every
type of terrain available. The Carolina Adventure
World is a massive 2600-acre facility with 100 miles
of marked trails of different skill levels, two full-length
motocross tracks and an endurocross course. The final
round of the WPSA series will be held there this year,
and the facility is more than capable of handling
a cross country event or a mud national. The park
has a full repair shop, quad and bike rentals, storage
facility, and plans are in the works for a bed and
breakfast, go cart track, and amusement rides for
the kids. Hopefully riding parks like this will pop
up in other states and give riders more legal areas
to ride.
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#12
Andy Lagzdins carving his way through the swtichback
trails with ease on the KFX450R |
The controls on the KFX450R are easy to find and
are all in the right place. The reverse gear is engaged
from first gear, and all you have to do is push a
thumb lever on the throttle assembly and click the
shifter down. You don't have to take your hand off
the bars to engage reverse. The starting is a little
slow, much like the TRX450ER, but I'm sure this will
be remedied soon by cross country racers needing a
quick firing motor for dead engine starts. I would
imagine many XC racers will opt for the kickstarter
retrofit in race kit. The light thumb throttle action
is noticeable immediately, and is a result of the
fuel injection system. The KFX450R was comfortable
right from the start, and felt close to the Hondas
I've been racing in terms of overall size and ergonomics.
I did notice a bit more cramped when trying to move
around on the quad while going through rough turns,
and the rear fenders have a shape that hits you in
the buttocks more often than usual.
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The under-construction Outdoor
National Level Motocross Track served as the
perfect track for testing the KFX450R's abilities
on the MX track in stock form. |
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GNCC Pro Racer, Willam Yokley felt right at
home on the KFX450R on the Motocross Track as
he launched the doubles effortlessly in 3rd
Gear
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The motocross tracks at the Carolina Adventure World
are full of natural elevation changes, and offer all
types of turns, jumps, and fast straights to really
test the diversity of a machine. The power is very
strong all through the rpm range, and it is easy to
rebound from a shifting miscalculation because you
have so much low rpm torque and a good bit of overrev
if you need to stay in a gear to the following turn.
In stock trim I felt the swingarm was a bit long,
and the steering had to go to full lock to save it
from spinning out on some of the flat turns. The shocks
never felt like they were bottoming harshly, even
though the quad sat at a good height with a low center
of gravity. The stability of the front end was better
than any stock quad I've ridden so far, and I believe
the frame design will be a major advantage when it
is fully utilized by the shock and a-arm tuners.
