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2011 Kawasaki KX450F Shootout Photo Gallery

The big KX-F lumbers into the shootout and immediately starts knocking testers’ perceptions askew with a ridiculous engine.

Check out photos of the 2011 Kawasaki KX450F in the 2011 450 Motocross Shootout. Read the full 2011 Kawasaki KX450F Comparison review.

The KX-F is big, fast and aggressive, and the suspension reflects that with a solid feel.

Our faster, larger testers were particularly happy with the Kawasaki KX450F.

The Kawasaki will get you up and over anything. It's the slowing down and turning for the next jump that's more difficult.

Run it wide, pitch it in and lay on the throttle.

We were also glad to discover that the exhaust note is no longer the terrible, raspy blast of the past few years. The muffler can is much more tolerable to a trackside spectator and registered at 94.6 dB.

At 252 pounds with a full 1.9 gallons of premium, the KX-F is the heaviest bike in the test by a good margin (12 pounds more than the Honda).

The midsection and radiator shrouds provide ample amount of grip for the legs without feeling fat, or at least curvy, like the Yamaha.

The KX-F needs to shed weight and speed up the handling department.

It would be uncommon not to see the Kawi ranked at the top of the riders’ assessment for power delivery, overall production, effectiveness and character.

With components like KTM’s Brembo calipers and Yamaha’s Nissin binders putting a serious pinch on things, the Kawasaki’s feel dated.

As with the rest of the Kawasaki, the harder you ride it, the better it reacts.

A reshaped piston, longer, hotter spark settings from the ECU and new fuel and ignition mapping smooth out the Kawi without taming it down.