Kawasaki KLX450R 2007

It's Easy, Being Green

OVERVIEW
This is Kawasaki's entry in the popular 450 trail bike class and it has surprised many with its performance. Overall, the testers felt it was pretty good straight out of the box.

REVIEW
When building their new 450 enduro weapon, Kawasaki took the proven path of using an established motocross model and then modifying it, thus ending up with a user-friendly, enduro/trail bike. It can often be a thankless task for the engineers too; faster riders want 'more motocross' while the average bush-basher prefers more trail bike influences.

There have been substantial changes made to the base-plant KX450F to turn it into the KLX450R but we'll just stick with the important stuff.

ENGINE
The KX450F motocross model has an awesome engine, (we've got one at our place, so we know) and it provides a proven base for the KLX450. The first thing that the Kawasaki engineers did when transforming the roaring MX donk for off-road riders was to keep the short-arsed crew happy by adding an electric starter (hooray for the little bloke!)

Next on the Important Stuff list was the addition of a wide ratio, five speed transmission. Getting a little more technical now, the flywheel mass (crankshaft) has been doubled, as in heavier, and this takes some of the edginess out of the motocross engine. The camshaft design and cam timing have also been modified in the interests of smoother power delivery and more torque.

One millimetre larger steel, exhaust valves are fitted, to enhance low end power and offer better durability. Regular stuff like an automatic cam chain tensioner, an auto compression release for the kick-starter and a four valve, double overhead camshaft head keep the KLX up to date with modern four-stroke engine design.

Of course the motocross muffler had to go. It's borderline offensive, even on a racetrack, and has been replaced with a trail friendly, re-packable, ADR compliant model. The motocross radiators have been retained although a reservoir tank has been added to absorb those boiling moments.

The front end would lift effortlessly over whoops and tree roots and the corner exit response was smooth and tractable, yet still fast. You really need to ride this bike a bit to get your head around the motor. It doesn't romp and stomp and it's not angry, but it does go pretty darn well. It's not a 'chunky' motor and it doesn't stall easily. You really don't need to use the clutch too much either, it's very electric.

We rode this bike in a variety of terrain too. You name it: fast swoopy stuff, tight gnarly hills, sand washes, fire trails, and we kept trying to find an excuse to need more power but couldn't come up with one. Vince Strang and I spent a fair bit of time playing with this bike and at the end of the day we both had to give the engine a thumbs up for trail riding, even if it did sound like a four-stroke lawnmower.

 But, and there's always a but, the other side of the coin is that the KX450 has no anger or aggression in stock trim but a lot of people who purchase a 450 enduro bike expect some aggro for their dollars. I'm sure that in the next couple of months an aftermarket race pipe will surface for the KLX and it'll be interesting to see what effect that has on performance.

The chassis and suspension come straight from the motocross model and Kawasaki have done a particularly good job on setting the suspension up for off-road riding. Plush and smooth are two words that get thrown around the keyboard a lot when it comes to describing motorcycles, but in this case that's an appropriate description. We had testers weighing from 60 to a 100 kilos ride this bike, (no, not all at once) and yes, it was a big ask to expect that they'd all like the stock suspension setup, but they all said the ride was "plush and forgiving". To us that sounds a helluva lot like an endorsement.

Stopping performance was top shelf stuff too. The front brake had a nice positive feel at the lever and the bike didn't headshake coming down from speed. Stability and straight line tracking through rough sections wasn't a problem either, but tipping the bike into corners was a different matter. It's not that the KLX450 corners badly, it's just that it likes to stand up, even around corners, and it takes extra effort on the rider's part to arc a turn fluidly.

Some tuning in with the race sag and fork height could help here. The electric leg worked well every time but I'd hate to have to rely on it. Like all electric start, competition off-road bikes the battery just doesn't have enough guts for constant use, but it did start easily with the kicker and after a few kays the battery was juiced again anyway.

Crankcase and lower frame protection is something we'd look into if we owned one of these bikes, and at this stage the only sump guard we know of is the 'Hyde', imported by A1 Accessories. It's surprising how easy lower alloy frame rails can be damaged, so for that reason alone we'd fit an aftermarket guard.

SHOULD YOU BUY ONE?
As far as the trail rider goes, this bike is a buy it and ride it proposition. It has all the necessities for trail riding. The gearing's fine, the brakes work, the cockpit is all enduro and the engine could pull you smoothly and quietly up the southern face of Mt Kosciusko.

Racers and rev-heads will demand more from this bike though; they'll want more hit from the motor, and as a couple of our testers mentioned, they really did expect more action from a competition 450. We reckon a race pipe, and a little tuning would fix the mojo problem, but don't feel embarrassed if you just buy this bike and ride it stock. It goes a hell of a lot better than it sounds. RRP: $11,990 plus ORC.

Photos: Just Dave