Jesse Ziegler | June 15, 2018
The 2019 Kawasaki KX450 First Ride is one of the most exciting motocross bike tests of the year for the Cycle News dirt bike nerds. After learning about all the changes Kawasaki made to the KX450 (see our 2019 Kawasaki KX450 First Look), we were fired up to ride the new Team Green machine. A new KX450 is long overdue and an all-new bike should satisfy our needs for a more viable green option in the 450 class.
We were not disappointed.
2019 Kawasaki KX450 First Ride
Did you notice the “F” is gone from the end of KX450? Apparently, there’s no need to tell consumers this is a four-stroke. Which tells me there’s no chance of a 450 two-stroke coming out. But I read on the Internet…
Remember this: The 2019 Kawasaki KX450 loves ruts and turning in them.
Anyway, after a great two-track day at Pala Raceway in San Diego County, California, we left impressed and optimistic about the new KX450’s chances of standing up to the class leaders in this year’s shootout.
2019 Kawasaki KX450 First Ride Video
Sure, the Kawasaki KX450 has been a competent race machine for over a decade. It has been a powerhouse and a sweet handling machine with almost inherent stability and a traditional race bike chassis feel that keeps fans wanting to ride it. In an endearing way, it’s been a more classic kind of ride in the motocross class with big power and less drastic year-over-year changes to geometry or feel. If you rode a 2007 KX450, 2015 didn’t feel that much different and you’d be at home on 2017 and 2018’s, as well. And save for the precise setup requirements of the air fork and its limitations on consistent comfort for most home-tuners over the past couple years, this was still true. KXs are easy to love if you fell in love with them once before. This comfortable feel is great, but it can also make a Kawasaki feel dated or old-fashioned if you’re not riding one consistently.
Is the 2019 Kawasaki KX450 a champion? History says it’s got a great chance of winning.
2019 KX450 Updates
The 2019 Kawasaki KX450 retains just enough of the old-school charm but infuses large doses of new-school updates. Gone are the air-sprung forks in favor of new, initially impressive coil spring unit with “A-Kit” technology. Kawasaki shoppers can also feel good about electric starting, much larger/more powerful brakes and a new hydraulic clutch. These aren’t coincidental updates, in our view. These are directly pointed at, and possibly a response to, KTM and Husqvarna’s original equipment offerings. Customers are now expecting bikes to come equipped as such. Kawasaki is on board.
There’s a lot more than just clutch pull and button starter switches to this beast. Again, we have that covered in the First Look if you want to dig deeper. Also, Kawasaki USA has a load of 2019 KX450 Info
While updates on screen are one thing, updates on the track are another.
We enlisted pro-caliber tester Derek Kelley to give the bike a thorough shakedown alongside the likes of Kawasaki VIPs Jeremy McGrath and Axell Hodges on Pala Raceway’s main track. For the mortal outlook, I rode the bike on the nicely prepped Pala Raceway Vet track after a couple laps of not being awesome on the main track. It’s important to know your place.
2019 Kawasaki KX450 Power
Our 2019 Kawasaki KX450 riding impressions were nearly identical. This bike is great at spanning the ability gap.
Right away we both noticed a broader torque feel with less aggressive ramping up of power out of the new engine. The 2019 KX450 engine performance is tuned for more progression in delivery and it shows on the track. The Kawasaki’s power doesn’t snap or bark, it pulls. And it pulls strongly. And it pulls longer with more over-rev than before. So, if you like controllable power and the ability to rev it out, we think you’ll like the new KX450.
Test riders like Derek Kelley challenged the KX450 to perform. It responded well.
The 2019 KX450 engine has a lot of updates and the major configuration change is a finger-follower valvetrain that allows for more aggressive cam profiles and the higher rpm ceiling. Also, the valve sizes are greatly increased. The aggressive cam profile and valve super-sizing don’t equal more aggressive power delivery, but it does make the power delivery strong and more powerful in a wider rpm range.
I, personally, felt like the power delivery was nearly perfect. Aggressive riders like Derek may desire more of a punch-in-the-face approach to power, but we both agreed the power is really good out of the crate. We swapped between Kawasaki’s EFI-tuning couplers and, surprisingly, both agreed we’d run the aggressive version. I leave this bike in third gear through a lot of corners and the aggressive plug helps cover up some of my clutch and talent shortcomings by ramping up rpm faster. Derek simply wants more exciting acceleration. The white EFI-tuning coupler does both. I tried the more mellow coupler (black) and it forced me to shift down more often to get the rpm momentum needed to flow. The stock (green) or aggressive tuning plug seems to be best here.
Some riders will want more outright punch from the KX450, but with more over-rev and plenty of torque, we’re thinking those opinions will be reserved
2019 Kawasaki KX450 Suspension and Handling
The next thing we noticed was how smooth the suspension feel is. The fork has a crazy amount of high-grade parts and parts specs in it. From dimply coatings to the inner surface of the outer tubes meant to hold oil to race-spec suspension fluids and component sizing, it seems Kawasaki’s A-Kit claims are more than just marketing speak. The 2019 Kawasaki KX450 has one of the most comfortable stock fork setups we’ve ridden. It’s so comfortable that it has the perception of being very soft. Both Derek and I are around 180 pounds, so we’re a little over the average setup size. Still, the suspension only felt soft, it didn’t wallow or get spooky at all. It was just incredibly smooth feeling at Pala. We really hope this continues on some rougher, nastier tracks.
The most impressive aspect of the 2019 KX450 Showa “A-Kit” Fork is that there is zero stiction, zero harsh sensations, zero unnecessary resistance feeling in any part of the stroke. We stiffened it up quite a bit (+5 clicks on the fork compression) and are looking forward to trying a stiffer spring on our next test day. Still, even though we were able to bottom the setup fairly regularly, it was the most comfortable trip to bottoming we’ve had in a long time.
The suspension feel on the new KX450 is great. We had no problem airing it out and, even when we bottomed the fork, we weren’t upset about it. It aims to please!
After being impressed by the fork, we were really happy with the way the bike handled. In corners, it’s entirely predictable, especially if you have the good fortune of hitting a rut. In a rut, the 2019 Kawasaki KX450 is at home. Simply get it in there and use the throttle to slingshot through the corner. The bike flies through ruts with confidence and had us searching for more every lap. It was equally stable on flat-track turns or off-cambers. It’s a very planted, cornering machine so far.
We did chase the front end a bit on corner exit under power and while flip-flopping through some chicane-style turns on both tracks. Since it felt incredibly stable at speed and everywhere else, we opted to drop the fork in the triple clamp a few mm’s. It was an improvement. We also opened up the riding position by moving the footpeg brackets down one position. The KX has some nice ergonomic options and this change also made it more comfortable for six-foot-plus Derek and 5’10” Jesse.
Speaking of ergonomics, the new seat-to-tank transition is really clean and makes for sliding forward in the turns a breeze.
The KX450 has confidence-inspiring suspension and a stable chassis, making it perfect for camera-induced scrubbing
More 2019 KX450 New Parts
As we kept riding the 2019 KX450, the updated parts and systems kept impressing. Massive, powerful brakes surprised us with their initial bite and strength. They’re likely too strong initially but some break-in time will determine their long-term feel. Right now, they stop aggressively!
The hydraulic clutch is consistent in feel and seems to work well. It doesn’t offer a much lighter pull at the lever if any. So, don’t expect an easier left-hand workout while you ride. But it should be a winner as long as the Kawasaki system can prove to be durable and trouble-free.
Electric start was great. We have grown accustomed to E-start and aren’t going back to kicking anytime soon.
What else did we love? Definitely the exhaust note and tone of the muffler. While it looks pretty massive, the muffler delivers a healthy, clean sound now—something Kawasaki’s definitely did not have the past few years. Now it sounds like a nicely tuned machine instead of an open-pipe thrashed bike.
The only area we can begin to complain about the 2019 Kawasaki KX450 at this point is in some finish details. Aluminum components like the footpeg brackets and subframe mounts seem stamped, drilled and forgotten about. The footpeg brackets in particular almost look out of place. The way the electric start gears are mounted above the countershaft sprocket also looks cheaper than other e-start integrations on MX bikes. And the overall styling, while definitely strong in Kawasaki green glory, has been polarizing. Some love it with a classic tone, others think it’s a dated style. That’s certainly a personal preference.
The footpegs on the 2019 KX450 are nice and big, and their position is adjustable. But does that bracket look finished?
Overwhelmingly, the 2019 Kawasaki KX450 is an undisputed improvement over the previous generation. The suspension package alone will put this into consideration for class leadership. And with the handling and other performance aspects impressing us so far, we are already big fans.
It will be an interesting year to shop for a 450 motocross bike, that’s for sure!
We are enjoying the 2019 Kawasaki KX450. And we have another test day coming up for more insight into all that is new. Stay tuned!
Are you in the market for a new motocross bike? Let us know what you’re looking for in a 450-class MX bike and we’ll tell you if the 2019 Kawasaki KX450 has it. We’re scheduling another test day with Kawasaki in a week or so and will have much more time to tinker.
More Cycle News Kawasaki Bike Reviews
More Cycle News Motocross Bike Reviews
Photography by: Drew Ruiz and Max Mandell
