2016 KX450 Anybody got one?

Hudd_421
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Hudd_421 9/17/2015 10:03am
9/17/2015 10:03am
dura max wrote:
Thank you very much for the reply. Sounds like it is very similar to the CRF but more refined. The one thing that keeps me from...
Thank you very much for the reply. Sounds like it is very similar to the CRF but more refined. The one thing that keeps me from the KXF is the reputed poor, relative to the Honda, quality, fit/ finish and reliability. I always felt that the YZF's and CRF's lead in those categories compared to the KXF and RMZ. The other option is to look at the SXF or simply wait for the '17 CRF which is supposedly a new bike.
Steadman wrote:
I wouldn't worry about fit and finish on a modern Kawasaki. I don't know why people always say that...I think they are just following the herd...
I wouldn't worry about fit and finish on a modern Kawasaki. I don't know why people always say that...I think they are just following the herd. The snowball effect. There was a time when they were of lesser quality but it's not 1990 anymore. People often use Honda as a benchmark, but my 04 CRF450 I bought new years ago was the most fragile cheap feeling bike I have ever owned, and I take good care of my stuff.

Anyway, I wouldn't be scared off by misconception of quality on these bikes.
I can comment on the fit and finish.

Coming off 4 Yamahas I noticed a difference in initial build quality, but my KX was still good, and help up perfect.

My issues were with seat bolt and subframe bolt holes. You have to locktight pretty much everything on the KX, or they will strip out easily if you try to keep tightening them when they come loose. Thank God for Heli Coils right?
Bruce372
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Bruce372 9/17/2015 10:46am
9/17/2015 10:46am
ive noticed that the kawis always seem to be the loudest bikes out there and they always rattle loose seat and side panel bolts. My RMZ did the same thing when the silencer needed repacking.

the other day i saw a yzf250 with 15 hours on shoot a rod through the cases and all the kid was doing was revving the bike in the staging area.
RF219
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RF219 9/17/2015 11:07am
9/17/2015 11:07am
MOTORSPORTFOX wrote:
Better pic of FMF system [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2015/09/17/105225/s1200_IMG_1855.jpg[/img] Still haven't weighed them Looks and sounds way better IMO!
Better pic of FMF system

Still haven't weighed them
Looks and sounds way better IMO!
how did it perform on the track?
keith101
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keith101 9/17/2015 11:36am
9/17/2015 11:36am Edited Date/Time 9/17/2015 11:40am
MXD wrote:
You mentioned that you are 220, I'm within a few pounds of that. Where do you have your suspension set at. I'm an average Vet B...
You mentioned that you are 220, I'm within a few pounds of that. Where do you have your suspension set at. I'm an average Vet B rider and I started out with the following:

Shock:
5.8 rear spring
sag 105/35
12 out on the low speed comp
2.5 turns out on high speed comp
11 out on rebound

Forks:
175 inner
10 outer
215 balance
8 out on compression
10 out on rebound

The shock felt really good there so I haven't tweaked it at all. The forks were a bit too soft. They blew through the stroke too quick. My next attempt was 190/10/215 and that was much better. I tried a buddies set up from his RMZ (same weight and ability as me) 185/0/185 and that blew through too quickly as well so I went back to 190/10/215. That soaked up the big landings nicely but the small stuff felt really harsh so I backed out 2 clicks of compression on the fork and it got better. Here is where I ended up on the fork:

188 inner
10 outer
215 balance
10 out on compression
10 out on rebound

I only got one session on that setting as I had to leave but I'm going to ride it some more. My suspicion about this setting is that I'll need to back off a few more clicks on the compression but then it will lose some of the plush feel on the big landings. If that's the case, my next move will be to add some oil.

All in all, I'm very pleased. It's not perfect yet but it feels real good
Run less air in the balance. You are running so much in the balance that it's making it too soft in the early part of the stroke since it's counter acting the inner chamber pressure which has less pressure.

For testing, you can try the same pressure in the inner and balance to see how they work together. You can also try 178psi in the balance to see how that keeps the forks up. Don't rely on the garage testing either. The only way you know how air forks will feel is on the track.

As a general rule, we've usually run about 10 psi less in the balance chamber than the inner.

The Shop

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MXD
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MXD 9/17/2015 3:25pm
9/17/2015 3:25pm
keith101 wrote:
Run less air in the balance. You are running so much in the balance that it's making it too soft in the early part of the...
Run less air in the balance. You are running so much in the balance that it's making it too soft in the early part of the stroke since it's counter acting the inner chamber pressure which has less pressure.

For testing, you can try the same pressure in the inner and balance to see how they work together. You can also try 178psi in the balance to see how that keeps the forks up. Don't rely on the garage testing either. The only way you know how air forks will feel is on the track.

As a general rule, we've usually run about 10 psi less in the balance chamber than the inner.
I got the initial settings (175/10/215) from Factory Connection. The settings I settled on (190/10/215) feel great on hard landings, overall feel is ok and bottoming resistance is good. The only place it seems harsh is on the small choppy stuff or the little slap down landings. It almost feels like the initial part of the stroke is real plush, the mid part of the stroke is real stiff and the bottoming resistance goes back to smooth and plush. Backing out on the compression seemed to help it. Maybe I should try decreasing the outer chamber a bit? I only have 2 rides on it and I'm no expert. In fact, I'm learning as I go but I feel like this fork has a lot of potential without a revalve if you just take the time to test and tune and learn.

I did try 185/0/185 as that is a setting that a friend of mine uses on his 15 RMZ but that was way too soft for me. That was a harsh bottoming feel. I could almost hear the clank as is bottomed on big landings.
RF219
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RF219 9/17/2015 5:49pm
9/17/2015 5:49pm
I sent mine off to factory connection. I get them back next week. I have heard some good feedback and some bad. I hope they got mine right
keith101
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keith101 9/17/2015 7:13pm
9/17/2015 7:13pm
MXD wrote:
I got the initial settings (175/10/215) from Factory Connection. The settings I settled on (190/10/215) feel great on hard landings, overall feel is ok and bottoming...
I got the initial settings (175/10/215) from Factory Connection. The settings I settled on (190/10/215) feel great on hard landings, overall feel is ok and bottoming resistance is good. The only place it seems harsh is on the small choppy stuff or the little slap down landings. It almost feels like the initial part of the stroke is real plush, the mid part of the stroke is real stiff and the bottoming resistance goes back to smooth and plush. Backing out on the compression seemed to help it. Maybe I should try decreasing the outer chamber a bit? I only have 2 rides on it and I'm no expert. In fact, I'm learning as I go but I feel like this fork has a lot of potential without a revalve if you just take the time to test and tune and learn.

I did try 185/0/185 as that is a setting that a friend of mine uses on his 15 RMZ but that was way too soft for me. That was a harsh bottoming feel. I could almost hear the clank as is bottomed on big landings.
Yes, the outer is what's causing the harshness on slap landings. The more you can take out the better, and use compression in place.

If you tried 185/0/185, you can tighten the compression 3-4 clicks and that would have helped a lot. Compression works far better in our experience than running outer chamber pressure. Kawi tends to recommend more than the others for some reason.

But yes, you can do really well without a revalve.
MXD
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MXD 9/18/2015 6:07am
9/18/2015 6:07am Edited Date/Time 9/18/2015 6:12am
I'm riding again in the morning so I'll experiment some more with 0 in the outer chamber and increasing compression dampening. I'll report back what I find.

I want to stress that all of this messing around that I'm doing isn't because it's not good already, I'm just trying to see how good I can make it. I hit a setting that I could race on my 2nd try. These forks don't deserve the bashing that they've been getting. If there is one knock I would say that it's only the fact that you should be checking them before every ride. If you do, they will be good and consistent for 95% of us. They are as good out of the box as any stock Showa spring fork I've ever had (never had a bike with SSS forks) and light years ahead of the stock 4CS stuff that I've ridden.
ktm212
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ktm212 9/18/2015 6:58am
9/18/2015 6:58am
MXD wrote:
I'm riding again in the morning so I'll experiment some more with 0 in the outer chamber and increasing compression dampening. I'll report back what I...
I'm riding again in the morning so I'll experiment some more with 0 in the outer chamber and increasing compression dampening. I'll report back what I find.

I want to stress that all of this messing around that I'm doing isn't because it's not good already, I'm just trying to see how good I can make it. I hit a setting that I could race on my 2nd try. These forks don't deserve the bashing that they've been getting. If there is one knock I would say that it's only the fact that you should be checking them before every ride. If you do, they will be good and consistent for 95% of us. They are as good out of the box as any stock Showa spring fork I've ever had (never had a bike with SSS forks) and light years ahead of the stock 4CS stuff that I've ridden.
I agree with this, the forks get such a bad rep but honestly they're pretty damn good right out of the box, totally rideable. I just bump pressures up about 10 psi over stock and go ride it, spin clickers and its just as good as most spring fork IMO, especially stock. I dont even check the psi much anymore, if its been 2 weeks I do, but they dont move, which they shouldnt, my mountain bike suspension never loses a pound and these rarely do too
keith101
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keith101 9/19/2015 5:45pm
9/19/2015 5:45pm
MXD wrote:
I'm riding again in the morning so I'll experiment some more with 0 in the outer chamber and increasing compression dampening. I'll report back what I...
I'm riding again in the morning so I'll experiment some more with 0 in the outer chamber and increasing compression dampening. I'll report back what I find.

I want to stress that all of this messing around that I'm doing isn't because it's not good already, I'm just trying to see how good I can make it. I hit a setting that I could race on my 2nd try. These forks don't deserve the bashing that they've been getting. If there is one knock I would say that it's only the fact that you should be checking them before every ride. If you do, they will be good and consistent for 95% of us. They are as good out of the box as any stock Showa spring fork I've ever had (never had a bike with SSS forks) and light years ahead of the stock 4CS stuff that I've ridden.
Agree...even on a bad day, they are very forgiving.

I think some just like spending large sums of money on expensive suspension. Not needed here. At best a $500 revalve.
mxrider38
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mxrider38 9/19/2015 5:50pm
9/19/2015 5:50pm
Got my PC pipe on and went racing today. This pipe really uncorks the bike in my opinion. I haven't quite got the forks figured out yet. They don't feel horrible but just seems a few ticks off.

Greenbush
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Greenbush 9/19/2015 6:22pm
9/19/2015 6:22pm
Ive been looking around here in MI. For a new kx450 best price Ive found was 8700 otd. I was just wondering what u guys have been giving for them.
Thanks




mxb2
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mxb2 9/19/2015 8:17pm
9/19/2015 8:17pm
mxrider38 wrote:
Got my PC pipe on and went racing today. This pipe really uncorks the bike in my opinion. I haven't quite got the forks figured out...
Got my PC pipe on and went racing today. This pipe really uncorks the bike in my opinion. I haven't quite got the forks figured out yet. They don't feel horrible but just seems a few ticks off.

pc pro or non pro ti6?, hows the power compare to stock? sound comparison, and what coupler did you use with the pc pipe? fuel? thanks.
mxrider38
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mxrider38 9/20/2015 3:37am
9/20/2015 3:37am Edited Date/Time 9/20/2015 3:38am
mxb2 wrote:
pc pro or non pro ti6?, hows the power compare to stock? sound comparison, and what coupler did you use with the pc pipe? fuel? thanks.
It's a ti-6. The pro isn't available yet. I rode with the green coupler. Power was in my opinion noticeably more. Seemed to have a strong mid and didn't fall off as soon on top. This was only my third ride on the bike, so I'm still adjusting. As far as fuel I'm running vp t4. My only complaint and this would just be being picky is that the silencer isn't rubber mounted like the stock. So you do notice more vibration in the subframe/seat.
mxb2
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mxb2 9/20/2015 4:21am
9/20/2015 4:21am
mxb2 wrote:
pc pro or non pro ti6?, hows the power compare to stock? sound comparison, and what coupler did you use with the pc pipe? fuel? thanks.
mxrider38 wrote:
It's a ti-6. The pro isn't available yet. I rode with the green coupler. Power was in my opinion noticeably more. Seemed to have a strong...
It's a ti-6. The pro isn't available yet. I rode with the green coupler. Power was in my opinion noticeably more. Seemed to have a strong mid and didn't fall off as soon on top. This was only my third ride on the bike, so I'm still adjusting. As far as fuel I'm running vp t4. My only complaint and this would just be being picky is that the silencer isn't rubber mounted like the stock. So you do notice more vibration in the subframe/seat.
Thanks good info, sound comparison to stock?, What made you pick pc over other brands?, How was the fit?
mxrider38
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mxrider38 9/20/2015 5:23am
9/20/2015 5:23am
Sounds much more throaty. I picked PC one because I have always liked their pipes and also I just have this way of thinking to why not use companies that have the most r&d with a bike. We all know most of their time is spent with kawis. I plan to send my suspension to them over the winter as well. The fitment was perfect. The titanium really changes colors on the first ride but still looks good. I don't know how much truth there is to it but from what I was told by them the ti-6 actually makes a little more power than the pro because it doesn't have to meet the sound levels of the ama/fim.
Meister
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Meister 9/20/2015 8:57am
9/20/2015 8:57am
What are you guys paying for your 16 450s?
mxb2
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mxb2 9/20/2015 9:31am
9/20/2015 9:31am
mxrider38 wrote:
Sounds much more throaty. I picked PC one because I have always liked their pipes and also I just have this way of thinking to why...
Sounds much more throaty. I picked PC one because I have always liked their pipes and also I just have this way of thinking to why not use companies that have the most r&d with a bike. We all know most of their time is spent with kawis. I plan to send my suspension to them over the winter as well. The fitment was perfect. The titanium really changes colors on the first ride but still looks good. I don't know how much truth there is to it but from what I was told by them the ti-6 actually makes a little more power than the pro because it doesn't have to meet the sound levels of the ama/fim.
thanks good info, yes the non pro is not restricted to sound tests, like the pro model. different internals, i believe., any problem with header rubbing on boots or pants.

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mxrider38
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mxrider38 9/20/2015 9:37am
9/20/2015 9:37am
mxrider38 wrote:
Sounds much more throaty. I picked PC one because I have always liked their pipes and also I just have this way of thinking to why...
Sounds much more throaty. I picked PC one because I have always liked their pipes and also I just have this way of thinking to why not use companies that have the most r&d with a bike. We all know most of their time is spent with kawis. I plan to send my suspension to them over the winter as well. The fitment was perfect. The titanium really changes colors on the first ride but still looks good. I don't know how much truth there is to it but from what I was told by them the ti-6 actually makes a little more power than the pro because it doesn't have to meet the sound levels of the ama/fim.
mxb2 wrote:
thanks good info, yes the non pro is not restricted to sound tests, like the pro model. different internals, i believe., any problem with header rubbing...
thanks good info, yes the non pro is not restricted to sound tests, like the pro model. different internals, i believe., any problem with header rubbing on boots or pants.
I didn't have any issues. At first I was feeling like $800 for a exhaust seemed expensive. Now that I have it I say it's money well spent. Also I asked PC if there was intent for a new style system because I would hate to have bought it and a new one come out a few months later. They said no plans, at least not for the next year. Now if I could just get the suspension dialed and some air filters. The only bad part of having an all new bike. Parts are scarce.
Magic Man
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Magic Man 9/20/2015 9:59am
9/20/2015 9:59am
mxrider38 wrote:
I didn't have any issues. At first I was feeling like $800 for a exhaust seemed expensive. Now that I have it I say it's money...
I didn't have any issues. At first I was feeling like $800 for a exhaust seemed expensive. Now that I have it I say it's money well spent. Also I asked PC if there was intent for a new style system because I would hate to have bought it and a new one come out a few months later. They said no plans, at least not for the next year. Now if I could just get the suspension dialed and some air filters. The only bad part of having an all new bike. Parts are scarce.
DT 1 has air filters available for the new bike now, just got mine in the mail on Friday. Well constructed filters.
MXD
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MXD 9/23/2015 6:09am
9/23/2015 6:09am
Twin air also has filters. I got mine last week directly from them. The distributors don't have them yet but you can order direct.

yzkrazy219
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yzkrazy219 9/26/2015 9:21am
9/26/2015 9:21am
Have any of you guys been able to ride with your fmf exhaust yet? Anxious to hear a ride report with the fmf compared to stock.
RF219
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RF219 9/26/2015 2:19pm
9/26/2015 2:19pm
yzkrazy219 wrote:
Have any of you guys been able to ride with your fmf exhaust yet? Anxious to hear a ride report with the fmf compared to stock.
waiting also
swtwtwtw
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swtwtwtw 9/26/2015 5:19pm
9/26/2015 5:19pm
I saw Matiasevich on one today at LACR. They are nice for sure.
MXD
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MXD 9/27/2015 4:26am
9/27/2015 4:26am
yzkrazy219 wrote:
Have any of you guys been able to ride with your fmf exhaust yet? Anxious to hear a ride report with the fmf compared to stock.
RF219 wrote:
waiting also
Me too. Also interested to know if anyone has weighed the stock vs the full Ti yet to see the difference.
Magic Man
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Magic Man 9/27/2015 11:41am
9/27/2015 11:41am Edited Date/Time 9/27/2015 3:12pm
I just put a "Rocket" exhaust on mine and it rips. It's a pound lighter than the stock pipe and really brings in the mid to top transition in power and sounds damn good. For $500 with resonater I found it to be a good deal.
RiverockMX 9/27/2015 12:39pm
9/27/2015 12:39pm
yzkrazy219 wrote:
Have any of you guys been able to ride with your fmf exhaust yet? Anxious to hear a ride report with the fmf compared to stock.
RF219 wrote:
waiting also
MXD wrote:
Me too. Also interested to know if anyone has weighed the stock vs the full Ti yet to see the difference.
Yes please weigh your new pipe vs stock!! 1 LB lighter on the Rocket, that's a start, thanks Magic.

Waiting for some exhaust test feedback before pulling the trigger. One company told me R&D takes time with a new model otherwise you could be getting last year(s) pipe with updated mounts.
keith101
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keith101 9/27/2015 5:40pm
9/27/2015 5:40pm
RiverockMX wrote:
Yes Finally! [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2015/09/26/106319/s1200_sized2016.jpg[/img]
Yes Finally!





The stellar fit and finish on the new KX just doesn't get old! Beautiful.

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