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Pro Mechanic
Ron Wade's Kawasaki KFX450R Tips & Tricks
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| Ron
Wade - William Yokley's Mechanic |
Ron Wade a longtime friend of William Yokley took
on the task of being Yokley’s full time mechanic
for the 2007 race season. “I used to hang
around with William’s big brother John and
watch him race when William was just a kid.”
Said Wade. “ I didn’t think he was serious
when he first ask me if I wanted to be his full
time mechanic, but he made me an offer, so I quit
my job and here I am.” He said happily.
Ron’s time spent keeping Yokley’s
race bikes in tip top condition has made him one
of the best sources for information when it comes
to wrenching on and making improvements to the
Kawasaki KFX450R. “The KFX is a pretty nice
machine and is easy to work on.” Stated
Wade. “There haven’t been any major
problems with it and the aluminum frame is holding
up really well.”
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Ron Wade
wrenches for William Yokley full-time,
and when he isn't on the road with Yokley,
he is back at the shop working on the
KFX450R in between races & disccovering
different ways to make it a better machine
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Ron recently took the time to share some of the
tips and tricks he has acquired over the last
few months working on the KFX. Here are a few
things he has done to Yokley’s quad that
have helped improve it’s performance.
Tether Killswitch
Installing a tether a kill switch is one of the
first modifications that should be done to any
quad and is a mandatory addition for anyone planning
on racing. Luckily, installing a closed circuit
kill switch like a Pro Design on the KFX450R is
a fairly simple procedure. “You splice into
the blue wire on top of the coil, wrap it back
up and ground it to any of the nearby bolts and
you’re done.” Said Ron.
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The yellow arrow points to the
blue coil wire to splice for tether switch
install |
Re-routing the wire harness above the
upper shock mounts is recommended |
Rerouting the Wiring Harness
In stock form, the wires of the KFX wrap around
the underside of the frame. Wade advises re-routing
the harness to go on the topside of the frame
which unbinds the wires and also decreases the
risk of foreign objects and debris coming in contact
with the wires if something were to get underneath
the plastics.
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The key switch
was relocated to the stem mount for easier
removal of the fenders
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The
plug wire is prone to wear, so it is recommended
to wrap it to avoid damage |
Avoiding Heat Issues
Keeping a quad cool in high heat climates and
while racing is always important. “We’ve
put new silicone (CV4) hoses on, which help a
little bit and we are using a larger radiator.”
Stated Wade. They will also be running an oil
cooler in the near future to ensure that no matter
what the conditions, the motor will stay running
cool.
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CV4 Radiator & Oil Line Hoses
Installed on the KFX450R |
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