The 2025 KX450SR

Shawnh wrote:

I finally got my second ride in today and all I can say is wow, this thing is a beast!  I went to IMI again today...

I finally got my second ride in today and all I can say is wow, this thing is a beast!  I went to IMI again today and the track was in very good shape, especially compared to the last time.  I have changed my mind quite a bit on the motor after the second ride, initially I thought it might be a bit softer off the bottom than my 23 SR and may need a bit of tuning to get better throttle response.  I am now thinking this motor is magic, no issues with throttle response or bottom end.  It pulled the tightest rutted corners on the track in 3rd with no issues (keep in mind this track is at around 5000' elevation) and definitely has more mid and top end as well.  I am extremely pleased with the motor and don't feel the need to mess with the airbox or tuning!  Probably will at some point but no longer in a hurry for sure.  

As much as I like the motor, the handling was even more impressive!  I absolutely loved the last gen Kawi and was a bit concerned that I might need some time to get used to the quicker turning and nervous front end.  Nope, this thing is amazing.  I was immediately comfortable, had no issues with headshake or nervousness and was super happy with how well it cornered in tight ruts. I was able to turn this thing on a dime but what surprised me most was how much more comfortable it was on faster flat/non-rutted corners.  My last gen bikes always had a bit of vagueness/push on initial turn-in and mid-corner on flat faster corners. The 25 sticks like glue for me and allowed me attack the corners with much more confidence wherever I decided go, inside, middle or railing the outside.  

So far the suspension feels very similar to the 23, which for me is excellent and I feel no need to adjust it yet.  I am also very happy with the Brembo, it is not as touchy and feels much more progressive.  

As much as I am raving about this bike, my lap times backed up everything I was feeling.  I use a Garmin Edge 540 and Litpro for laptimes and I have hundreds of laps logged on this track since 2019.  I was able to log my personal best lap time in my second moto of the day by almost a second and I have not touched a clicker or even set the sag.  I only have 3 hours on this bike and I am already faster an more comfortable than the last gen bike that I had well over 200 hours on.  Needless to say, I am completely stoked with this bike!  

Shawnh wrote:

I finally got my second ride in today and all I can say is wow, this thing is a beast!  I went to IMI again today...

I finally got my second ride in today and all I can say is wow, this thing is a beast!  I went to IMI again today and the track was in very good shape, especially compared to the last time.  I have changed my mind quite a bit on the motor after the second ride, initially I thought it might be a bit softer off the bottom than my 23 SR and may need a bit of tuning to get better throttle response.  I am now thinking this motor is magic, no issues with throttle response or bottom end.  It pulled the tightest rutted corners on the track in 3rd with no issues (keep in mind this track is at around 5000' elevation) and definitely has more mid and top end as well.  I am extremely pleased with the motor and don't feel the need to mess with the airbox or tuning!  Probably will at some point but no longer in a hurry for sure.  

As much as I like the motor, the handling was even more impressive!  I absolutely loved the last gen Kawi and was a bit concerned that I might need some time to get used to the quicker turning and nervous front end.  Nope, this thing is amazing.  I was immediately comfortable, had no issues with headshake or nervousness and was super happy with how well it cornered in tight ruts. I was able to turn this thing on a dime but what surprised me most was how much more comfortable it was on faster flat/non-rutted corners.  My last gen bikes always had a bit of vagueness/push on initial turn-in and mid-corner on flat faster corners. The 25 sticks like glue for me and allowed me attack the corners with much more confidence wherever I decided go, inside, middle or railing the outside.  

So far the suspension feels very similar to the 23, which for me is excellent and I feel no need to adjust it yet.  I am also very happy with the Brembo, it is not as touchy and feels much more progressive.  

As much as I am raving about this bike, my lap times backed up everything I was feeling.  I use a Garmin Edge 540 and Litpro for laptimes and I have hundreds of laps logged on this track since 2019.  I was able to log my personal best lap time in my second moto of the day by almost a second and I have not touched a clicker or even set the sag.  I only have 3 hours on this bike and I am already faster an more comfortable than the last gen bike that I had well over 200 hours on.  Needless to say, I am completely stoked with this bike!  

Nate_Z wrote:

That's awesome! Curious what you use your Garmin for that the Litpro doesn't do? 

Haven024 wrote:

I picked up mine a couple of weeks ago on the 2nd, it's the best KX I've ever bought and ridden! I have the 23SR and...

I picked up mine a couple of weeks ago on the 2nd, it's the best KX I've ever bought and ridden! I have the 23SR and the 24 model as well and the 25 SR is definitely the best! I'm curious to know how many they're gonna make, my dealer here in Arizona said that they were only getting one per dealership. I also don't understand why everyone is hating on the 24 KX 450 about the power, yeah it's a little more mild stock but I put on a full PC exhaust modified the airbox a bit and a vortex ECU and it now has more bottom end grunt than my 23 SR.

Shawnh wrote:

I got to ride my '25 SR yesterday and wanted to give a quick impression.  I rode at my regular track, IMI Motorsports Park near Denver...

I got to ride my '25 SR yesterday and wanted to give a quick impression.  I rode at my regular track, IMI Motorsports Park near Denver.  It is a fairly fast track with a fair number of jumps and both fast sweepers and slower tight corners.  Track conditions were not ideal as we had quite a bit of snow a week or so ago and it was a chilly 50 degrees.  There were 3 short swampy sections we had to bypass but otherwise it was decent.  It got deeper and softer ruts than normal and fairly rough in sections so I wasn't pushing as hard as I normally would on my '23. 

The bike definitely turns quicker than the 23 with a touch more nervousness in the braking bumps.  I could tell it will be more settled in rutted corners as the bike had less tendency to stand up if I wasn't in perfect position and seemed to have better front end traction.  The motor is a bit softer down low but seems to pull forever in 3rd gear and is super linear.  I didn't have any trouble pulling 3rd gear out of the slowest corners and easily jumped the 100' triple in the middle without shifting to 4th.  My 23 preferred 4th gear on that jump as it would start to rev out and lose steam earlier than the 25.  The suspension seems very similar to the 23 which is to say excellent.  I Didn't touch a clicker or sag as I usually wait to get a few more hours on the suspension but really didn't need to in order to feel comfortable. 

Overall, I am sure I will love this bike once I am used to it and able to take advantage of the quicker turning.  I may open up the airbox and play with the tuning to see if I can get a bit more of the low end throttle response as that coupled with the killer top end and the motor will be perfect for me. The 23 SR is easily the best bike I have ever owned and I am already feeling like the 25 raised the bar.  I'll update again once the track is a bit drier and back to normal.   

Shawnh wrote:

I got to ride my '25 SR yesterday and wanted to give a quick impression.  I rode at my regular track, IMI Motorsports Park near Denver...

I got to ride my '25 SR yesterday and wanted to give a quick impression.  I rode at my regular track, IMI Motorsports Park near Denver.  It is a fairly fast track with a fair number of jumps and both fast sweepers and slower tight corners.  Track conditions were not ideal as we had quite a bit of snow a week or so ago and it was a chilly 50 degrees.  There were 3 short swampy sections we had to bypass but otherwise it was decent.  It got deeper and softer ruts than normal and fairly rough in sections so I wasn't pushing as hard as I normally would on my '23. 

The bike definitely turns quicker than the 23 with a touch more nervousness in the braking bumps.  I could tell it will be more settled in rutted corners as the bike had less tendency to stand up if I wasn't in perfect position and seemed to have better front end traction.  The motor is a bit softer down low but seems to pull forever in 3rd gear and is super linear.  I didn't have any trouble pulling 3rd gear out of the slowest corners and easily jumped the 100' triple in the middle without shifting to 4th.  My 23 preferred 4th gear on that jump as it would start to rev out and lose steam earlier than the 25.  The suspension seems very similar to the 23 which is to say excellent.  I Didn't touch a clicker or sag as I usually wait to get a few more hours on the suspension but really didn't need to in order to feel comfortable. 

Overall, I am sure I will love this bike once I am used to it and able to take advantage of the quicker turning.  I may open up the airbox and play with the tuning to see if I can get a bit more of the low end throttle response as that coupled with the killer top end and the motor will be perfect for me. The 23 SR is easily the best bike I have ever owned and I am already feeling like the 25 raised the bar.  I'll update again once the track is a bit drier and back to normal.   

TooTallJason wrote:

Next time you see a 24 Kawi #803 there come say hello. Also lemme ride it. 

DB505 wrote:

Awesome! 
But man I can’t believe people are spending so much money for a DirtBike! Lol 

DB505 wrote:

Awesome! 
But man I can’t believe people are spending so much money for a DirtBike! Lol 

Shawnh wrote:

If you have the money, why not?  I really don't think the new bikes are overly expensive for what you get.  Name another motorsport that you...

If you have the money, why not?  I really don't think the new bikes are overly expensive for what you get.  Name another motorsport that you can get near national level performance and the unbelievable reliability of the 450s in particular for $8-12K.  I think Colt Nichols bought one in 23, changed the suspension a bit, rode it for a week and got 10th place at an outdoor national, That is pretty much unheard of in any other high level motorsport.  It was worth if for me because I have been doing this a long time and decided to quit being a penny pincher in the sport I love and couldn't be happier!

DB505 wrote:

Awesome! 
But man I can’t believe people are spending so much money for a DirtBike! Lol 

Shawnh wrote:

If you have the money, why not?  I really don't think the new bikes are overly expensive for what you get.  Name another motorsport that you...

If you have the money, why not?  I really don't think the new bikes are overly expensive for what you get.  Name another motorsport that you can get near national level performance and the unbelievable reliability of the 450s in particular for $8-12K.  I think Colt Nichols bought one in 23, changed the suspension a bit, rode it for a week and got 10th place at an outdoor national, That is pretty much unheard of in any other high level motorsport.  It was worth if for me because I have been doing this a long time and decided to quit being a penny pincher in the sport I love and couldn't be happier!