To say this year’s Kawasaki KX450F motocross bike made an impression on us would be an understatement. We loved this motorcycle from the moment of our first spin in Tennessee. Then when we got our hands on one at home we pitted it against the best offerings from Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha in our 2009 450 Motocross Comparison. There the big-bore KX whopped the competition with its unique blend of power, handling, not to mention ease of starting.
 
Considering that it was such a clear cut winner, we assumed that it would be a carry-over model, especially considering how big off a slump off-road motorcycle sales are in. But Kawi engineers continued to tweak its premium motocrosser, giving us the Kawi's highest performing motocross platform to date with this brand new KX450F.
 
Besides its new graphic scheme the bike looks identical to this year’s, however underneath its green plastics it sports some subtle performance tweaks. To find out more about it make sure to check out our 2010 Kawasaki KX250F and KX450F First Look article.
 
As you’re reading this we’re off putting in laps at Southern California’s newest motocross track, Pala Raceway, in order to discover if in fact the updates work around the racetrack. We’ll have the article posted this coming Monday, until then be sure to check out our Kawasaki Fuel-injection Calibration Kit in which describes how you can tune the KX450F's engine settings to suit your riding preference or track conditions.