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Kawasaki
KFX 450R Project Quad Build - Part One
Front Suspension System & Steering
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Slicast Upper ball joint can rotated to
adjust the caster incrementally by .4º
, & can be adjusted from -2.4 to +2..4º
over stock |
With the machine ready for the installation of its
new suspension parts, all the parts were laid out
to speed up the process. Houser components come
retail packaged and are easily seen through the
packaging and were well labeled. Following the instructions
found on Housers website, getting the Houser Slicast
a-arms ready to be mounted was a snap. Every component
included with the Houser products fit perfectly
as bushings, ball joints grease zerks and the Slicast
assembly was fitted. The joy of having proper fitting
products was even more apparent when the arms were
fitted to the aluminum chassis which demands precision
fitment. The arms slid right into their mounts and
in no time we were installing the Elka shocks.
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The Houser
Racing's Slicast A-arms aligned
perfectly with the frame, which is critical
with the KFX 450R because the bolt goes
through the both A-arms and the frame
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The
Elka
Suspension's Elite ATV Shocks mounted
up with ease to the frame and Houser Racing's
Slicast A-arms, and |
One area to note is the steering stem mounting.
The rear most retaining bolt must be slid into
position prior to fitting the bottom stem mount
into the frame. Tolerances are close, however
if you slip that bolt into the stem plate your
installation will be seamless. In what seemed
like seconds, the stem was installed and the bars
remounted. It actually took more time lining up
the two small dust seals used by Kawasaki on the
stem clamp then it did to install the stem itself!
I wish I could report more, but the parts from
Houser just went together so smoothly that we
had to slow down to take installation pictures!
Total installation time for mounting the steering
stem and arms was right at the 2 hour mark.
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Houser Racing's
Steering Stems come in different heights
& they also offer billet aluminum
standard and oversized handlebar clamps
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The
KFX 450R Stock stem mount is used on the
Houser Steering stem to mount it to the
aluminum bracket on the lower frame rail
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A few turns of a few differing wrenches soon
found us ready to re-mount the tires and set the
machine back on the ground. Setting the Slicast
to #1 on its adjustable camber plate was a snap.
I must admit that when I first laid my hands on
these pieces I figured it would be complicated
or be something that I would not use after everything
was set. After installing these units, I will
be trying different settings with confidence knowing
that it is as easy as 1-2-3 to actually use the
Slicast adjuster. Kudos to Houser Racing as fit
and finish were suburb and made installing this
new equipment a breeze.
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The
Streamline Brake steal braided lines
mounted up as easy as it was to remove
the stock lines, and we also utilized
their A-Arm brake line clamps to secure
the brake lines
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As our project goes through even more changes
in the coming weeks, and the weather starts to
be fit to ride in, I will be busily loosing sleep
as anticipation of getting this ride hooked up
in the woods and see if I can find anything besides
a big cheesy grin under my helmet to complain
about!
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