2009 Kawasaki KX450F Shootout Photo Gallery

Another Japanese manufacturer steps up to the plate with fuel-injection for 2009. The new Kawi KX450F is a bruiser that hits hard.

'The Kawi doesn’t feel as light or as small as the Honda,' said Toye. 'But it’s not that bad. It certainly doesn’t feel all that heavy in the air.'

Honda spanked the group in 2008 and looked to bully the class again in 2009, but Kawasaki turned out to be stronger and tougher than expected.

2009 Kawasaki KX450F

'I couldn’t get the suspension dialed-in to where I was happy with it,' said Simon.

The Kawasaki accelerates - hard. The new fuel-injection system and massaged motor make this the standout engine for 2009.

Our man Simon, who isn’t the easiest to impress, also raved about the Kawi in the engine department.

Big and burly, the Kawi is so well balanced that it can feel relatively nimble for such a heavy, powerful machine.

'The handling on this bike is awesome,' states Armstrong. 'It turns in quick and is easy to get into the tight corners. It’s also very stable and planted feeling in the fast stuff.'

'The suspension was harsh on the braking and acceleration bumps,' added Armstrong. 'So I reset the sag to 108mm, and went out 2 clicks in the compression on the fork and in on the high-speed [compression] on the rear shock. This helped the bike work better through the smaller bumps of the fast sections on the track, but it still could have been better.'

2009 450 MX Comparison - Torque

Sure it isn’t the most comfortable MX’er nor the easiest to ride. But it is in fact the fastest and best handling motocross machine of 2009.

Without a doubt the sheer acceleration force generated by the Kawasaki’s 449cc DOHC engine can intimidate a novice rider, yet, the well engineered fuel mapping enables the engine to produce power in such a smooth, tractable way, that you never have to worry about it surging or catching you off guard.

'The bike really got down and cornered well,' concurred Simon. 'Plus with all the torque the bike has, it makes exiting the corner easier as its got plenty of power to pull you out.'

Despite being tied with the Suzuki for the heaviest motorcycle award, our testers were pleased with how centralized the Kawasaki’s weight feels.

While not as diminutively sized as the Honda, the Kawasaki’s dimensions were well received by all of our vastly different sized riders.

The Kawasaki will be showing this side to plenty of competitors in 2009.

Similarly to the RM-Z, all of our testers were surprised by how sharp the Kawasaki steered, which up until this year’s iteration was an area in which the previous KX450F lacked.

The final major plus in the engine department is how easy the KXF is to start. One kick, maximum two—even when you tip over. Next to a 2-Stoke, it’s an easy bike to start.