KX vs YZ

24+ KX holds up great. Yamaha holds up better. Yamaha is a better bike. I love my 22 & 24 KX450s but my next one will be blue. 

All 450s are fairly reliable now days. I don’t think the yz would be such a significant advantage in reliability over the kx as you would see in 250s for example. Long story short, I’d get the bike you feel best suits you because all the 450s are fairly bulletproof now days. 

YZ 450's not as reliable as they used to be. Some guys have no problems and there are a few that do. MXA mentions it in their 450 shootout. 

I had my 2019 KX450 until last January when I picked up a 2024 KX.  I haven’t had any problems with either bike.  I’ve ridden the new Yamaha 450 as well.  I prefer the chassis of the Kawasaki, especially after the track gets really rough.  I prefer the power on the Kawasaki as well, but that’s because I race in the +40 classes and like the smoother power delivery of the Kawasaki.  It makes it easier to hold onto at the end of a long moto.  If you were younger and faster than me, you might prefer the harder hitting power of the Yamaha.  It definitely feels faster than my Kawasaki.  The stock suspension feel better and more balanced on the Yamaha, but I get my bike revalved and resprung, anyway, and the Kawasaki suspension is great once you get it set up for you.  Either bike will do all you need it to do.  Pick your preferred color and have fun!

Vast majority of my life been a Yamaha guy  but the last 5 years been a Kawi guy but had a 24 yz recently.  The yz fit and finish is vastly better but as far as durability I’ve never had an issue with the kawi. I’m super anal on how my bikes look and the kaw looks beat super quick.  The metal they use for the cases,linkage and hubs stain super easy.  The coating on the bolts comes off super easy also.  My 24 yz with 50 hrs on it looked better than my 24 kaw with 25hrs.  

With all that said the kx is badass and you can always pickup a leftover for nothing.  

I don’t think yamaha four strokes are all around bulletproof anymore. Motor and electrical issues seem common compared to other bikes. The chassis is solid though.

I switched to Yamaha from the 2019-2023 Kawasaki kx450’s.  The KX450’s were bulletproof with the exception of a few minor adjustments.   Chassis was great….rear brake is a problem.   I moved on to the Yamaha…..with my Factory Connection suspension it’s the best suspended bike that I’ve ever owned.   Great bikes.  I think the Yamaha motor is more evolved.   It doesn’t vibrate and runs great.   

They are good. Had the 23 and the 24 without any issues. 

Price and comfort,Kx is hard to beat.

Don't own either, but have ridden both. The Yam delivers the power a lot more abruptly, but in an extremely refined way and it vibrates less. It feels really good and the suspension is great. The Kawi chassis, for me, is way better and the power delivery is much more user friendly. 

If you’ve never owned a 450, let your wallet make the choice for you. Both are great bikes and both will give you what you need.  Both bikes have also seen notable changes in the last couple of model years (23-25), so keep that in mind during your research, assuming you’re looking at new(er).

The same part that is steel on a KX may be 7000 aluminum on a YZ. Thay are both well made. Yamaha is known for using titanium at times. I did see an H2R upclose recently, that thing is a masterpiece. 

Triumph Daytons is the biggest piece of junk I've ever owned. 

I much prefer my yz over the 23 kx SR I had. Went from 23 yz to 23 kx and regretted it and back to 24 yz. Fit, finish, "nimbleness" if that's a thing. The 23 sr motor was good, but i much prefer the yam. Not out of control power like the 14 yz450. Very easily modulated in my opinion. 

Saw karnow keeps breaking 24+ kx subframes while prepping for sx. 

Did he break more than the one he had posted? Only see one post about that. 

I didn't talk to him about it but one posted elluded to he "wished he'd quit breaking these things" or something along those lines.

reliability is a wash between the 2, theyre both good bikes. The 24+ KX can not be beat for the money unless youre in the 2% that can actually use the yamaha power (and delivery). The fact is, all of the current 450 offerings are fantastic bikes that have no major issues. Pick your budget, then pick your color.

Previously owned a '19 KX450 and currently on a '22 KX450SR, had to take some time off the bike for a house project, so although I'm only around the 40hr mark, I am starting to think about my next bike. There are a lot of things I love about his chassis, although I hear the '24 KX450 corners better, but has less motor? And I do believe I recall Keefer and others having clutch issues with the current YZ450's, along with high speed stability issues?

'21 KX Owner until I got my '23 YZ450 right when they got stateside. Thought I missed my KX for a while after picking up the YZ. Rode a buddies '22 KX and went back to my YZ and was instantly assured I had made the right choice. 

The KX is a damn good package and very friendly to the vast majority of riders with its comfortable power delivery, and forgiving chassis. The YZ is faster, better suspended and as reliable. In stock trim at a local pro level, it's an easy choice for me. Only downside, like you mentioned, is $$$. 

I still ride the wheels off mine in stock trim, and at 69hrs with a fresh piston, the thing feels like new. After inspection, I could have left the piston in longer. Everything internal looked excellent. Either bike you choose, change your oil a lot!!!

Did you ever get your suspension done, or still stock with the correct springs? I'm still stock with heavier springs on my 24 YX450F and just wondering if it can be made better. I have went backwards on suspension and wished I had left well enough alone.

Kawasaki if you are 6 ft or taller, both great bikes 

Everything they changed from the 23 to the 24 on the kawi for me was a positive. The front brake caliper , much better feel, the smaller rear rotor, much less touchy, the ergos, significantly easier to grip with legs, front end bias way easier to corner, the engine, way smoother and the ecu is the most well mapped on any bike I’ve ridden. It’s so seamless none of the notchy on off feelings of other models.

I drilled some holes in the airbox, put on a yosh (not a significant change for me but good) the airbox holes did as much or more  than the $900 exhaust to me. Springs for my weight, husky bend bars, more oil in the forks, and I’m honestly as comfortable as I’ve ever been on any bike. 

From a reliability standpoint, I have nothing but positive to say about the current Kawi's. I've had a few '21-'23's, have put as much as 100+ hours on them. They have treated me very well, only thing that pissed me off is my countershaft seal went out after the first ride on my latest one. Cheap part and easy fix, but annoying to do on a brand new bike. People do have issues with the chain guides and sliders, I've somehow been able to have extremely good luck with Acerbis guides and sliders. But I do know some guys on here were only getting a handful of hours out of them.

I sold the specific bike with over 100 hard hours (A class moto and off-road) to a B class moto kid who has been riding the absolute shit out of it for the last 6 months. I gave him all OEM Kawi parts to rebuild top end, bottom end and valvetrain, but he hasn't put them in and the bike is still chugging along. Has to be at 150-180 hours by now, engine never opened up. 

I rode Kawi's in '08 and had a lot of problems, and the build quality was shit. These new Kawi's are built much better IMO. I know people complain about bolts, but I've never had a single bolt or thread have an issue on any of these bikes. Stock wheels are shit, but most bikes are these days. Exhaust is extremely ugly and restrictive, a slip on helps the looks and power department a lot. 

I'm 6'2 and find the Kawi's to fit me much better than the Yamaha's. I wish I could put the Yami engine in the Kawi chassis, would be hard to beat that bike IMO. 

I ended up buying another '23 instead of the '24 because I already had a lot of extra parts and had found good suspension settings for moto and off-road. I didn't feel the chassis improvements on the '24 were enough to start from scratch, and didn't feel like dicking around with the airbox. 

I'm staying green 'til the 26's come out, then I will revisit. Just haven't found a bike that works better for me at the moment than ol' green.

I don't think you'll be disappointed at all, I find it to be just a great bike all the way around. 

On stock clamps I ran the mounts in the back holes and the mounts facing forward (so the bars are more forward). The bike is pretty long and the cockpit is very open, so even at 6'2 I feel like I have plenty of room with the mounts in the back holes. I find bikes corner weird with the bars sitting forward, I feel like the turning is less sharp and less stable. 

The stock bar bend (839) is great for taller guys, I wouldn't go any taller. 

I never changed the footpeg height, you can drop them to a lower hole. I've thought it might be nice to have less distance between my ass and the seat (less distance to stand up and sit down when riding) but haven't tried it. I have nightmares about catching pegs in ruts on jump faces, so I want every millimeter of clearance available. 

All the bikes these days are good. You just have to find what chassis feels right and what reliability you want.