VOL. 52 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 15, 2015 P175
Overall the suspension action
is improved over previous years
although the rear end doesn't feel
as planted as the Honda, KTM or
Husky's. The Showa air forks on the
Kawasaki do feel better on the new
chassis design but they require the
most work to dial in compared to the
rest. Even though this is the same
fork that's in the Suzuki, it comes set
up from the factory a little differently,
and seems to work a little better—at
least on the KX. Dialing in these
forks can be a little tricky. It probably
wouldn't hurt Kawasaki (and Suzuki,
for that matter) to offer some kind of
fork seminar to every person who
buys a KX450F to explain how to
adjust these complex units.
The Kawasaki still holds the title
for the most adjustable motorcycle
of the group. The KX is the only
bike with adjustable footpegs
and also has multi-way adjustable
handlebars. Kawasaki now offers
a slick new handheld engine tuner
(sold separately), so you can easily
fine-tune the engine's ECU. It also
has, of course, launch control.
When it came down to the final
placement of the KX450F it was in
a gloves-off brawl between it and
the KTM. Both bikes are impressive
and both had their strong points, but
unfortunately for the Kawi, the KTM
edged it out for the final spot on the
podium. Pretty much the deciding
factors were the KTM's broader
powerband, better overall tractability,
amazing brakes, lighter weight and
electric starting. But, in the real
world, both bikes are amazing and
their positioning could've gone
either way.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DREW RUIZ
