VOLUME ISSUE FEBRUARY , P73
T
he "factory edition" world is a
fun place to be. Bikes come
straight from the dealer-
ship spec'd out with almost all the
parts your moto heart could desire.
Kawasaki joined the factory edi-
tion game a few years ago with its
KX450SR, or Special Racer, as a
race-ready machine with a host of
bolt-on bling compared to the stan-
dard KX450. Plus, there are some
extra goodies under the hood.
The SR is a mirror image of Jason
Anderson's Monster Energy KX450
factory bike. The SR also pays
homage to Team Green racers like
James Stewart and many others.
So, what's new with the 2023
KX450SR compared to last year's
SR? Most notably, the '23's Showa
suspension components. Last year,
the SR was fitted with KYB parts be
-
cause then-team rider Eli Tomac was
a proponent of KYBs. With Tomac
having moved on, the SR has moved
back to the same Showa brand
of forks you see on the standard
KX450. The SR's forks, however, are
slightly different than the standard's
Showas; the SR's get special upper
and lower coatings (to reduce stic
-
tion) and updated settings.
SPECIAL SPECIAL SPECIAL SPECIAL
SAUCE
WE RIDE KAWASAKI'S
LATEST SPECIAL RACER
BY RYAN NITZEN I PHOTOGRAPHY BY DYLAN KELLEY AND NITZEN
