The KLX comes with digital instrumentation that includes a speedometer, twin tripmeter, odometer, and clock. The fuel tank holds 2.1 gallons and has an overflow mechanism to, "meet all environmental regulations," and has a reserve on the petcock for those of you that don't plan out your routes as well as you should - or get lost. We would never have those problems, but we're glad Kawasaki is thinking of the rest of you.
All of this sounds great to us, until we get to the headlight that is, "kept on the light side." The headlight is a 35 watt compact unit. We're eager to see how this 'lightweight' stock light works, but we'd rather give up a few grams to have bright light that wasn't light, than save a few grams to have a light light that didn't light. See the light? Since we haven't ridden the bike yet, we will remain skeptical, but not doubtful, since Kawasaki has seemed to be getting things right with all their bikes lately. In case you're wondering, the taillight is a LED unit.
Kawasaki eliminated the holes the MX bike has on its side plates. On the MXer they're great for feeding more air to the engine, but on an off-road bike they're more likely to feed water into the intake. We're glad to see Kawasaki take this step - now we won't have to stick duct tape onto our new rides. The left-side cover has the addition of the we-wish-was-standard-on-all-brands off-road 'door' to access the air filter. The bike also comes with an aluminum skid plate and engines guards for both sides of the engine.
We'll let Kawasaki's press release wrap things up on a positive note, but the only thing we can positively say is that we are eager to get our hands on this bike.
Kawasaki, take it away -
This straight-from-the-factory racer has everything needed to both maneuver an open course and find its way to the winner's podium. Every component found on the new KLX450R has been developed to enhance off-road racing performance while adding as little weight as possible. In fact, a fully-equipped KLX450R only weighs about 22 pounds more than the KX450F.
Authentic Kawasaki Accessories are available through Kawasaki dealers or they can be purchased on the Internet at www.kawasaki.com.
Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. (KMC) markets and distributes Kawasaki motorcycles, ATVs, personal watercraft and utility vehicles through a network of more than 1,500 independent retailers, with an additional 7,700 retailers specializing in power products and general purpose engines. KMC and its affiliates employ nearly 2,400 people in the United States, with 400 of them located at the Irvine, California headquarters.
Kawasaki's tagline, "Let the good times roll.", is recognized worldwide and the brand has become synonymous with powerful, stylish motorcycles for over four decades. Information about Kawasaki's complete line of recreational products and Kawasaki affiliates can be found on the Internet at www.kawasaki.com.