The 450 motocross class heats up with the release of Kawasaki’s all-new KX450F. For 2016, engineers went back to the drawing board giving the premier class KX-F its first major overhaul in seven years.

Engine

Since its inception a decade ago, Kawasaki’s KX450F engine has developed a reputation as an absolute powerhouse. And for ’16 it looks to build that legacy with an overhauled design that’s lighter, smoother and more powerful. Engine cases are reshaped and fabricated from thinner aluminum castings. The cylinder has shifted forward (8.5mm) for improved combustion efficiency, which also allowed engineers remove weight from the engine’s bottom-end (3.3 ounces). While that may not seem like much, the weight savings is compounded when the crankshaft is spinning in the meat of its 11,450 rpm powerband. In fact, engineers were so hell bent on shaving weight, even the kickstarter was re-tooled and is now 2.6 ounces lighter.
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