2023 KX450X Enduro Build/Impressions Pt.1
Written by Malcolm Hett of BTR
2023 felt like the right year to bring on some change and excitement, and what better way to do that then to set aside the orange 350 four stroke machine I’ve become accustomed to over many years and make a change to a brand with a rich history in off-road motorcycle racing and riding - Kawasaki.
In 2007 (just a few years ago, right?) I raced my first season in the Masters/Pro class in Canada and did so on a 2007 KX250 two stroke Kawasaki. That was my first two-stroke motorcycle since my PW80 as a kid, and first motocross style bike, always riding and racing heavy four strokes like the XR and DRZ400 before hand. I did ok on the KX, but moved onto a KTM300 in 2009 and have been playing with the KTM brand ever since. Last year I spent most of my time on a 2022 KTM350xcf, but changing brands and bikes for the 23’ season was an exciting prospect and I went for it.
Onto the bike. I picked up a 2023 KX450x from Valley Moto Sport in the beginning of March 2023. I wanted to spend the first couple of weeks on the bike in mostly stock trim before making any modifications. The KX has three mapping options from stock, and I went with the more mellow option (Black coupler). I also adjusted the brake levers, clutch, handlebars and foot pegs to my liking. The Kawasaki allows 4 different bar positions and two options for the foot peg mounts. The sweet spot for the handlebar mounts were in the 2nd most forward position, and the foot peg mounting location that is slightly lower/rearward. This gave me a comfortable cockpit and allowed me to get into a good riding position. Due to my fused and injured ankles, I prefer to run my gear shifter quite high. I wasn’t able to get the shifter to go up the one extra spline I was hoping to try, but after riding it as is, I got used to it fairly quickly.
This bike has a ton of torque. Most of my 450 experience is on KTM and Suzuki bikes, and the KX had a different feeling than both of those machines. The motor has a lot of down low power, allowing you to run a gear high in most places, and the power is enough to pull you out of most situations you find yourself in. When the trails start to get tight and gnarly, and I’m talking PNW tight, where the trees are closer together than your handlebars, up hills have 2ft tall logs on them and you spend most your time in first and second gear, the KX450x performs better than I would have expected. It’s no more a handful than any other 450 I’ve ridden or raced, but it does have it’s differences. The stock gearing of 13/51 works well for hare scrambles and general off-road, but is a little high for the twisties. A 13-52, or even a 12-49 gearing combo was on my mind to get this bike a bit more versatile for my local terrain.
After 10-15 engine hours on stock trim I had the bike mostly figured out. The stock suspension is very compliant, and is very similar to the MX model of the same bike but with one spring rate softer front and rear. The bike is more of a point and shoot type of off-road motorcycle, where as my KTM300 can more easily switch lines mid way through a tricky section. But what you give up in flickability, you gain in stability, and the trade off is fair. That’s not to say this bike isn’t maneuverable by any means, in fact it’s quite the opposite for what you may expect for a full size, fire breathing 450 machine. I think it’s important to know what to expect when you ride different machines, and comparing 125’s to 300’s to 450’s is fun, but they all have a different job to do.
The first mod’s on the list were a bigger gas tank from Acerbis, a Guts wing seat cover, removing the stock kick stand and new grips.
The larger gas tank was a no brainer. I’ll be racing and riding this bike in Enduro’s and long distance event’s and need the extra fuel mileage. The Acerbis tank fits well, and despite looking a bit bulky when first mounted, when you ride with it you don’t even notice the larger tank, due partly to the perimeter frame itself. The seat cover is a personal preference addition. I’ve been running the wing seat cover on my last few bikes and love it, so putting one on the KX was a natural mod that I wanted. I will say that it felt less necessary on the Kawasaki then it did on my KTM machines. I found the KX easier to grip with my lower body compared the KTM. Not a night and day difference, I’d say 10-15% better leg contact on the KX. Regardless the Guts Wing cover fits my needs. Removing the stock kickstand wasn’t necessary and I don’t think all riders would follow suite, but when I rode on the balls of my feet and had my ankles pinched tight into the bike, I would occasionally feel the kickstand contact my heel, and I just couldn’t live with that personally when it comes to racing. And lastly but maybe most importantly was the grips themselves. The stock grips are thin and unforgiving. I was getting hand pain and cramps riding with them, and swapping out to a set of lock on ODI grips completely changed that for me.
That’s it for first impressions of the bike. I’ll be following this up with a part two shortly with notes on the changes and additions I make to the bike from here. Right now I have a new skid plate on order to replace the stock one, which doesn’t provide a ton of coverage. I’m looking at adding a 10oz flywheel weight, maybe some mapping changes and that’s about it besides regular wear and tear items like tires, mousses etc. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for part two!
