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(8) Battery. The battery has a micro-switch that turns the battery off if it gets hot—this is reportedly what happened to Eli Tomac’s KX450 at the Motocross des Nations. It will refuse to turn the engine over until it cools down.
I have also seen the coolant low and cause the bike to shut down. I personally had a bad radiator cap that was allowing coolant to push out the over flow.
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Local track had demo day yesterday, and got to spin some laps on a 2020 kx450. Most of my track time has been on a 2 stoke, and current ride is a YZ250. I am C, maybe back of the pack B, 38 years old, and the Kawi fits the bill for me due to my height of 6'3. Also, my primary goal is fun, mx only, but little- if any- racing.
My insight from a couple laps is the suspension was very plush. It was late in the day, and the track was not that bad, but it would soak up stuff SO much more than my old smoker... albeit its on old aoss stuff. I was picking bad lines and aiming for big holes, and it did not care. Way cool. I did not push it super hard, but dare I say... it felt, well.... a bit boring? I am not sure if I was looking for more of a hit, or if I am just not used to the 4 stroke and perhaps that feeling will pass. I mean you could put it in 3rd and never clutch or change gears, lol! I guess I was expecting instant love, and instead I was driving home rethinking things.
My question is this. Anyone in this epic near 100 pager go from a 2 stroke to this bike, and if so, how was the adjustment period? I came home and the wifey just rolled her eyes at me and said, you dope, you will just get used to it and never look back. Perhaps she is right, but what concerns me is how comfortable I was on the two stroke when I gave the dealer the kx back. Any insight would be great! THANKS!
EDIT- Unsure what coupler was plugged in, which might explain its tameness???
2 strokes have hard hitting powerbands, while 4 strokes have a more electric 'metered' power output that is WAY more controllable. But ride whatever you are more comfortable with. I am still a die hard 2 stroke lover, and I love the lighter front end feel of my two strokes, but there is no denying that the 4 stroke tires me out less because of the way the engine makes its power.
Welcome to 2005. :-)
I bought my KX450 in March, and I was coming off 3 years on a YZ250 (a 2016, newer than yours, but still very similar). Prior to the YZ, I'd taken 25 years off from the sport, and I'd never owned a 4 stroke before. I kept my YZ250 because I really wasn't sure if I'd wind up hating the 450. I'd borrowed a couple of 450s for a few laps before, but always felt right back at home on my 2-stroke as soon as I got back on it.
It took me a little while to adjust to the KX450. The way the motor felt, the engine braking, etc. The heavier weight seemed to go away first, then I grew to appreciate the engine braking. The smooth power that you are talking about though, it's deceptive. The smoker is more violent, but it isn't anywhere near as "fast". It's most obvious when getting around slower riders on practice days, when you can literally just twist the throttle and shoot past another rider...my YZ250 could never do that. It doesn't rip your arms off, but it actually hooks up and goes forward much quicker than the smoker can. Plus you can either lug 3rd in a turn or stretch 2nd at the end of a short straight in ways that the 2 stroke really can't.
Two weeks ago I took both bikes out at the same time to ride back to back for the first time. I couldn't believe how bad my YZ250 felt. It made me a little sad to be honest, because I remember really loving the bike, and I had a great time racing it. The motor was difficult to ride, and the bike just felt really sketchy compared to the more planted 450. I used to crash kind of a lot, and really hard, on the smoker. I'm faster on the KX450 than I ever was on the smoker, with only one bad crash all year (my fault on a big double).
The other thing with my smoker was, I had to ride the thing constantly (2-3 times per week) or the rust would set in and I'd feel like I hadn't ridden in a while if I took so much as a week off from riding. On the KX this year, I went 2 months with no practice days at all, just showing up for races, even at tracks I'd never been to before and felt comfortable and ready to go full speed after a sight lap. I think because the bike is so easy to ride, you get comfortable really quick.
As far as the coupler goes, they probably had the normal green one in if it was a demo day. Black would be more for dry / low traction days, white if you want move liveliness.
Anyway, good luck!
This was/is the case for me too. I have to ride the 2T way more on the edge of control to go the same speed, have to shift right before jump faces (depending on the track), etc. On the 450 I can think more about technique, line selection, and breathing. Now that I think about it, maybe a lot of the fun I was having on the smoker was the fact that you have to ride on the ragged edge a bit more, so there's more of a rush to it.
Pit Row
(just kidding)
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