2016 KAWASAKI KX450F
FIRST RIDE
P70
>>ENGINE
Kawasaki had the difficult task of taking
the old engine and making it slimmer, more
compact and lighter without sacrificing per-
formance. The KX450F was already known
for its incredible, but still fairly manageable,
power. Much to my relief, the KX is still a
horsepower monster. It still has gobs of
horsepower across the board but is not
quite as explosive as before and that is a
good thing for most of us. It also has more
torque, which combines makes the bike a
little easier to ride and less taxing. It doesn't
quite wear you out as quickly.
Top end is still impressive. It pulls hard
and has great overrev, which adds to the
bike's overall fun factor.
The KX also vibrates less and is notice-
ably quieter, which Kawasaki says is be-
cause of a redesigned exhaust resonator.
>>MAPPING
You can still fine-tune the KX's power deliv-
ery via its three pre-programmed couplers,
each one designed for hard, soft or a-
little-bit-of-everything terrain. The couplers
themselves can also be fine-tuned, which
isn't anything new, but can now be altered
via a much easier to use handheld KX FI
Calibration Kit, which Kawasaki now offers
as an accessory.
The new Calibration Kit gives you the
ability to change fuel and ignition settings,
monitor water temperature and rpm's on
any fuel-injected KX-F without the hassle
of using a laptop, CD-ROM and 12v bat-
tery like before. It comes with seven preset
settings and the ability to save up to 200
different maps. Again, it works with all FI
KX's after 2009.
I spent a good amount of time play-
ing with the settings and re-programming
couplers while at High Point and found the
Kawasaki "computer" to be very intuitive
and easy to read.
>>FINAL WORDS
After getting a chance to ride the 2016 Ka-
wasaki KX450F for a couple of days at High
Point, I came away extremely impressed
