The KX-F wasn't the lightest on the scales at 232 pounds, and it didn't feel the lightest on the track. Regardless, a supremely well-balanced package make the Kawi a particularly nasty airborne pathogen.
I mentioned the extra pork on the ATK discovered by our scales. We could tell a difference just from attempting to lift it onto a stand, but the point is that weight is another all-important factor in class supremacy. Indeed, bigger is better, but the one area in which manus discredit our fundamental rule of thumb is with weight. Unfortunately for the American bike, our scales showed it to be 25 pounds heavier than the next-closest RM-Z. Honda proved to be the queen of vanity by trimming it's waistline to a skimpy 229 pounds. The Kawi's 232-pound tank-empty weight was slightly less than the RM-Z's 239 pounds.
Moving around on the CRF is simple thanks to its thin layout, and piloting around the track is also aided greatly by the weight savings. All of us were able to feel the difference in weight on the track and the Red thumper is definitely the sveltest of the crew. One way it was easy to tell was simply by getting into the air during our first day of testing at Glen Helen. With 30-mile-per-hour winds gusting the entire day, the Honda suffered worst in the dusty gale. I had the front end blown completely off the side of a tabletop that resulted in a trip over the bars. Luckily I'm not in the habit of going big on jumps, wind or no wind, so the crash was more of a flop than anything.
All of the bikes are excellent fliers, even the hefty ATK, if you dare. Jumping is where weight becomes most obvious to a rider. As you can see from our photo gallery, Mandahl was able to get all of the bikes moving around in the air, but the Honda and Kawasaki were consistently his favorite. Okay, so he didn't actually whip the ATK, but that's a hell of a lot of metal to be getting out of line.
None of the bikes were all that close to one another on the scales, something we didn't expect. What we did expect, however was the CRF to be pretty damn light, and Honda didn't disappoint.
The numbers in parenthesis represent the percentage of weight on the front wheel.
I hate to keep bringing up comments about the '06
Yamaha YZ450F, but it felt the most agile out of all the 450Fs I've ridden when I tested it at Competitive Edge during its press intro. We didn't have it for a straight up comparison, but it is definitely worth mentioning that I loved jumping the blue bike.
Nickel & Dime
Talking about engine braking and weight naturally leads into a discussion about cornering ability. While the RM-Z has the shortest wheelbase at 58.3 inches and sharpest 25.5 degrees of rake, it still couldn't overcome the hard-charging
Kawasaki. and Honda in the handling department.
The Suzuki and Kawasaki both have Honda-inspired twin-spar aluminum perimeter frames, but each has just a tad bit of individuality. Suzuki engineers have placed rectangular indentations in the biggest spars for a unique look and an additional bit of knee grip. Rondon and Mandahl both didn't notice a difference, but I preferred the indented style to the smooth frames of the Honda and Kawi not only for its grip, but for the extra robotic look it adds to an already chiseled physic. Kawasaki managed to squeeze the KX's overall width down to 32.3 inches, the smallest of our test.
Each of these bikes turns on a dime. Well, the ATK might run you two bits, but the Japanese trio knife through corners like a rabid teppanyaki chef with a pound of sirloin. The lightweight CRF has by far the most history with aluminum twin-spar perimeter frame chassis, so it was no surprise that the Honda gave excellent feel while avoiding harshness.
Sharp handling is one of Suzuki's known strong points. Even with the highest seat in the class, the RM-Z will blitz through the corners. Test rider, Mike Mandahl fell in love with this inside rut.
The only machine to top the Honda in chassis performance was the KX450F. A 27.1 degree rake and 4.6 inches of trail is less aggressive than either of the other Japanese bikes, which accounts for the extreme stability in rough sections and through turns. I found the Kawi frame to have the highest amount of flex, but it was by no means soft. Not that any were particularly harsh, but the KX-F transferred the least amount of jolt to the rider. This is Kawasaki's first year producing twin-spar alloy frames, and this one utilizes three-part technology to form their chassis out of cast, forged and extruded aluminum components similar to the CRF and RM-Z.
Our smallest rider found the KX-F to fit his 5'5'' frame the best. "The bar and peg height fit perfect for a small rider like me," Rondon said. As for myself, I found that moving the bars forward pulled me out of the swept-back position and increased the amount of grip at the front tire, greatly increasing my confidence and turning capabilities.
Astride the
Suzuki, its pegs feel tilted forward just a skosh, helping keep the rider forward on the seat and feeling aggressive. The seat height on the yellow bike is a whopping 39.2 inches. That's more than an inch higher than the Kawi and ATK, both 38 inches, and nearly two inches higher than the CRF's 36.8-inch tall butt rest. As a result the Suzuki feels top-heavy and just plain tall. Merely watching our shortest test rider attempting to kick the Suzuki to life after a stall was painful. All of the bikes require a good, solid kick and they'll light up, except for the ATK which is electric start only, but it proved to be an extreme challenge for our short tester, Rondon, who would have benefited from a sole extension on his left Sidi.
The oft-copied Honda aluminum twin-spar frame is light, strong and gives positive rider feedback on the track. Turning the narrow machine is greatly aided by these attributes.
Ergonomics on all the Japanese bikes were very similar when compared to the ATK. Despite the same seat height as the KX-F, the 450 MX feels long and low from the saddle. A 58.5-inch wheelbase isn't much different than the others, but the soft seat allows the rider to settle in and the Henry/Reed Pro-Taper bars felt like ape-hangers when coupled with the 27.5 inches of rake at the steering head.
"It's like driving a diesel rig when the others are like Toyota Tacomas," Rondon said. But before you write off the good ol' U.S. of A., let's look back a little to see where this whole situation stemmed from. Here's the short version.
Bicycle manufacturer Cannondale threw their helmet into the motocross ring when it released the MX400 in 2001. Bike reviews for the new machine were consistently blase' but the potential for improvement was definitely there. Unfortunately, Cannondale Motorsports was forced to file bankruptcy early in 2003, leaving the business up for grabs in an auction bidding war. And this is exactly where
ATK USA comes in.
ATK has never been a major player in motocross or supercross, but its quietly been selling a small share of motorcycles each year. When Cannondale went under, their surplus inventory was snatched up by the former sponsor of Wheelie-King Doug Domokos to make it their own. Well, kind of. The current 450 MX model still has a Cannondale engine cover on the left side, though they have gotten around to installing an ATK brand cover on the right side for 2006.
Once you get that thing tipped over, don't let off until the next obstacle. Anthony Rondon demonstrates how to rail a 262-pound beast.
Knowing that the 450 MX hasn't seen a lot of external changes since the Cannondale days between 2001 and 2003, but it has seen significant improvements in reliability of the powerplant. Still, the ATK comes out of the gate behind the times and they know it. That isn't to say that the machine isn't competent on the track in the right hands, but getting thrown head-to-head against bikes with the most cutting edge technology is a tough order to fill.
Handling/Chassis Ranking:
1. Kawasaki
2. Honda
3. Suzuki
4. ATK
