VOLUME ISSUE SEPTEMBER , P121
As an Intermediate-class rider, it's one of the few
450s I can—at times—get the full squeeze out
of, even though the KX has tons of power. That's
because it has excellent power delivery. I often go
straight to the "mellow" map on other bikes, but
not the KX450. Instead, I can utilize most of what
the "standard" map has to offer. On this day, riding
the '25 KX450 at Fox Raceway, I never felt the need
to calm things down by going to the "mellow" map.
I was happy riding the bike all day in the standard
map while always feeling completely in control.
The KX450's power is still very user-friendly.
Suspension is good, too, but I struggled with the
KX's fork, which comes a little too soft from the
factory, at least for my 180 pounds. Even our lighter
test riders felt the same way. As a result, we could
detect some understeer, and because the front
end didn't hold up enough under load, it felt too low
2025
KAWASAKI
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYAN NITZEN
KX450
