Double bonus!
By TMX Archives on 12th Oct 05
We've been waiting, we've been waiting...and then we've been waiting some more. We've been waiting, we've been waiting...and then we've been waiting some more. Well, now the wait is finally over and Kawasaki have got their production 450cc four-stroke up and running and ready to rip up the track for 2006!And as if bringing out an all-new machine wasn't a big enough challenge, the Kawasaki think tank's also been hard at work on their existing KX250F. For '06 the quarter-litre four-popper hasn't simply been refined, Kawasaki have poured plenty of TLC into the mix and come up with some pretty major mods.Seeing as we've been waiting such a long time for the KX450F a little further delay won't hurt anyone so our test kicks off with the 250 four-stroke.Kawasaki have got another year of development under their belts and they've made a lot of radical changes to their 250 four-stroke for 2006 - the most obvious one being the aluminium frame.We saw the stir Kawasaki made when their alu-framed 250 four-stroke made its race debut at Namur this year. Well, now it's available to Joe Public - not just factory superstars like Stephen Sword!Some manufacturers have struggled to get this right at their first attempt but the 250F felt very balanced and gave a very positive feel from the aluminium chassis. Obviously, this isn't 100 per cent down to the frame - the Showa suspension has a big say in it as well - but if the chassis isn't right it tends to be very noticeable very quickly.Personally, I feel that Kawasakis have always had forgiving handling and this hasn't changed a bit for '06. I spent most of the morning riding the 250 because I wanted to get a good feel for it - and I did straight away.On the track through turns - high-speed and low-speed - the bike tracks really well. It's so stable and the front is very positive - it eats up braking bumps and never felt as through it wanted to tuck under or push away. The rear balances very well with the front and it coped with some hard landings.Saying that, coming down one of the steepest hills on the gas I had a little bit of a problem with the front end feeling slightly unstable. But we played with the clickers and slowed the rebound which made a definite improvement.My main dislike with the KXF is the seat foam. The bikes we tested had a couple of days of work squeezed out of them prior to us riding them but the seat foam was so soft it felt like they'd already done a season. This isn't a big deal though - if all you have to worry about is an after-market seat foam you can't really complain too much.The bars feel a little closer to the rider this year so you need to compensate by having them further forward in the clamps. This feels a little unusual - on 90 per cent of the bikes I ride the handlebars are in line with the forks but with the Kawasaki you have to run them a little past that point.The 250 kicks over easily, whether it's hot or cold. If anything, it was harder to start cold - when it was hot it kicked over first time every time which traditionally has been a problem for four-strokes. This is really good news if you drop it or stall it in a race - there's nothing as frustrating as losing places while you try to fire up a hot four-stroke. Kawasaki have sussed this with what they call a ACR system which is a big, big plus.I struggled with the front brake for a little bit although I felt they got better as the day progressed - it was a little bit spongy at first.With the 96db silencer you don't feel or hear any difference but the engine feels stronger than this year's model. There's nowhere in the range where it felt that power was lacking - bottom, mid and top are all there. It also pulls second gear starts very easily - basically, I loved every lap on it!The 450 has been long awaited and I feel it's been well worth this wait. It's very progressive and easy to ride - I'm not a huge fan of 450s but I had a very enjoyable afternoon on this one.The 450 runs Kayaba front and rear suspension. It feels very positive in turns - just like the 250 - and the front end never felt like it wanted to push away, it went exactly where I pointed it lap after lap.Over the faster stutter bumps coming down some of the hills the front end seemed more stable than with the 250F but they also run different tyres so it's hard to call but I'd say it's more down to the fork.The power's very smooth and very strong but not in an aggressive way. This I feel is very important - 450s are so fast and they can sometimes get you in trouble. Obviously, if you took liberties with this it could bite you back hard but the power is so progressive it's easy to use.On fast, slippery turns it was easy just to roll the power on gradually - the rear end never felt like it was going to break away.And just like the 250F the 450 is easy to start hot or cold - it would even kick over when it was in gear. One area it does differ from its baby brother though is in the gearbox department. After riding the 450 I felt that the 250 gearbox wasn't as smooth, especially when you tried to shift up when you were on the gas.The 450 feels very light - Kawasaki have obviously looked very carefully at shaving weight and their latest machine comes in at under 100kg. This is super-light for a 450cc four-stroke.The 450 has the same seat thing going on as the 250 but you don't have to go to the aftermarket for things like petal discs and Renthal bars which come as standard so the money you save here could be reinvested in a firmer foam - I know I would if I was racing one next year.The bar clamps felt a bit too close - you could possibly change this by spinning the bar clamps in the triple clamps although by doing this you may lose some of the great feeling you get through the turns.They may have been slower than some of their competitors when it's come to getting production machines out to the public but Kawasaki are definitely heading in the right direction when it comes to four-strokes.specificationsKX250FCapacity: 249ccBore and stroke: 77mm x 53.6mmTransmission: Five-speedCarburettor: Keihin FCR37Front suspension: 47mm ShowaRear suspension: ShowaFront brake: 250mm discRear brake: 240mm discWheelbase: 1469mmSeat height: 960mmDry weight: 92.5kgspecificationsKX450FCapacity: 449ccBore and stroke: 96mm x 62.1mmTransmission: Four-speedCarburettor: Keihin FCR40Front suspension: 48mm KayabaRear suspension: KayabaFront brake: 250mm discRear brake: 240mm discWheelbase: 1485mmSeat height: 965mmDry weight: 99.8kgWords by Tony Marshall Photos by redeye.uk.com