Any 2016 KX450 ride reports out there?

MXD
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MXD
Edited Date/Time 8/18/2015 11:19am
Now that it's been out for a while, what are some real world initial impressions? I know what the magazines say but I'm more interested in the average Joe's opinion. I've been riding RMZ's since 2010 and I'm looking to switch to either the KTM or KX. My heart says KTM but I'm not sure the switch to a Kawi won't be easier for me since it's probably more like the Suzuki than the KTM will be.
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NeedMoto
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NeedMoto 8/17/2015 10:02am
8/17/2015 10:02am
^^^^^^ What he said! Let's hear it boy's.
nytsmaC
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nytsmaC 8/17/2015 10:23am
8/17/2015 10:23am
In before orange tidal wave
LLOYD22
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LLOYD22 8/17/2015 10:25am
8/17/2015 10:25am
I got a 2015 kx450f and it hasnt left the stand but as far as looks, its top notch.
nytsmaC
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nytsmaC 8/17/2015 10:29am
8/17/2015 10:29am
LLOYD22 wrote:
I got a 2015 kx450f and it hasnt left the stand but as far as looks, its top notch.

The Shop

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BobPA
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BobPA 8/17/2015 10:34am
8/17/2015 10:34am
In before kiwifan and #991 shit all over the thread
Premix
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Premix 8/17/2015 10:39am
8/17/2015 10:39am Edited Date/Time 8/17/2015 10:39am
In before 500guy trys to tell us the suspension is undersprung...
RMT
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RMT 8/17/2015 10:42am
8/17/2015 10:42am Edited Date/Time 8/17/2015 10:44am
nytsmaC wrote:
In before orange tidal wave
Laughing

In before............

I did ride a friends new KXF around in a field this past weekend before the races started. I don't have anything productive to report other than it does feel very slim in the seat tank area just like everyone else has said. Sorry, got nothing else for ya.

jonesaustin
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jonesaustin 8/17/2015 11:31am
8/17/2015 11:31am Edited Date/Time 8/17/2015 11:31am
slightly modernized with the mid section (i dig it) but then it goes right back to lazy land. cover the front part of the bike and it works for a new design suffering from little ambition. i don't know if the japanese brands just can't hire designers, or lost their best ones to KTM. whatever the case, we're just in a boring part of MX's life when the bike's are all about refinements and less about risk taking. if you didn't grow up in the 80's and are used to this, no big deal, but believe me there was a time when bikes were exotic, when the technology was going in wild directions, and there were attempts to make huge leaps forward.

thanks Kawasaki for the saved weight. but that's your JOB to do that! work on the aesthetic, the "look and feel" of the machine. big YAWN.
DL
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DL 8/17/2015 11:37am
8/17/2015 11:37am
We finished our pipe testing this weekend. IMHO the chassis feels much better. The front end has a planted feeling that I never felt on a Kawi 450 and it turned really well. The motor is smoother with a little less mid and top than in previous years. Of course that's what we addressed with the exhaust design. All in all it's a great 450.

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GrapeApe 8/17/2015 11:46am
8/17/2015 11:46am
nytsmaC wrote:
In before orange tidal wave
jonesaustin with the holeshot . . .
RPM68
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RPM68 8/17/2015 12:02pm
8/17/2015 12:02pm Edited Date/Time 8/17/2015 12:06pm
.
Bruce372
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Bruce372 8/17/2015 12:24pm
8/17/2015 12:24pm
jonesaustin wrote:
slightly modernized with the mid section (i dig it) but then it goes right back to lazy land. cover the front part of the bike and...
slightly modernized with the mid section (i dig it) but then it goes right back to lazy land. cover the front part of the bike and it works for a new design suffering from little ambition. i don't know if the japanese brands just can't hire designers, or lost their best ones to KTM. whatever the case, we're just in a boring part of MX's life when the bike's are all about refinements and less about risk taking. if you didn't grow up in the 80's and are used to this, no big deal, but believe me there was a time when bikes were exotic, when the technology was going in wild directions, and there were attempts to make huge leaps forward.

thanks Kawasaki for the saved weight. but that's your JOB to do that! work on the aesthetic, the "look and feel" of the machine. big YAWN.
so have you actually ridden the 2016 KXF450?
mx317
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mx317 8/17/2015 1:17pm
8/17/2015 1:17pm
jonesaustin wrote:
slightly modernized with the mid section (i dig it) but then it goes right back to lazy land. cover the front part of the bike and...
slightly modernized with the mid section (i dig it) but then it goes right back to lazy land. cover the front part of the bike and it works for a new design suffering from little ambition. i don't know if the japanese brands just can't hire designers, or lost their best ones to KTM. whatever the case, we're just in a boring part of MX's life when the bike's are all about refinements and less about risk taking. if you didn't grow up in the 80's and are used to this, no big deal, but believe me there was a time when bikes were exotic, when the technology was going in wild directions, and there were attempts to make huge leaps forward.

thanks Kawasaki for the saved weight. but that's your JOB to do that! work on the aesthetic, the "look and feel" of the machine. big YAWN.
All new engine, all new chassis, all new plastic and air box. Big YAWN on your clueless post.
nytsmaC
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nytsmaC 8/17/2015 1:30pm
8/17/2015 1:30pm
jonesaustin wrote:
slightly modernized with the mid section (i dig it) but then it goes right back to lazy land. cover the front part of the bike and...
slightly modernized with the mid section (i dig it) but then it goes right back to lazy land. cover the front part of the bike and it works for a new design suffering from little ambition. i don't know if the japanese brands just can't hire designers, or lost their best ones to KTM. whatever the case, we're just in a boring part of MX's life when the bike's are all about refinements and less about risk taking. if you didn't grow up in the 80's and are used to this, no big deal, but believe me there was a time when bikes were exotic, when the technology was going in wild directions, and there were attempts to make huge leaps forward.

thanks Kawasaki for the saved weight. but that's your JOB to do that! work on the aesthetic, the "look and feel" of the machine. big YAWN.
mx317 wrote:
All new engine, all new chassis, all new plastic and air box. Big YAWN on your clueless post.
Kawi = tall, stable, slow turning, good engines, mediocre suspension for the past 20 years. I guess he had his hopes up that with a complete redesign it would have went a different direction, but then the faithful Kawi guys might not like it.

Sounds like if you liked the last generation, you'll love this one. Thinner, lighter, more refined. That sounds like a winner to me. Guys who want a more compact, sharper turning but less stable bike already know where to go and probably weren't waiting for Kawi to build them one.
Kyle978
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Kyle978 8/17/2015 1:55pm
8/17/2015 1:55pm
Have a buddy who rode his 2016 Kawi 450 this weekend, coming off his 2014 Kawi 450. I didn't get a chance to ride it due to a bum wrist, but he said he liked the slimmer feel, power was smooth and usable, but hated the front end. He's a suspension guy so he's confident he will get it figured out, but having 3 air chambers to mess with doesn't sound too fun to me. I don't think you can go wrong with the Kawi or KTM, but if it me I'd go KTM because the fit and finish, and durability are much better IMO.
MXD
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MXD 8/17/2015 2:13pm
8/17/2015 2:13pm
Kyle978 wrote:
Have a buddy who rode his 2016 Kawi 450 this weekend, coming off his 2014 Kawi 450. I didn't get a chance to ride it due...
Have a buddy who rode his 2016 Kawi 450 this weekend, coming off his 2014 Kawi 450. I didn't get a chance to ride it due to a bum wrist, but he said he liked the slimmer feel, power was smooth and usable, but hated the front end. He's a suspension guy so he's confident he will get it figured out, but having 3 air chambers to mess with doesn't sound too fun to me. I don't think you can go wrong with the Kawi or KTM, but if it me I'd go KTM because the fit and finish, and durability are much better IMO.
My only issue with the KTM is the forks. I rode a bone stock 16 450 at a demo day and the forks were brutal for me. If a standard revalve would cure it, I wouldn't give it a second thought. The problem is that almost everyone I talk to says that a revalve won't cut it. They are all spending $3000 on cone valve forks. I don't want to do that. I have a great relationship with a big name tuner in my area and they candidly told me that the happy to unhappy customer ratio after a revalve on the 4CS is about 60/40. That's not very good or encouraging.

My other reservation is that the 17 looks like it's coming with the new WP air fork which is getting rave reviews so do I want to buy a bike with an inferior fork? I would wait till the 17's come out but I already stripped and sold my RMZ.

Pit Row

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theycallmeebryan 8/17/2015 2:19pm
8/17/2015 2:19pm Edited Date/Time 8/17/2015 2:20pm
Kyle978 wrote:
Have a buddy who rode his 2016 Kawi 450 this weekend, coming off his 2014 Kawi 450. I didn't get a chance to ride it due...
Have a buddy who rode his 2016 Kawi 450 this weekend, coming off his 2014 Kawi 450. I didn't get a chance to ride it due to a bum wrist, but he said he liked the slimmer feel, power was smooth and usable, but hated the front end. He's a suspension guy so he's confident he will get it figured out, but having 3 air chambers to mess with doesn't sound too fun to me. I don't think you can go wrong with the Kawi or KTM, but if it me I'd go KTM because the fit and finish, and durability are much better IMO.
The concept of the TAC fork is not difficult to understand.

Inner Chamber : The Spring force. Higher pressure = Stiffer
Outer Chamber : Adds a little to the spring force and adjusts the rising rate of the spring force from the inner chamber. Higher Pressure = more progressive bottoming resistance.
Balance Chamber : Acts opposite of the spring force. Aids in preventing the suspension from topping out and helps initiate fork compression. Also can be used to lower the fork in the stroke.

Also, the ratio between the Inner and balance pressures is important.

You can really fine tune the characteristics of the fork "spring" by adjusting the pressures in all 3 chambers. The SFF TAC app for Android and iPhone really help illustrate this.

As a C class rider weighing 190lbs naked on a 2015 kx450f, i'm running 170psi Inner / 10psi Outer / 180psi Balance. I've played with a lot of settings and this one is my favorite thus far. Its plush over the little stuff, moves through the stroke well, and has great bottoming resistance.


nytsmaC
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nytsmaC 8/17/2015 2:25pm
8/17/2015 2:25pm
MXD wrote:
My only issue with the KTM is the forks. I rode a bone stock 16 450 at a demo day and the forks were brutal for...
My only issue with the KTM is the forks. I rode a bone stock 16 450 at a demo day and the forks were brutal for me. If a standard revalve would cure it, I wouldn't give it a second thought. The problem is that almost everyone I talk to says that a revalve won't cut it. They are all spending $3000 on cone valve forks. I don't want to do that. I have a great relationship with a big name tuner in my area and they candidly told me that the happy to unhappy customer ratio after a revalve on the 4CS is about 60/40. That's not very good or encouraging.

My other reservation is that the 17 looks like it's coming with the new WP air fork which is getting rave reviews so do I want to buy a bike with an inferior fork? I would wait till the 17's come out but I already stripped and sold my RMZ.
It's only August 2015, way too early to start worrying about 2017. You can get a set of the air forks for $1800 now, and I bet you'd have no problem getting $1500+ for them next fall if you like to trade up every year.
Kyle978
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Kyle978 8/17/2015 5:21pm
8/17/2015 5:21pm
theycallmeebryan wrote:
The concept of the TAC fork is not difficult to understand. Inner Chamber : The Spring force. Higher pressure = Stiffer Outer Chamber : Adds a...
The concept of the TAC fork is not difficult to understand.

Inner Chamber : The Spring force. Higher pressure = Stiffer
Outer Chamber : Adds a little to the spring force and adjusts the rising rate of the spring force from the inner chamber. Higher Pressure = more progressive bottoming resistance.
Balance Chamber : Acts opposite of the spring force. Aids in preventing the suspension from topping out and helps initiate fork compression. Also can be used to lower the fork in the stroke.

Also, the ratio between the Inner and balance pressures is important.

You can really fine tune the characteristics of the fork "spring" by adjusting the pressures in all 3 chambers. The SFF TAC app for Android and iPhone really help illustrate this.

As a C class rider weighing 190lbs naked on a 2015 kx450f, i'm running 170psi Inner / 10psi Outer / 180psi Balance. I've played with a lot of settings and this one is my favorite thus far. Its plush over the little stuff, moves through the stroke well, and has great bottoming resistance.


That simplifies it very well, thanks for taking the time to explain. I just downloaded the app, that's pretty damn cool. I'm sure he will get it figured out in a hurry and get it to his liking.

Nowadays, you can't go wrong no matter what color IMO, they all have their pro's and con's.
Fiftyfiveracing 8/18/2015 2:32am
8/18/2015 2:32am
Kyle978 wrote:
Have a buddy who rode his 2016 Kawi 450 this weekend, coming off his 2014 Kawi 450. I didn't get a chance to ride it due...
Have a buddy who rode his 2016 Kawi 450 this weekend, coming off his 2014 Kawi 450. I didn't get a chance to ride it due to a bum wrist, but he said he liked the slimmer feel, power was smooth and usable, but hated the front end. He's a suspension guy so he's confident he will get it figured out, but having 3 air chambers to mess with doesn't sound too fun to me. I don't think you can go wrong with the Kawi or KTM, but if it me I'd go KTM because the fit and finish, and durability are much better IMO.
MXD wrote:
My only issue with the KTM is the forks. I rode a bone stock 16 450 at a demo day and the forks were brutal for...
My only issue with the KTM is the forks. I rode a bone stock 16 450 at a demo day and the forks were brutal for me. If a standard revalve would cure it, I wouldn't give it a second thought. The problem is that almost everyone I talk to says that a revalve won't cut it. They are all spending $3000 on cone valve forks. I don't want to do that. I have a great relationship with a big name tuner in my area and they candidly told me that the happy to unhappy customer ratio after a revalve on the 4CS is about 60/40. That's not very good or encouraging.

My other reservation is that the 17 looks like it's coming with the new WP air fork which is getting rave reviews so do I want to buy a bike with an inferior fork? I would wait till the 17's come out but I already stripped and sold my RMZ.
You don't really need cone valve forks, i mean yeah those are awesome but you can make 4cs work very well also. Or if you can get air forks for good price, i can tell you those are way better than 4cs.
But i have seen you guys in the US have many suspension shops with different variations of 4cs revalve that i think they can make em work very well.
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Spydee 8/18/2015 4:59am
8/18/2015 4:59am
MXD wrote:
Now that it's been out for a while, what are some real world initial impressions? I know what the magazines say but I'm more interested in...
Now that it's been out for a while, what are some real world initial impressions? I know what the magazines say but I'm more interested in the average Joe's opinion. I've been riding RMZ's since 2010 and I'm looking to switch to either the KTM or KX. My heart says KTM but I'm not sure the switch to a Kawi won't be easier for me since it's probably more like the Suzuki than the KTM will be.
http://www.vitalmx.com/community/Average-Joe,44325/all

Well you wanted Average Joe's opinion, right?
Adam43
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Adam43 8/18/2015 8:48am
8/18/2015 8:48am
All reports suggest that it's tamed down quite a bit, which was the Kawi's best feature. Not a good thing when you're battling 60HP Yamahas and KTMs.

I suppose for the Average Joe it will be fine.
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RJMX834 8/18/2015 10:12am
8/18/2015 10:12am
Kyle978 wrote:
Have a buddy who rode his 2016 Kawi 450 this weekend, coming off his 2014 Kawi 450. I didn't get a chance to ride it due...
Have a buddy who rode his 2016 Kawi 450 this weekend, coming off his 2014 Kawi 450. I didn't get a chance to ride it due to a bum wrist, but he said he liked the slimmer feel, power was smooth and usable, but hated the front end. He's a suspension guy so he's confident he will get it figured out, but having 3 air chambers to mess with doesn't sound too fun to me. I don't think you can go wrong with the Kawi or KTM, but if it me I'd go KTM because the fit and finish, and durability are much better IMO.
MXD wrote:
My only issue with the KTM is the forks. I rode a bone stock 16 450 at a demo day and the forks were brutal for...
My only issue with the KTM is the forks. I rode a bone stock 16 450 at a demo day and the forks were brutal for me. If a standard revalve would cure it, I wouldn't give it a second thought. The problem is that almost everyone I talk to says that a revalve won't cut it. They are all spending $3000 on cone valve forks. I don't want to do that. I have a great relationship with a big name tuner in my area and they candidly told me that the happy to unhappy customer ratio after a revalve on the 4CS is about 60/40. That's not very good or encouraging.

My other reservation is that the 17 looks like it's coming with the new WP air fork which is getting rave reviews so do I want to buy a bike with an inferior fork? I would wait till the 17's come out but I already stripped and sold my RMZ.
This. I also rode the 16 KTM 450 at a local demo day and I thought the same for the front forks. Absolutely brutal. In fact, the only KTM I could stand the suspension on was the 250SXF. I work at a local KTM/HONDA dealership and we just got our first shipment of the 16 KTM's today. If you want to buy a new bike and dump some money in some forks as soon as you buy it, buy a 16 KTM450.
Suns_PSD
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Suns_PSD 8/18/2015 11:04am
8/18/2015 11:04am
The problem with modern KTM forks is the guys twisting the knobs mostly. Basically they have a slight amount of harshness stock and everyone backs way off compression and then they become shit.

The newest KTM forks are quite good, dead stock imo riding back to back against my Ohlins.
MXD
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MXD 8/18/2015 11:19am
8/18/2015 11:19am
Suns_PSD wrote:
The problem with modern KTM forks is the guys twisting the knobs mostly. Basically they have a slight amount of harshness stock and everyone backs way...
The problem with modern KTM forks is the guys twisting the knobs mostly. Basically they have a slight amount of harshness stock and everyone backs way off compression and then they become shit.

The newest KTM forks are quite good, dead stock imo riding back to back against my Ohlins.
I'm glad to hear you say that. It gives me some hope that a standard revalve will work for me and I'll love the bike. I revalve every bike I buy so that's no big deal, I'm just hoping I don't buy this bike only to find out I need another $3000.

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