450 question

I will try and keep this a brief as possible but I need some information. Back in the 80’s I raced 3 and 4 wheelers, mostly moto cross but some woods races and even a flat track or TT every now and then. If you do the math you will see that that puts me at just over forty years old. Now I am looking at getting back into riding with my boys, mostly trail riding but I would also like to run a few hare scrambles. From looking at the results form the winter series Honda and Yamaha seem to be the quads of choice. But I like the sound of fuel injection and reverse gear that the Kawasaki offers. What scares me is that it looks like there is almost no one riding them in the Mid South races. Just wondering why? Is there a major performance difference? Is it a lack of aftermarket supplies? Is it a reliability issue? Is it a handling concern?

I’m not looking to make any major modifications, just keep it basically stock other than skid plates, hand guards, etc.

You guys are up on the latest info so please help me out a little.

Thanks

I used to have a stock 2006 YFZ. Then I got a 2008 KFX450R with a pipe. Major difference. This is just my opinion, but I feel like it turns a lot better than the YFZ, and it is also a little more snappy. Probably due to the pipe as well as the fuel injection. It is also nice to have reverse. I have used it more than I thougt I would. All around I like the Kawi better than the Yamaha, except for 1 thing. I used to get hole shots better on the carbed YFZ. Other than that, the Kawi is great. Can't speak of the new YFZ with fuel injection very much as i have only ridden it a couple of times.

Plus, I do believe you can get a new Kawi for less than a YFZ.

Hope this helps.