The air filter element is radi-
cally different, too. It's complete-
ly flat. It slides into position and
is held
in place via two clip-in
mounts. No tools are needed to
access or remove the filter ele-
ment, accomplished through the
left
side panel.
The KX's aluminum perimeter
frame has several revisions to
accommodate the center exhaust
port and new intake tract system.
A new, shorter Showa rear shock
has been slightly repositioned in
the frame. Despite being physical
-
ly shorter, the shock did not lose
overall
stroke length. A cool new
feature is the adjustable upper en
-
gine mounts that Kawasaki offers
as
an option. Kawasaki says the
buttons together puts the bike
into launch control mode, which
shuts off once you click the
transmission into third gear.
You also get Kawasaki's
Rideology Smartphone App.
With the app, you can fine-tune
the engine character to your lik
-
ing as you could with Yamaha's
early version of its Power
Tuner
App with a grid pattern for igni-
tion and fueling. You also have
other convenient
features like a
maintenance log and real-time
data, including air temperature,
throttle position, coolant pres-
sure and more. You can also log
your bike setup notes, such
as
track conditions and suspension
settings.
QUICKSPIN I 2024 KAWASAKI KX450
P76
The 2024 Kawasaki KX450 is
essentially new from the ground up.
adjustable mounts change the
feel of the bike's overall handling
characteristic.
Gone are the old-school
plug-in DFI coupler system. It's
been replaced by a large ECU
switchgear on the left handlebar
with three buttons that control
two engine modes (Normal and
Mild) and three traction control
levels (Low, Strong and Off). It
also houses the kill button. It's
the same unit you see on the
Honda CRF450R. The buttons'
lights are off in the standard
settings but turn on when you
start pushing. Holding both
