The motocross lineage of the...
The motocross lineage of the Kawasaki KLX450R is made obvious when you hit the trail. The bike loves technical riding and disguises it's off-road bulk quite well.
Make no mistake about it: Kawasaki's commitment to off-road is legit. Armed with a high-dollar off-road race team, a growing army of loyal Kawasaki riders and a strong product base, the Green Machine has pledged to go toe-to-toe with KTM in an all-out battle for off-road dominance. The tip of the spear? The 2009 KLX450R, a bike that Kawasaki has thrown into the 450 off-road class with confidence, and a machine that we've personally tried to drill into the ground with countless miles of off-road nastiness.
Allow me to put this right up onto the table: durability is not a concern with this machine. Sure, many naysayers will claim that the Kawasaki doesn't have more than one season in it, but we've buried that notion with our own bare hands. Dirt Rider's 2007 Kawasaki KLX450R-bless its little soul-made it through our Long Haul testing gauntlet with impressive results. We raced, rode and even drug this bike through some of the worst conditions this side of the Divide, and it hung tight the entire time. If your beef with the KLX is in durability, get your facts straight: this puppy can run the great race and still have a lot left to give.
DR Test Rider Ryan Orr hops...
DR Test Rider Ryan Orr hops the KLX450R. The ample power on the Kawasaki makes moves like these a snap.
On to the specifics: the motor on this machine is, for lack of a better word, righteous. The powerband is smooth and strong, the gearing is a perfect match for the engine's character and the low burst of torque is insanely rideable for most trail and off-road applications. Whether you're cruising along on a flowing trail or trying to bang up a sand hill, the Kawasaki sure knows how to get the power to the ground. Yes, in stock form the KLX is a bit "corked", but that's why we put a Two Brothers exhaust on it. By opening up the power a little (without sacrificing too much on sound, mind you), we were able to achieve a freer, higher revving motor attitude that still retained the good, usable torque found with the stock pipe. While we certainly don't condone putting a megaphone on this well-muffled beast, an exploration into different mufflers can definitely give the bike more life on the trail; keep the sound down while you do. Our Leo Vince sure did. As far as complaints, the biggest drawback to the motor is its hard-starting, cold-blooded personality and somewhat wheezy off-idle throttle response. This isn't the most crisply jetted bike in the class, but the power still does a fine job of oozing out the rear wheel. And the charging system is a little on the weak side and we did have to keep an eye on the battery if the bike sat for a few weeks.
Our test riders were varied in their opinions of the Kawasaki's handling, but one thing that all agreed upon was that the suspension on the KLX is inherently soft. While the machine can tackle most off-road applications with solid compliance, anything beyond a normal trail ride will be a bit much for the Kawasaki. In order to give the bike more legs in high-speed scenarios, we turned to Race Tech for a little tuning and tweaking, which ended up giving the KLX better bottoming resistance and a little firmer feel higher up in the stroke. This allowed the bike to better react to hard/ fast hits and thus was more adaptable off-road. Cornering-wise, the Kawasaki has some odd traits. While the bike in stock form can handle most turns with a certain level of stability, the front end has a nasty habit of tucking in when the bike is leaned over too far. This leads the rider to feel that the KLX is too top-heavy and is a sure path to getting worn out in a hurry. To combat this, we added a Scotts steering damper and found that this was a huge help in getting the bike to be more reliable and less "knifey" in the turns.
Although not the lightest...
Although not the lightest feeling bike in our 450 off-road test, the Kawasaki isn't exactly an anchor, either. The Race Tech suspension mods that we threw towards our test machine did wonders for landings like the one Orr is about to experience.
The ergonomics of the Kawasaki are sound, although bigger riders noted that the cockpit feels cramped when ridden back to back with a bike like the BMW. The stock headlight is weak-it shines more to the sides than it does forward-but will certainly get you home after a long trail ride. One mod that we found of interest to this bike was a Rekluse auto-clutch, which enhanced the trail ability of the already strong bike. While this mod wasn't for everyone, it allowed the motor to be more easily ridden in tighter trails and rocky sections, and it certainly jived well with the stock gearing. However, the down-low jetting was a problem at higher elevations, making the bike easier to stall in some situations.
All in all, the Kawasaki is a strong stock machine, and we feel that our mods only enhanced the versatility and ease of use of this bike. Way better for going fast on now, even better as a trail bike. Is this the machine for you? Depending on what you're looking for, it very well could be: great power, workable suspension and proven durability are all benefits that we'd verify any day. The Kawasaki KLX450R may not yet be the perfect stock off-road bike, but any way you look at it, this bike is definitely on the right track. Especially if you like hitting the trail.