VOL. 55 ISSUE 35 SEPTEMBER 5, 2018 P83
always out of control, using the
available grip and making the bike
work on an ever-changing sur-
face. It's like trying to swim with
one arm tied behind your back.
The last couple of months,
we've been banging around
Southern California's Milestone,
Perris and City of Industry's flat-
track arenas on this beautiful,
2018 Kawasaki KX450F, built by
Mike Chavez at Kawasaki USA.
It's a relatively simple build, one
that utilizes simple and effective
mods to create a good training
and club-racing-spec flat tracker;
one that has a level far, far higher
than I can take it to.
F
lat track racing is as in
vogue now as it was in the
days of On Any Sunday.
With the help of international
stars like Valentino Rossi and
Marc Marquez, not to mention
the plethora of insanely skilled
riders here in the U.S. in the
American Flat Track (AFT) Cham-
pionship, flat tracking is now
crossing the boundaries from
dusty paddocks with diehards in
the stands, to popular culture and
X Games fame.
Flat tracking is one of—if not
the—best forms of training for
road racing. It teaches you all
about controlling a bike that's
TWO FACE
Want to go flat track racing? It's
easier than you think, and Kawasaki
has built a bike to show you how
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK AND DAN ALAMANGOS
