2008 Kawasaki KLX450R electric start off-road racer

The First Ride
It's finally happened. We just attended Kawasaki's US press launch of the new KLX450R near Wickenburg, Arizona. We were able to spend an entire day in the saddle while covering miles and miles of technical terrain. Kawasaki could have sent us anywhere to experience this new machine, but the company was bold enough to place us in the Arizona desert in an area strew with every variety of cactus known to us. There were also abundant tire shredding rocks, steep hills, rocky sandwashes and glorious fast, but short, sandwashes. They didn't hold back, and our hat's off to them for believing in their product. The bikes we rode were absolutely stock production models, including the jetting, that were flown over for this event. Only a heavy-duty front tube was installed and we had the option of adding the Acerbis handguards to fend off the beautiful yet nasty elements of nature found here. We're not stupid, we added the handguards and left them on.

It's important to note that with the Kawasaki KLX450R there is nothing in the way of restrictors the owner must remove to get this bike to run. There are no wires to clip, no airbox snorkel to remove, no exhaust baffle or air-pump to remove - one model serves the 50 states! If you've been around the loop, you know full well what we're talking about here.

The two biggest questions we had about the new KLX focused on the suspension and engine. How would the KX derived suspenders work on the trail? Would the suspension components be soft and supple to soak up the trail and provide good feedback of the ground beneath, or would they be on the stiff and non-responsive side of things. You know, just what you'd expect from a motocross derived machine. After all, Kawasaki had tattooed on our brains that this bike was developed more for the off-road racer than the typical trail rider. And what about the engine? Could it retain much of the unbelievable power of the 2007 KX450F motocrosser? After all, this is a quiet 50 state machine that qualifies for the California green sticker. We all know that making a bike quieter chokes things down, but just how much of an effect would this have on the new whisper quiet KLX?

Our first jaunt aboard the KLX was on a mostly easy, somewhat open, desert loop marked off for us. Here the suspension worked very well, provided quite nice feedback and felt pretty supple without feeling overly soft in any way. I could hit ditches and such with full confidence and there were no distractions from the suspension or chassis. The bike felt rock solid at this point. I did get a little more rear wheel hop than I'd like, and though turning was good, it wasn't class leading or anything like that. As I got comfortable, which won't take anyone very long, I started to push the bike harder and no surprises arose - just a solid well controlled ride. When I returned to the truck I stated to the Kawasaki technician that it felt as if the rear tire had 20 pounds of air pressure and the front 18. I was told Kawasaki had set all tires at 14 lbs., to which I replied "Then we're good to go." I then had them dial in a little more rear spring preload to sharpen the steering a bit. This small change later proved to work quite well for me.

The engine took some getting used to. Not because of any shortcomings or odd power characteristics, but simply because the exhaust note is so darn quiet. So quiet in fact that even when riding the KLX another KLX can sneak up behind you without you ever knowing. The power comes on just off the bottom without any flat spots or hesitation - the jetting is excellent just as it is on the KX450F. Power is pretty linear and consistent into the bottom of the mid-range. From here the power comes on stronger into a hard-hitting wheelie-producing upper-midrange - it's all a lot of fun. The power doesn't then fall on it's face as one might expect based on this being such a quiet bike. Instead, the power curve smoothly transitions, while continuing to run very strong and consistent, into a rather decent top-end. Most of you are now mumbling to yourself "Yea, but does it run like a louder, less restricted motocross machine." Well, the answer is no. It runs like an extremely smooth and strong running off-road bike, particularly in the low and mid-range, with a decent but not overwhelming top-end. This low-end and mid-range power delivery is so smooth, quick-hitting, and well jetted that it makes riding the KLX very easy. Covering really nasty terrain is an enjoyable and not too difficult experience. Overall we'd classify the power delivery as very good trail power, not the open spaces racer type of power we were imagining. Believe me when I tell you this makes the bike much easier to ride, control, and blast through difficult trails with. Our speculation is the only way Kawasaki was able to achieve this level of performance on a muffled bike was because they started with a motocross engine that puts out incredible amounts of power and torque - the kind many riders can't, or shouldn't, try to handle. Had it not been for this we doubt they could have achieved performance levels anywhere near what the KLX offers. Kawasaki has truly achieved a new level of performance from a really quiet machine. Kawasaki representatives told us the company had been working on this mechanically baffled muffler system for over two and a half years.

After getting familiar with the bike and making only a slight suspension adjustment it was on to the more advanced 24 mile loop that had been laid out for us. This loop consisted of narrow tight trails positioned on the sides and tops of mountains, steep hills, rocks (lots of rocks), sandwashes, and dry rock waterfalls and such. All trails were lined with various types of cactus, all ready to staple your jersey to your arm if you weren't paying close attention. Even with that, it came down to blind luck if you were impaled or not. Just before dinner a rider came in stapled on both the front and back sides. I thanked my lucky stars that this had not happened to me, and I figured he would soon be learning who his real friends were. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

We went out in groups complete with trail guides to keep us on the course. Somehow I lucked out and ended up going out with Larry Roeseler as my trail guide. As a young kid I virtually grew up riding in the Southern California desert watching Larry and Bruce Ogilvie battle for overall wins in AMA District 37 desert races - as my older brother was thankfully in the same club as Bruce Ogilvie. Bruce talked him into racing when they were in High School together. Now I was able to ride and visit with Larry who I knew, but not well enough. Half way around the loop Destry Abbott joined our twosome. Sometimes you just get lucky - and today was my day!

In these conditions I felt lucky to be aboard the KLX. I could imagine a number of bikes I wouldn't want to be on in these conditions, but the KLX wasn't on this short list. We rode much of the day together and yes, they had to wait for me - but it wasn't like the sun had gone down by the time I caught up. With these guys ahead, I wasn't about to lollygag - I was putting the 450 KLX to the test and we had a blast at every stop.

In these tight, sometimes nasty and off-camber trails the KLX felt very nice indeed. The quick-hitting low-end and mid-range power was strong but not at all overwhelming - in fact it saves your (my) butt at times. Tackling narrow loose-rock strewn and steep trails with nothing but the momentum you could carry around the previous corner, the KLX would lug well and churn the rear wheel looking for traction in 1st gear. The weird part is that you can hear the rear tire churning through the rocks, searching for traction. Shifting into 2nd gear smoothed the ride and made the riding easier if you could successfully carry the speed. The engine lugs very well but does have a point where you're reminded there's a really big piston going up and down in there. If you ignored this reminder and let the engine lug down to nothing it can stall on you. The only way to put this into perspective is to say you can't turn the throttle off and coast with no throttle applied like with some 2-stroke trail machines. Don't let me put it in your mind that the KLX is a staler, because it's not. Lets talk about weight as well. At 254 lbs. the KLX weighs 34 lbs. more than the motocrosser. Sounds heavy, but the bike doesn't ever feel particularly heavy (even on a motocross track!). Instead, the weight feels located quite low, and was never an issue in all the riding that we did. Heck, it wasn't even a big factor when riding on the motocross track, but I'm getting ahead of myself again.

The seat height is pretty high (37.0 ins. vs. the KX at 38.0 ins.), but we weren't reminded of this either as we rode. The KLX, like a motocrosser, demands that you slide far forward for cornering - I'm not kidding on this one. If you do this you're rewarded with very good manners in corners. Riding through flat hard packed corners with little traction wasn't a problem and laying the bike down leading into a sandy corner felt very natural. Once in the sand and accelerating the KLX climbs up on top of the sand quickly - meaning this bike is quite competent and fun in sandwashes. I found it much better in the sand than a motocross machine; it in no way felt like one of those unwieldy heavy 4-strokes many of us have ridden in the sand.

The electric starting KLX fires up quickly and surely (once it's been warmed up) - none of that too-slow starter motor feeling, at least not at this point in our testing. If you stall the machine the starter will get it spinning again quickly. Shifting was excellent but I did knock the tranny out of gear a few times with my big feet. And speaking of big feet, we couldn't adjust the rear brake lever quite as low and out of the way as we'd like on the KLX which caused some fatigue from having to lift my foot up and over the brake pedal to get to it. On these trails the front fork is just kind of there - you never feel it much and you never have a quarrel with it. The rear shock doesn't feel as refined as the fork and leaves you wondering what's going on back there. With that said, I was able to hit cross ruts, ditches, and short sections of deep whoops with full confidence and no worries at speed. Adding a bit more preload to the rear shock sharpened the steering considerably.

After four 24 mile loops, late-in-the-day photos, and nearing darkness it was time for Destry and I to head back. Near the end of the loop we broke trail to return to camp a bit faster. Along the way we encountered fields of green grass spread across the desert, trees, and washes we had to cross - it was a great ending to a great day of testing and camaraderie. As we rode the last three or so stretches of open sandwash leading to camp I said to myself "What the heck" and passed Destry in a 5th gear wheelie on his KX450F practice bike which I was riding at the time. He gassed it and caught up to me at the end of the straight and patted me on the shoulder giving me a thumbs up. We rounded the next corner and I again wheelied away, but this time I noticed out of the corner of my eye he pulled up the front end on the KLX and wheelied next to me. Yes, it was a good ending to a great day - and yes, sometimes you just get lucky.

Desert
The California Desert
How would the KLX450R work in the open desert? We didn't know, but we certainly had high hopes. We were looking forward to a great day of riding in the desert. After all, last seasons 2006 KX450F test unit had displayed really good open desert traits; we were hoping this would carry over to the KLX.

Desert Conditions
Southern California desert: Dry, dusty, and slippery conditions; the norm for anyone riding here.
Trail conditions: Nearly every type of desert terrain. Open cross country, fast single-track trails, long stretches of deep desert whoops, hills, rolling trails, rocks, rocky hills and our nasty little desert test track that for some silly reason we normally enjoy riding on. Occasionally riders who see us riding this small course decide to give it a try; normally after only one lap they pull off and go somewhere else. If a bike sucks, like the original Cannondale did here, it's torture to ride this little track.

The first thing we did was take a quick spin to make sure the KLX was set up properly for these conditions. What we quickly learned was the rear suspension wasn't holding it's own in stretches of deep whoops, so we spent the next half-day trying to dial the bike in better. This proved not quite possible as the rear never came up to what we would term race level capable. We could ride the deep whoops and the bike made it through ok, but the bike wasn't riding level front to rear nor was it feeling particularly confidence inspiring. In comparison, our 2007 KX450F as well as earlier tested off-road bikes, could just be hammered through these sections as long as the rider had the guts to hold the throttle on and trust the bike.

Once we did all that we could to compensate for the stock shock spring and damping adjustments, it was on to other types of riding. What we learned long before the end of the day was the KLX worked best as conditions got tighter and nastier. In tight slippery corners the KLX tracked well and turned well. In hills covered with loose, as well as fixed, rocks the KLX once again proved itself well in more nasty and tight terrain. One tester found the bike "Great" in these technical somewhat difficult to ride at speed trails. Our other test rider simply found the KLX to be very good in tighter conditions, and better than most off-road bikes but not up to the race capabilities of the KTM off-road 4-stroke machines.

To put this in a better perspective lets cover the different types of terrain. On slick loose sand covered corners the KLX did well. The extremely manageable power band helps a riders confidence and provides for getting on the gas early. On nasty, rocky, hard pack trails the KLX proved very capable and not difficult to ride. The suspension soaks up the rolling bumps well, the forks don't deflect off obstacles at all; and the overall feel is very good. With that said, the KLX is better suited to trail riders in these conditions as a converted motocross machine will simply get through these sections faster as the power delivery is stronger and better suited to race conditions.

As desert conditions open up, and particularly when large sections of deep bumps appear, the Kawasaki looses its edge. It's rideable and it doesn't really do anything wrong, but it's not the bike of choice if you're racing or covering open ground quickly. As one test rider put it, "It's not the bike I want to be on when I hit a desert road crossing at speed - like during a race." To cover this type of ground better will take some suspension work and we couldn't keep our test unit long enough to explore any changes from stock - the KX derived chassis should certainly be able to handle any suspension changes you throw at the bike. In summary, we like the bike in tighter and nastier conditions but in open rough desert the bike wasn't quite what we had been hoping for.

Motocross
MN takes the KLX450R to the track and has a blast!
OK, we almost always do this with off-road machines. That is, we take them to the motocross track to see what we learn. It's always a toss up. Will the power be too soft or delivered too slowly to safely and enjoyably launch off the many jumps and obstacles. Will the suspension be soft and wallow, unable to take the hard hits even after we stiffen things up. It can be lot of fun, or not.

Usually we have a good idea of what to expect, but in the case of the KLX450R we weren't sure. After all, this machine is based on and carries many of the same components, including the frame, as the hard core 2007 KX450F. The power delivery isn't anywhere in the same ballpark, the suspension (made up of the same components minus the slippery black fork slider coating) is softened up for off-road use. What had us stumped was that we didn't particularly like the KLX's rear suspension and thus overall suspension package in the dry, dusty, and rough Southern California desert. The rear simply wasn't completely up to the task - particularly in longer sections of deep whoops.

After a few laps on the vet track it was apparent things weren't too bad. We made one or two clicks of adjustments to the suspension and left things pretty much unchanged. We happened to hit this track on a cool day just after a rain, in fact it rained on us a little during the day. This made for nearly perfect conditions, something not found too often on this normally hard pack and slick track. The first thing I learned was that the KLX would bottom hard and bounce if I pushed it too hard and over-jumped obstacles. The second lesson was that it took more effort to get this heavier bike stopped going into a corner, but the KX derived brakes are certainly very good.

My next revelation was that with its softer off-road power delivery, the KLX was a lot less taxing to ride on the track than a full-blown motocrosser. I also found myself actually turning under and passing numerous motocross machines, aided by nearly perfect traction and numerous wide-open and flat corners! This isn't par for the course for an off-road mount on a motocross track. I even found myself racing many laps against an aftermarket equipped twin-exhaust Honda CRF250R. On this day our lap times were identical. He'd get a slight jump on me launching out of corners, I'd actually turn under him coming into corners. This went on lap after lap as we passed numerous riders, sometimes a bit too close so as not to loose ground on one another. One time we bumped each other exiting a slower corner. He screamed with delight, though silent, I felt the same way as he sounded. The only way I was able to stay with him was that my lines were a little better and a little more smooth. I was also hammering the KLX450R hard, there wasn't much more to pull from it. We were jumping everything side by side (you have to work a little harder aboard the KLX as it has a softer powerband) which says volumes for the KLX, though he had the ability to over-jump things with less consequence than I. It was great fun, headlight shinning and all. During a break later in the day I watched this kid go around the track and told myself there was simply no way I had been going that fast on the KLX450R. My Brother confirmed my worst fear when he told I had been.

Our second test rider liked the KLX on the track as well, especially because it was easy to ride. This made riding lap after lap much easier on the body than normal. We were amazed at the end of the day to see that we had put 70 miles of serious motocross on the odometer. It was so much fun we didn't want to stop - who cares this isn't a motocross machine or that it had rained a bit. The suspension we questioned in the desert is soft for motocross, but with shorter sections of bumps we were satisfied with how it worked. With the beating we gave the KLX450R at the track it far surpassed our expectations and proved itself to be race solid.

Mountains
Through the mountains and over the snow we go!
Just as many off-road riders around the world do, we took our KLX450R test bike to the mountains. The strange part in all of this is that we actually got to ride while the snow was falling - long after the white season in these parts had ended. I was sitting in the office thinking about how little time was left for testing; the return date for our beloved KLX was rapidly approaching and we hadn't quite completed all the different types of terrain testing we had planned. While I sat in temperatures in the mid 60s (that's Fahrenheit for those of you not in the US) the weather forecast in the mountains called for temperatures in the lows 30s and snow flurries. I couldn't resist so I quickly began searching for my waterproof Malcolm Smith Gore-Tex riding gear as well as the companies older insulated off-road riding gloves. I knew I'd be by myself with nobody on the trails, so packing smart was essential. I didn't want the headlines to read Motorsports-Network editor lost in the mountains ... but the bike was found unharmed.

I took layers of waterproof gear, tools, emergency blankets and things along this line. Then I packed in a regular camera, video camera and helmet cam. During the drive to the mountains, about an hour and a half, I was met with strong winds and bits of sand and gravel blowing off the foothills into my truck. This wasn't so much fun, but I knew the alpine valleys I'd be in far above (about 6,200 feet) would offer a good amount of protection from the wind. Our riding in the California desert had soured us slightly on the new KLX, so I was trying to keep an open mind on how the KLX would work on the tight trails ahead. I've ridden hundreds, no maybe thousands of miles, on these trails - mostly on dual sport machines. This was years ago as running a business and raising a family has its way of keeping you grounded.

I drove back into the mountains about 10 miles on dirt roads to get to my favorite trail head. As I approached the little out-of the way spot I would park in, it began to snow - COOL! My second thought was that I had made the mistake of not putting on my gear before getting in the truck, this meant dressing in the snow with the wind blowing the white flakes sideways. I knew how important it was to keep my core body temperature warm, so I worked hard to stay warm before venturing out on the trail.

Finally it was time to hit the trail. Temperatures were in the 30s, the snow was easing up. At over 6,000 feet in elevation the cold Kawasaki took a little coaxing to fire, well actually it took more than that. If we had more time with the bike we would certainly have made jetting changes to richen things up. I knew full well this cold blooded powerplant takes some time to warm up so I gave it a good amount idle time while taking in the substantial beauty around me, and I'm like a little kid when it comes to falling snow. Finally I headed down the trail and began to get used to my heavy pack and multiple layers of clothing. About a quarter mile in I hit the first water crossing which is nothing serious if you take it slow. I did, and the cold-blooded Kawasaki stalled on me right in the middle of the water. What was even worse - it wouldn't fire as I sat there with one boot planted in the cold water. This clearly wasn't the way I wanted to start out, but it takes a whole lot to dampen my spirits when I'm sitting atop a motorcycle - even in the middle of a stream with snow falling. Finally the KLX fired, and not trusting it to run well yet, I revved it high to get me out of the water. It was almost amazing how long the Gaerne boots kept my foot dry, cold but amazingly still dry - things weren't so bad after all.

The trail winds its way up some nasty tree rooted trails after leaving the water, the bike appeared to be running now or I would have been left on the ground in only my first mile of travel. From here on out things got good, really good. The only problem with my gear selection was that I couldn't feel the controls through the thick gloves, so off they came for a pair of thin off-road gloves. After this is was game-on, as I made my way through numerous boulder fields created by four wheelers. The Kawasaki picked its way through the rocks admirably and the clutch had good feel and was not fading. As the trail opened up and speeds increased, so did the fun factor. Not to be outdone, the snow increased as well. At this point the sky around me was white, the trail a mixture of white and brown. I was hard on the gas and quite impressed with how well the KLX crossed over some very rocky roads, the type completely covered in smaller loose rocks - the kind so many riders hate.

The power delivery from the KLX was excellent in these conditions, and never overwhelming. Round a corner and gas it, the Kawasaki responds surprisingly fast. There is simply no bog or hesitation as experienced with a number of other off-road bikes. The two-track pine-tree-lined road I was riding on was turning white but the KLX hooked up well, especially well for having dry hard-pack ground under the snow. I was having a blast, though I had to continually clean the acquiring snow from my goggles while reminding myself not to overdo it. After miles of snow covered ground the trail transitions to a different trail system. To proceed you must first traverse a long rock field to get off the first trail system. This is the kind of rock field with no path through it, requiring strategic lines, momentum as well as pushing and shoving. The amount of pushing required is directly proportionate to how intelligently, and with no lack of fear, you ride the mind field. I did ok, but I wasn't proud of my ride through the rocks today as I was trying to keep our bike clean from rock damage ... which of course made things worse. In the old days when I worked with the big magazines I wouldn't have given it a second thought unless photos hadn't been taken.

Next it was onto a fast and smooth fire road with decent traction; it was a full-throttle affair. I went as fast as the KLX would accelerate and carry me over these roads. This is where there's a huge difference in performance between the motocross and off-road version of the KLX. The KX would be digging trenches under acceleration while the KLX is clearly a less powerful ride.

I was in a hurry now, as I knew my favorite single-track tail in these parts was at the end of this road. This is as untypical a Southern California trail as you'll ever find. The narrow trail winds up and down, around huge pine trees, crosses numerous end-your-day tree ruts and combines some blind and tight uphill turns through the trees that lead to steep often rutted hills that take a head-start to make it up. Oh, there are hidden tree roots crossing this trail as well - it's all a great deal of fun. All is well in the world when I'm on this trail; they almost killed me for running a dual-sport ride through here long ago.

I blasted through this trail hooting and hollering as only a schoolboy by himself can. The mountains belonged to me this day, and trails like this are why I ride dirt bikes. The Kawasaki's nimbleness was surprising me. I was making quick direction changes, sometimes quickly weighting the pegs, other times I just used leverage on the bars and pushed my knees hard into the tank because I needed to change direction now. The KLX was responding, though it became clear taller bars are needed for taller riders in these conditions. This would have made things perfect as the KLX was changing direction well, steering quickly, and providing a good feel for of ground beneath me. The suspension was working very well, though not overwhelmingly so. The brakes are quick hitting which I was taking full advantage of time after time, and the weight of the machine was once again surprisingly not an issue. The fact this bike is so quiet made me feel good about my passage through the forest, but I did have concerns that if these trails were congested nobody would here me coming whatsoever.

After covering this trail twice, I headed on. The snow had stopped and I was seeing blue skies ahead. The fast fire roads ahead were dry, dusty, and slick. The KLX covered the faster roads quickly with complete confidence. This bikes not a natural slider on roads, but it's not bad either. As the roads turned into rocky, rutted, excuses for what once was deemed a road I had to slow and pick my way through. With the KLX's lack of dominating power, great power delivery and quick engine response there was nothing to worry about except for being creative and picking the best line.

Eventually I made it to a well known river crossing where I stopped and admired what was now a crystal blue sky. After some photos and video work I decided to head back because I didn't know what the fuel range was on the KLX - but I would find out on this fine day. I rode back to the truck non-stop, playing that mental game I enjoy so much. How long can you keep your mental focus when riding by yourself ... well I enjoy the challenge.

When I made it back to the truck I realized I had a fair amount of fuel left over and we still needed to be the first to report on the fuel range for the KLX. This left me riding various trails and roads near the truck as darkness neared. The mistake I made was unzipping a bit and cooling off. I didn't want to take the time to stop and add a jacket or warmer gloves so I kept riding, and riding, and riding. Finally I went on reserve while covering a dirt road at about 60mph. I was freezing, something I had avoided all day, but I had our number - and there was very little fuel left in the tank. On this fine day I got 70 miles to the 2.1 gal. tank.

To celebrate my most excellent day and a really great ride aboard the KLX450R I drove to the other side of the lake and stopped in at my favorite coffee shop, the one I visit so often during streetbike tests, and warmed up on coffee while writing my test notes. Yes sir, the KLX had provided me with another great day of riding as this is an excellent mountain trail machine. I just might rate mountain riding as where I think the KLX 450R works best.

2008 KLX 450R Specifications
(Updated)

2007 KX450F Specifications
.

Engine: Four-stroke, DOHC, four-stroke single with four-valves
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Displacement: 449cc
Bore x stroke: 96.0 x 62.1mm
Compression ratio: 12.0:1
Cooling: Liquid
Carburetion: Keihin FCR40
Ignition: Digital AC-CDI
Starting: Electric, with primary kick backup
Transmission: Wide-ratio five-speed
Final drive: Sealed chain
Frame: Aluminum, perimeter
Rake / trail: 27.7 degrees / 4.8 in.
Front suspension / wheel travel: 48mm inverted AOS-type cartridge fork with 22-way compression damping and 20-way rebound damping / 12.0 in.
Rear suspension / wheel travel: UNI-TRAK® single shock system with 22-way low-speed, two-turn variable high-speed compression damping and 22-way rebound damping / 12.4 in.
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Front tire: 80/100x21
Rear tire: 110/100x18
Front brake: Single 250mm petal rotor with hydraulic dual-
piston caliper
Rear brake: Single 240mm petal disc with hydraulic single-piston caliper
Overall length: 85.8 ins.
Overall width: 32.3 ins.
Overall height: 49.4 ins.
Wheelbase: 58.3 ins.
Ground clearance: 12.6 ins.
Seat height: 37.0 ins.
Dry weight: 253.5 lbs. (33 lbs. more than the KX)
Fuel capacity: 2.1 gal.
Color: Kawasaki Lime Green
MSRP: $7,299 (US) ($400 more than KX model)
Release Date: April 2007, 1 model, 50 state, with green sticker

Engine: Liquid-cooled, four-stroke single with DOHC and four valves
Displacement: 449cc
Bore x stroke: 96.0 x 62.1mm
Compression ratio: 12.0:1
Cooling: Liquid
Carburetion: Keihin FCR40
Ignition: Digital AC-CDI
Starting: Kick
Transmission: Five-speed
Final drive: Chain
Frame: Aluminum perimeter
Rake / trail: 27 degrees / 4.6 in.
Front suspension / wheel travel: 48mm inverted AOS-type telescopic fork with coated sliders, 22-way compression damping and 20-way rebound damping / 12.4 in.
Rear suspension / wheel travel: UNI-TRAK® single shock system with 22-way low-speed, two-turn variable high-speed compression damping and 22-way rebound damping / 12.4 in.
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Front tire: 90/100-21
Rear tire: 120/80-19
Front brake: Single semi-floating 250mm petal disc with
dual-piston caliper
Rear brake: Single 240mm petal disc with single-piston
caliper
Overall length: 86.0 ins.
Overall width: 32.3 ins.
Overall height: 50.4 ins.
Wheelbase: 58.5 ins.
Ground clearance: 13.58 ins.
Seat height: 38.0 ins.
Dry weight: 220.0 lbs.
Fuel capacity: 1.9 gal.
Color: Kawasaki Lime Green / Black
MSRP (USA): $6,899 (US)
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The electric start unit can be seen here atop the engine cases.	Front and rear brakes are right off the 2007 KX450F.	Same frame as the KX. No skid plate or radiator guards are provided.	Speedo, odometer, two trip meters and a clock. The engine must be running.


Abbott on the gas.	Full screen photo! Beautiful Arizona.	Abbott in action. Jumping on the side of a hill.	Motocross on an Enduro bike. Lots of fun on the KLX.	Riding Destry Abbott's practice bike.	The KLX hooked up well in slick conditions.


2008 KLX450R		2008 KLX450R
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