Price Kawasaki KX450F

Kawasaki KX450F Design

The Monster Energy Kawasaki off-road team and scores of privateers race the KX450Fs with great success in all sorts of venues far removed from the cut and thrust world of Supercross or Outdoor motocross.

Don’t forget, a few years ago during a contract dispute World Enduro star David Knight quit his team and flew to the U.S, bought a KX450F with his own money and rode it in bone stock condition that very weekend to a GNCC win. We knew from our tests of the 2010 and 2011 KX250Fs that they were great motocross bikes that just happen to also be great off-road race bikes too. But even with the 450’s fine off-road credentials it still seemed hard to believe that the holeshot king of 450-class motocross could be tamed enough to work anywhere but on the track. We decided to find out, and have been spending the past few months learning about the 2011 KX450F by riding it everywhere from frozen lakes to sloppy cross-country races, on motocross tracks and in tight singletrack.

Kawasaki KX450F Engine

Kawasaki’s optional EFI Calibration kit has been updated for 2011 to make it more user friendly. The Digital Fuel Injection (DFI) system automatically adjusts to suit track and climate conditions, but there are a selection of pre-set ‘soft’ to ‘hard’ maps in the ECU which can be accessed with the EFI Calibration Kit. The DFI is also infinitely adjustable, so you can design your own fuel and spark curves. The Calibration Kit includes a data logger that records the past six hours of engine rpm, throttle opening, coolant and air temperatures, ignition timing, fuel adjustments, gear position and system voltage.

The beauty of the KX450F lies in its versatility. With the ECU mapping set to the softest curve, the KX can even be a fun hardcore trail bike for a strong, aggressive rider. With tons of power and huge aftermarket support you can make a KX450F into a very effective flat track racer, supermoto or cross-country race bike. Naturally the KX450F thrives on high-speed courses, but this is a big motorcycle that is heavier than most other bikes in its class. Cutting and thrusting around a motocross track with big berms works fine, but carving smooth arcs around sweeping high-speed turns is difficult.

The KX450F is heavier than the other 450Fs, even the electric start KTM. It looks awesome when it’s brand new but the graphics and dark plastic age quickly, and the plastic itself is brittle and cracks easily. The 7/8-inch-diameter Renthal bars seem old fashioned, and the rubber handlebar mounts twist easily in the tripleclamps when you fall.

Our favorite things about the 2011 KX450F are its raw power, easy starting and resistance to stalling. The amount of raw power can help you make up lost time in the turns with a huge blast of throttle once the track straightens out. No wonder desert racers love these bikes! Fuel capacity is 1.9 gallons, and combined with EFI fuel efficiency the KX450F will go quite far on a tank of gas. With Price $8,149.00.