Let's see/review those 2019 kx450s

Nystrom7
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6/11/2020 2:08pm
cbaird254 wrote:
Have a long weekend of riding ahead and felt this was a better, safer fix. Just shocked that they went with such a cheap design. First...
Have a long weekend of riding ahead and felt this was a better, safer fix. Just shocked that they went with such a cheap design. First time I've had it off, couldn't believe it. I could have replaced it but I didn't feel confident it would hold.
But helicoil in aluminium is stronger then just threads in aluminium.
cbaird254
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Clayville, NY US
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6/11/2020 2:57pm
Suppose maybe I should have done more research as I don't know much about helicoil but its already ruined and the bike has around 30hrs on it. Seems like a garbage design to me. Maybe I just got a dud. Either way it's too late lol
MX558
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6/14/2020 3:51pm
After being on yamaha's for the past 15 years I do notice the Kawasaki is definitely not up to par as far as quality but damn it sure is a good bike
1
mxracer666
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NE Iowa, IA US
6/14/2020 4:46pm
MX558 wrote:
After being on yamaha's for the past 15 years I do notice the Kawasaki is definitely not up to par as far as quality but damn...
After being on yamaha's for the past 15 years I do notice the Kawasaki is definitely not up to par as far as quality but damn it sure is a good bike
What do you feel is worse on the Kawasaki build-quality vs. the Yamaha?

The Shop

MX558
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6/14/2020 5:21pm
MX558 wrote:
After being on yamaha's for the past 15 years I do notice the Kawasaki is definitely not up to par as far as quality but damn...
After being on yamaha's for the past 15 years I do notice the Kawasaki is definitely not up to par as far as quality but damn it sure is a good bike
mxracer666 wrote:
What do you feel is worse on the Kawasaki build-quality vs. the Yamaha?
Well for one I never had to replace a chain slider chain guide or roller on a Yamaha, never had the nuts fall out of the rear fender when you take the seat off , The Allen screws that hold the fork guards on don't strip out. I absolutely love the bike but kawies have the worst hardware in Motocross for as long as the motor holds up okay I'm good with it
50dippin
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Los Angeles, CA US
6/15/2020 10:32am
mxracer666 wrote:
What do you feel is worse on the Kawasaki build-quality vs. the Yamaha?
Yes
Hardware, bolts are butter, literally look like they are filled with plastic when the heads shear off, threads are clearly not aligned on my subframe, threads pop out. Only bolts I ever had a problem on my Yamaha's were the oil drain and filter drain bolts, where they had dirty oil crossing the threads and shavings would get stuck and eventually the threads would strip. But that was more of a design flaw rather than quality issue.
1
Yzf916
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MS US
6/15/2020 12:37pm
What chain rollers are y’all using. Asking for a friend. Stock sucked. TM great but too noisy. Another aftermarket lasted just three rides. I Told him I thought someone here mentioned a previous OEM model held up better. But I couldn’t remember which year/ model. Thanks.
1
coastie44
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NorCal, CA US
6/15/2020 1:34pm Edited Date/Time 6/15/2020 1:36pm
cbaird254 wrote:
Anyone else has this problem yet?? Lower subframe bolt. Had the torque wrench on it, 26 lb ft. Helicoil inside the actual frame stripped out. Had...
Anyone else has this problem yet?? Lower subframe bolt. Had the torque wrench on it, 26 lb ft. Helicoil inside the actual frame stripped out. Had to
drill the frame out and put a bolt and nut on it. Not impressed....
Do a timesert
1
Moto520
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Schaumburg, IL US
6/15/2020 1:42pm
i have 60 hours on my Kawi and 20 hours on my 2020 YZ450F. The Kawi is actually holding up great after the initial, easy to fix, issues. Now that I've got it set up....it keeps chugging along and i haven't had so much as a loose bolt. The Yamaha just didn't have the little issues. All of the Kawi issues were minor and easy to fix with the exception of the sub-frame muffler mount. That was a pain because it required the help of a welder!
Nystrom7
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6/15/2020 1:48pm
How do you guys wrench? 76 hours on mine and not Lost a bolt or had any thread problems. I can admit that the fork guatd bolts feel soft.

But ive seen here that Yamaha also had problems with subframes breaking in the frame mounts and even Main frames breaking in the steering head area hows that for quality?
Greenguy
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Placerville, CA US
6/15/2020 2:01pm
Yzf916 wrote:
What chain rollers are y’all using. Asking for a friend. Stock sucked. TM great but too noisy. Another aftermarket lasted just three rides. I Told him...
What chain rollers are y’all using. Asking for a friend. Stock sucked. TM great but too noisy. Another aftermarket lasted just three rides. I Told him I thought someone here mentioned a previous OEM model held up better. But I couldn’t remember which year/ model. Thanks.
Same issues for me. I use the ‘16-‘18 double bearing roller. The cross ribs wear off a bit quick, but after that they last fine for me.
1
Nystrom7
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SE
6/15/2020 2:13pm
Yzf916 wrote:
What chain rollers are y’all using. Asking for a friend. Stock sucked. TM great but too noisy. Another aftermarket lasted just three rides. I Told him...
What chain rollers are y’all using. Asking for a friend. Stock sucked. TM great but too noisy. Another aftermarket lasted just three rides. I Told him I thought someone here mentioned a previous OEM model held up better. But I couldn’t remember which year/ model. Thanks.
Greenguy wrote:
Same issues for me. I use the ‘16-‘18 double bearing roller. The cross ribs wear off a bit quick, but after that they last fine for...
Same issues for me. I use the ‘16-‘18 double bearing roller. The cross ribs wear off a bit quick, but after that they last fine for me.
Just buy the cheapest possible round one i belive my prox is for Honda and it holds up
50dippin
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Los Angeles, CA US
6/15/2020 3:44pm
Nystrom7 wrote:
How do you guys wrench? 76 hours on mine and not Lost a bolt or had any thread problems. I can admit that the fork guatd...
How do you guys wrench? 76 hours on mine and not Lost a bolt or had any thread problems. I can admit that the fork guatd bolts feel soft.

But ive seen here that Yamaha also had problems with subframes breaking in the frame mounts and even Main frames breaking in the steering head area hows that for quality?
All of the bolts I have sheared off happened while riding, or tipping the bike over. The oil filter cover bolts both sheared off when my bike tipped over and hit my stand, barely fell over and didn't even hit the ground before I grabbed it. My skid plate bolts sheared off and were fused into the frame just from riding track, no rocks that I know of. Went to take the skid plate off for an oil change and noticed it.
Mechanically the bike has been great though. Been almost 2 years and have never even put the battery on a charger.
1
Cashmoney24
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Ranson, WV US
6/15/2020 4:06pm
Definitely agree on the hardware being a touch lower quality versus some competitors. I actually re-tapped the lower side panel threads to take 10mm bolts. Seems to be a decent durability upgrade and I don’t have to use two different t-handles to get the air filter out.

bh
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6/15/2020 4:23pm
Got some parts to try... I got some ride engineering 22mm clamps and a dog bone. I’ll definitely report back to you guys on it. And if any of you guys are interested in getting some ride engineering stuff and would like to help an 18 year old up and comer call in and mention my name Bristen Havird and get 20 percent off.
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stax199
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Brooklyn, NY US
6/17/2020 6:37am
Anyone change the gearing on these kx450 19/20 yet? I am fairly happy with stock but the past 6 kx450s I have owned I went up to 51 teeth in rear and that was great change helped 3rd become useable every where.
Let me know what everyone has had success with..
cbaird254
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6/17/2020 6:48am
I agree with that gearing change. Just went up to the 51T rear sprocket and wow it pulls nice in third gear! Found myself using third a lot more now.
1
datkin128
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NYC, NY US
6/17/2020 7:03am
stax199 wrote:
Anyone change the gearing on these kx450 19/20 yet? I am fairly happy with stock but the past 6 kx450s I have owned I went up...
Anyone change the gearing on these kx450 19/20 yet? I am fairly happy with stock but the past 6 kx450s I have owned I went up to 51 teeth in rear and that was great change helped 3rd become useable every where.
Let me know what everyone has had success with..
I was fairly happy with stock, but found some situations where I wanted more grunt in 3rd quicker. I went up a tooth on the rear and like it so far.
3
OLDMOTO
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San Diego, CA US
6/17/2020 9:08am
stax199 wrote:
Anyone change the gearing on these kx450 19/20 yet? I am fairly happy with stock but the past 6 kx450s I have owned I went up...
Anyone change the gearing on these kx450 19/20 yet? I am fairly happy with stock but the past 6 kx450s I have owned I went up to 51 teeth in rear and that was great change helped 3rd become useable every where.
Let me know what everyone has had success with..
I changed to a 51t in the rear. I also used a longer chain and pulled the wheel all the way back in the swing arm. I put on a full Procircuit exhaust, a No Toil fast flow air filter and had Tokyo Mods reprogram the ECU. It hauls ass. Starts pulling sooner with increased bottom, mid and top end power. More over rev and less compression braking.
1
bh
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Piedmont, SC US
6/20/2020 5:28pm
Alright guys I just got done testing out the ride engineering 22mm clamps and link. I was riding my rough and rutted 3 min lap times woods loop. Has tight sections and a few 3rd gear open parts. I started off with just the clamps and it was definitely easier to lay it over initially in the corners. Also felt more front end traction.

As for the link... I loved it! It gave the bike a more squared feel in the back and I felt like it gave a little more traction and the rear wheel followed the ground better. It also gave more stability through rough braking bumps. And to top it off it made the bike even easier to turn into corners. The only downside was I felt like it sacrificed some front end traction.
kkawboy14
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TX US
6/20/2020 6:19pm
I purchased this to set my own! Is this the best setting?


DB505
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Rowlett, TX US
6/20/2020 8:57pm
I like my kx, but can’t help feeling a shoulda went yz!
1
3
navalseabee
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Virginia Beach, VA US
6/21/2020 4:49am
DB505 wrote:
I like my kx, but can’t help feeling a shoulda went yz!
My wife got a 2020 YZ250F and after spending a day riding it I can’t help but feel the exact same way.
6/21/2020 5:10am
DB505 wrote:
I like my kx, but can’t help feeling a shoulda went yz!
My wife got a 2020 YZ250F and after spending a day riding it I can’t help but feel the exact same way.
I have .53 fork springs in mine. Overall, I’m very happy with the suspension, but I would like more bottoming resistance. Is there any reason I can’t add 5ml of fork oil through the bleed screw with a syringe so I don’t need to take my forks apart to do it?
1
Cashmoney24
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Ranson, WV US
6/21/2020 6:10am Edited Date/Time 6/21/2020 6:13am
kkawboy14 wrote:
I purchased this to set my own! Is this the best setting? [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/06/20/433479/s1200_79FF6179_6B19_43CB_BECF_D3DA4D895FA1.jpg[/img]
I purchased this to set my own! Is this the best setting?


Yup. Don’t forget to do the fi as well, and per his review, use the white coupler.

Here’s a link to his review article (with upgrades) which has a good breakdown and explanation of the settings. Good read altogether.

https://www.keeferinctesting.com/motocross-testing/tag/KX450
1
Greenguy
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126
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9/1/2016
Location
Placerville, CA US
6/21/2020 6:33am
DB505 wrote:
I like my kx, but can’t help feeling a shoulda went yz!
My wife got a 2020 YZ250F and after spending a day riding it I can’t help but feel the exact same way.
I have .53 fork springs in mine. Overall, I’m very happy with the suspension, but I would like more bottoming resistance. Is there any reason I...
I have .53 fork springs in mine. Overall, I’m very happy with the suspension, but I would like more bottoming resistance. Is there any reason I can’t add 5ml of fork oil through the bleed screw with a syringe so I don’t need to take my forks apart to do it?
You can add oil through the air bleed hole.
centralcalmx
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Madera, CA US
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110th
6/21/2020 6:48am
Just put in Works Chassis Lab top mounts.
Looks like they are out of the lower mounts right now.
Cashmoney24
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3/7/2020
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Ranson, WV US
6/21/2020 8:16am
Just put in Works Chassis Lab top mounts.
Looks like they are out of the lower mounts right now.
I installed both on my KX a few months back. The look of them alone is almost worth the cost of admission. The bike definitely corners well. Not sure if it’s them on their own or a sum of the other stuff I’ve done. Either way, they are sweet.

Went with medium/medium
1
kkawboy14
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TX US
6/21/2020 8:55am
kkawboy14 wrote:
I purchased this to set my own! Is this the best setting? [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/06/20/433479/s1200_79FF6179_6B19_43CB_BECF_D3DA4D895FA1.jpg[/img]
I purchased this to set my own! Is this the best setting?


Yup. Don’t forget to do the fi as well, and per his review, use the white coupler. Here’s a link to his review article (with upgrades)...
Yup. Don’t forget to do the fi as well, and per his review, use the white coupler.

Here’s a link to his review article (with upgrades) which has a good breakdown and explanation of the settings. Good read altogether.

https://www.keeferinctesting.com/motocross-testing/tag/KX450
Cool that’s what I read!

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