QUICKSPIN I 2023 KAWASAKI KX450SR
P78
bound to slow the overall action
of the fork down.
The SR is a stable missile in
a straight line, and the chas-
sis feels comfortable over
just about everything. And the
back end always wants to drive
forward no matter where you
put it. It's not as "rear-steering"
as previous-gen KXs, but you
can still back it up into a fluffy
outside berm, grab a handful of
throttle, and come out with a big
grin on your face.
To answer the earlier ques
-
tion: Is the SR worth the extra
money? For some, for sure. If
you're the type of person that
is going to do all these same
upgrades on the SR anyway and
want the convivence of the fac-
tory doing it for you, then surely
it is! Plus, the bike looks so cool
and performs better than the
standard model. All good stuff
right there.
But if you are the type that
isn't into bling (or even if you
are but want to pick and choose
what goes on your bike), then the
answer is obvious, go with the
less-expensive standard.
A few of our first changes
with the SR (and with the stan
-
dard, for that matter) would be
replacing the hard stock grips
with softer ones and swap the
levers (front brake and clutch)
with ones that aren't so skinny
and have a better and more
confident-inspiring feel.
As with the previous KX
-
450SR, Kawasaki did its home-
work with the current SR by
building a better, saucier KX450
without sacrificing anything we
already liked about the standard
KX450.
CN
Kawasaki accomplished giving the SR more
power without sacrificing rideability.
