2006 Kawasaki KX450F Photo Gallery

Kawasaki completely re-vamped it's '05 prototype to finally satiate the starving mass of green riders who have been longing for a big-bore thumper. Check out what we thought of this bike in our 2006 Kawasaki KX450F First Ride.

It’s finally here! Kawasaki joins the fray for the 2006 heavyweight title.

MCUSA test rider JC Hilderbrand plays in the mist aboard the KXF.

Polished intake ports are hand-finished for consistent performance across the powerband.

Clutch action was smooth for such a big bike, but the lever could have been a little closer to the bar for our test rider.

Besides looking cool, the two-piece shrouds expose the upper portion of the twin-spar frame to provide more grip at the knees.

The titanium header pipe widens from 38mm to 41mm for smooth, even power delivery.

Deep, sandy loam greeted us at Competitive Edge track where Kawi debuted the KX450F. It's a good thing the bike was a 450, because this stuff would swallow a small-bore thumper or 250cc 2-stroke.

A close-ratio, four-speed gearbox is perfectly suited for the motocross track. An off-road version of the 450F might benefit more from an additional gear, but this is a purpose-built MX racer.

Just like on the KX250F, the big thumper gets these petal-style rotors on front and back. Our tester, JC Hilderbrand loves the stopping action on the green machines.

Hilderbrand in action on the KXF.

Grip it and rip it, Baby! The 450F’s motor really comes alive in second and third gear.

The perimeter frame allows for the motor to be tilted back into a more vertical position than the ’05 prototypes. Kawi says the vertical orientation helps minimize inertia, thus decreasing engine braking.

Kawasaki wanted to give its new flagship machine a narrow profile for a moto-only application. They succeeded.

Power-robbing loam brought my foot-dragging skills to a whole new level.

A lightweight, works-style aluminum skid plate made the list for ’06. A necessity for all racers, having the part as standard equipment adds some cool-factor to the stock unit.

The Kawi is happy to be lugged around or revved out, but third gear seems to do it all.

Longer fibers pack the new exhaust can for lower noise emissions and longer life. We’ll see about the longevity issue, but the big-bore is one quiet machine.

The KXF flies straight and true, but it is a 450 and weights a claimed 220 pounds. Kawasaki still makes the KX250 for the FMX guys.

An automatic cam-chain tensioner makes internal maintenance a bit easier for KXF owners.

Thanks to an awesome set of brakes, stuffing the KX450F into an inside line isn’t as tough as you might think.

Compact, high-capacity Denso radiators keep the Kawi chillin’ on the track.

JC liked the roll-on power of the KXF.

Ti footpegs AND mounting brackets. Cool. The more titanium the better as far as we’re concerned.

Focus, JC. Look ahead, roll the throttle, breathe and whatever you do, don’t wad the new Kawi.

RC beater? Bubba won’t have any excuses in the ’06 nationals.

The kickstart lever is a short throw, but the Kawi fires on the first or second kick every time no matter how hot the engine is. Needless to say, we love that.

Kawasaki held back its 450F for an extra year to make sure it was the best it could be. The biggest reason for the postponement was to upgrade the aluminum chassis from a backbone design to this twin-spar version.

Negotiating body position is effortless on the KXF thanks to a gripper seat that is tacky on top but smooth on the sides.

MCUSA walked away from the KX450F press intro excited about the resurgence of effort in the Green Machine's motocross lineup. We can't wait to see how the bike stacks up against the rest of the 450s in head-to-head combat.

Stock Renthal handlebars and quality levers make controlling the green beast as pleasant as possible.

A cross-section illustration of the 450’s screw-style cam chain adjuster.

The frame might look similar to that of the 250F, but Kawasaki assured us that they are completely different. They’re even manufactured by different companies.

Low-friction coating on the piston skirt helps free up the 450F’s revs.

The 450 gets the same two-piece shroud in ’06 that its little brother does.

The crankshaft was a key element for reducing heavy engine braking often associated with big 4-strokes.

The all-new Kayaba AOS fork feel good while blasting berms, but require some tweaking to eliminate some minor headshake and harshness on slap-landings.