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Just had to do it !

Posted: 08:54 pm Oct 20 2008
by TWMOODY
I took a little road trip to Ohio today and came home with a new toy !
No more jetting ( fuel injected ) and no mods nessary.
It's an animal out of the box !
2009 KX450F

I will have my KDX200 up for sale soon, it's in perfect condition and needs
nothing.
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Posted: 09:10 pm Oct 20 2008
by m0rie
Congrats on the new ride. Those sure are pretty! Let us know how it works out for you and how it compares to the KDX.

Posted: 09:11 pm Oct 20 2008
by Indawoods
Your going to put an eye out kid! :mrgreen:

Posted: 09:17 pm Oct 20 2008
by TWMOODY
I will be sure to wear my goggles India ! :lol:

Posted: 09:40 pm Oct 20 2008
by Jeb
WOW!! Very sharp, hope I get to see you ride it in person next spring . . .

can't wait to hear what you think of it.

Posted: 07:26 am Oct 21 2008
by DirtBikeDad
Schwiiing! Looks like a rocketship sitting still. Love the green hubs! :supz:

Posted: 09:35 am Oct 21 2008
by fuzzy
FI is schweet.

Posted: 12:43 pm Oct 21 2008
by firffighter
Very nice looking ride. Should be quite a bit different than the old KDX. Make sure and give us a good ride report.

Posted: 01:02 pm Oct 21 2008
by canyncarvr
FI is all that, 'eh? Tell that to my brother-in-law that's been fighting with Kaw about his brandy new Versys for months 'cuz it don't run for diddle..sometimes...and you never know when it's gonna happen. It's been back to the dealer five or six times.

I know a couple of guys...f-a-s-t guys...that have been through a 450 'phase', one on a CRF, one a KXF. ..they couldn't get rid of 'em fast enough: 'Too much' of everything. :blink:

It IS purty...and I DO hope you love it!

There's a first time for everything! :wink:

Posted: 10:08 pm Oct 21 2008
by TWMOODY
Had a chance to put about 30 miles on it today and here's my initial report.

Fast! Very fast!
Power delivery is very smooth and consistent through the entire throttle.
A snap of the throttle in 5th gear mid throttle will launch the front tire
up with ease. It's pretty easy to kick over and starts on the second kick cold.
I did have a chance to ride through some tight stuff but not alot and the
bike seemed to handle with ease. The balance of the bike seems to make it very easy to handle and very noticable on rough terrain.
It weighs in with fuel at 262lbs vs KDX at about 250 but it feels much lighter as far as the balance point.
The 2009 model the changed all kinds of things from frame to engine and
fuel injection.
Gotta say I was pretty happy with the kdx but on the initial ride report
I am much impressed with this new version of KX from KAW.
One thing I will miss is the cushy seat on the kdx.
GRIN report 10++ :supz:

Also the foot pegs are a little bit wider which seem more comfertable than
the kdx.

Posted: 09:54 am Oct 22 2008
by fuzzy
After reading up on the FI system on that thing, it's quite an engineering work of art. Batteryless, very efficient electronics. Coupled to a motor I wouldn't want, but awesome nonetheless!!! Does it have an o2 sensor?

Posted: 10:05 am Oct 22 2008
by skipro3
Sure wish it were CA street legal dual sport.

Posted: 10:25 am Oct 22 2008
by canyncarvr
I see 'em just south of the border..OTD for $7699!

For that much money...I'd want a button........... :neutral:

Dang...it sure is purty!

Is that FI software accessible? 'GG Software' or somesuch?

Now THAT would be neat..an OEM box that you can fix yourself!
Kawasaki wrote:Front forks that flex more, top clamp that flexes less... 23mm offset vs: 24mm, new frame, new swingarm, pivot point +3mm..
etc etc...

And only three crank revolutions to power the thing up (#1 ECU, #2 In-tank fuel pump, #3 Injector)! Now...when was the last time you ever heard a big 4T turn over three times with a kick?

I wonder if it will be as easy to start in a couple years........... :hmm:

Your's isn't an 'animal' out of the box...it's a MONSTER!!

..it's the 'Monster Energy' model I'm sayin'....

Posted: 02:17 pm Oct 22 2008
by fuzzy
I'm sure it will eventually be programmable via afermarket.....

Posted: 05:36 pm Oct 22 2008
by skipro3
That kickstart lever looks like it's already been in a serious accident. You could screw that thing into the ground!! BTW, I wonder why no one is using lithium battery technolgy for the e-button bikes. I have a couple drivers that use those batteries and can drive 12 inch lag screws into logs several times over on a single charge. I'm pretty sure each lag requires a whole lot more energy than a single kick of a dirt bike and the battery is about the size of a pack of smokes. The charger recharges from dead to full in less than 15 minutes too. And it won't form a memory if you recharge before it's completely spent.

Posted: 06:00 pm Oct 22 2008
by canyncarvr
Reasonable question.

I dunno, but that lag screw example pales in comparison capacity-wise to even a bit of current running 24 hours a day every day of the week, don't it?

I guess you could plug your dirt bike into the wall when you were done riding......... Is that what you were thinking?

I recently bought a 1/2" driver drill thinking it HAD Li technology. Heck..that's WHY I bought it!! Looking at the cost of a replacement (Li) battery some time later, I thought, 'Man! How could I get TWO of those for the price I paid?'

DOH! I got NiCad. Crappers.

Posted: 08:59 pm Oct 22 2008
by TWMOODY
No O2 sensor that I have seen but it does use a coolant temp,
air intake temp, mass air flow , gear position and throttle position sensor.
The timing curve and fuel controls are programable and can be logged
I read a pretty good article about that here- http://www.vitalmx.com/features/2009-Ka ... X450F,2875

VIDEO on programing-
http://www.vitalmx.com/videos/features/ ... 53/GuyB,64

No need to worry about KAW and warranty issues cause there is no
warranty! I suppose I would make much noise if I had any problem
say within 6 months if it were not due to neglect and they might listen
if they see that I have purchased 2 new bikes in less than 2 years.
I hope I don't have to find out.
The kick start is pretty funky looking but it kicks no harder than a 250 2t
and can easily be started with sneakers on. ( no I don't ride with sneakers)
Everyone in my neck of the woods was right around 8K for this but my
trip to Ohio saved me about 500 bucks so I guess it was worth the 4 hr round trip.

Posted: 09:08 pm Oct 22 2008
by TWMOODY
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Jeb wrote:WOW!! Very sharp, hope I get to see you ride it in person next spring . . .

can't wait to hear what you think of it.
Yea Man !

Hatfield Macoy again ??
I will go again probley twice next year.
My buddies here want to go for a weekend trip again
this year, leave on a friday night come home on sunday
but thats way to much driving for 1 day of riding.
I wished you could have made it up this neck of the woods
for the BLACK LAKE trip 2 weekends ago it was a great trip
and excellent riding conditions.
About 75 degrees during the day and 40-50 at night.
Lots of bikes and riders heres some pics and I finally finished
my toy hauler.
Image
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Posted: 09:15 pm Oct 22 2008
by Rick
Very cool Tom! I too would love to check out that bad boy! Better get a headlight for that thing if were gunna make another late night monsoon ride...... :lol:

Posted: 09:26 pm Oct 22 2008
by TWMOODY
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Rick wrote:Very cool Tom! I too would love to check out that bad boy! Better get a headlight for that thing if were gunna make another late night monsoon ride...... :lol:
I think the KDX would be easier on the down hill trails of slippery clay
with blind folds on !