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Driving report Kawasaki KX 450 F
Same big
Until recently, the future of the Kawasaki off-road model range seemed poor. The first 250cc four-stroke crosser, the KX 250 F, only saw the start of the 2004 season
with obstetrics from Suzuki the light
this world, and the 450 machine, which had already been announced for 2005, missed its debut date. When looking for their own, unmistakable aluminum frame concept, the Kawa-
saki engineers obviously lost. The project, which was planned with a single-loop frame instead of the bridge frame typical of Kawasaki, was stopped at the last minute and the new release was postponed to the 2006 model year.
Good thing, because in the meantime Kawasaki seems to have found its way back to its old development strength. For the KX 250 F
(see box on the right) has now been turned back on
independent chassis developed that KX 450 F designed from scratch.
Nevertheless, one was inspired by the current state of the art. The bridge frame of the KX 450 F is based heavily on the chassis of the 450 Crosser from Honda and Suzuki. Which also applies to the engine. Double cam head with four titanium valves and 40 mm Keihin flat slide carburetor are also standard equipment for the competition. Bore and stroke (96 x 62.1 millimeters) are identical to the current class leader, the Honda CRF 450 R. Four courses are enough.
All the more value is placed on high-quality details. The exhaust system and footrests including brackets are made of titanium, the handlebars come from the renowned bri-
table supplier Renthal, the bench is upgraded with a handy cover. How much love has been invested is also shown by the fact that the intake ducts on each engine are reworked by hand.
The decisive criteria for a 450cc four-stroke crosser, however, remain the power delivery and the suspension setup. And in this respect the men in the green overalls obviously hit the bull’s eye. “The Kawa engine pulls completely linearly from the lower revs to the highest revs,” enthused MOTORRAD employee and six-time German motocross champion Didi Lacher of the first laps on the KX 450 F on the tough, supercross-oriented slope in Gallarate, Italy.
Overall, the mechanically very quiet running unit of the KX resembles the Honda engine with a huge punch in every speed range, and on top of that it tends to offer even more traction. Which is certainly due to the comfortable coordination of the Kayaba shock absorber. The tuning of the 48 mm upside-down fork from the same company was also chosen to be very soft. This is coming
Although it benefits the response behavior with smaller waves, it will force heavier or faster drivers to retrofit harder springs.
Tuning would probably also be helpful on the front brake. The effect of the combination of the double piston caliper and the one with wave design as well
extreme perforation, the strikingly styled 250-millimeter brake disc remains rather below average.
On the other hand, the rear brake with 240 mm disc, the starting behavior in any temperature condition, the smooth clutch, the easy-to-shift transmission, the very precise steering behavior, the handling and ?? as I said ?? the high quality workmanship. In other words: The additional year of development work put the KX 450 F on a par with the competition. Sometimes good things take time. pm
KX 250 F
You can feel: The end of the liaison with Suzuki, which culminated in the 2004 season with the jointly developed KX 250 F, was good for the little green. The previous frame made of oval steel tubes has been replaced by the new aluminum bridge frame, the dimensions of which, however, are not identical to those of the 450 KX chassis. Didi Lacher attests to the smallest four-stroke crosser from Kawasaki that the smallest four-stroke crosser from Kawasaki is significantly more pressure in the middle and upper speed range and a good deal more revving than the 2005 model. And an excellent chassis. The Showa spring elements ?? a novelty in the Kawasaki off-roaders ?? lie in both the coordination and the contact-
hold noticeably above the level of the Kayaba elements built into the 450 KX.
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