2010 Kawasaki KFX450R Ride Review

By Jason Zittel
Photos by: Fonzie

Kawasaki Motor Corp. recently let a bunch of magazine guys loose on their 2010 ATV and SxS lineup at the Badlands Off-Road Park, located in Attica, IN. I was fortunate enough to represent ATV Scene.com

Badlands caters to a wide variety of off-road enthusiasts, including ATVers, UTVers, dirt bikers, and even trucks/Jeeps/SUV guys and gals. Of course, some trails are designated for use only by certain vehicles. Thanks to Kawasaki, we had access to the entire park. They have a parts shop on the property that sells everything from tires to helmets, and they also offer machine rentals. For anyone looking for a great place to ride in Indiana you should definitely put this one on your list.

Being a motocross guy I was stoked to see that Badlands didn’t skimp on their motocross track. It’s a closed course with multiple doubles, tabletops, step-ups, sweeping turns, as well as multiple elevation changes that wind in and out of the woods. Although the track was a bit narrow, it still looked like a good way to get the gears turning, blood flowing and adrenaline pumping.

After claiming a shiny brand new KFX450R I took a few laps on the motocross track before our planned group ride. I made it back in time to take off with the advance group, which consisted Greg Lasiewski from Kawasaki and a couple other editors, including long time ATV Scene friend, John Arens (now editor of ATV Illustrated). As we headed out of camp, I noticed I was the only one in the group riding an ATV. Everyone else was piloting the new 2010 Teryx 700. Not a problem, I was happy as can be with my choice ride.

I wasn’t sure what to expect of the park, since the first piece of terrain we came across was a large sand-dune-like area that spread for several acres; something I was not anticipating seeing in Indiana! I figured our trail ride would be gravy, that is, until we entered the woods! What a killer trail! I was so glad I was with the advanced group. We conquered it all; multiple stream crossings, mud holes, elevation changes and tight trees. We quickly twisted and turned full-throttle throughout the park. It was a blast! Upon exiting the aggressive cross country terrain, we again hit some more open sandy/loamy areas, where ATVs and motorcycles of all sorts graced the nearby hills and pseudo “sand dunes”. This placed rocked!

We soon returned to the Kawasaki trailer for a lunch break, where all of the editors shared their opinions of the machines that they had been riding all morning. After changing my mud-soaked gear for a fresh set and some dry socks, I joined up with John Arens, and photographer “Fonz” for some motocross action on the KFX450R. John and I followed each other a few laps and then decided to do some jumping action shots. We found a nice 50-foot step-up that we could easily loop back to, and gave Fonz plenty of areal action to shoot. After roosting through a nice sweeper a hundred times we wrapped up our little moto-shoot and headed off to hit the trails again.

I know I was allowed to ride any of Kawasaki’s 2010 machines, but I just couldn’t seem to get off my KFX450R Woops, did I just call it mine? This time out we fired ‘em up and left as one large group. We stopped from time to time to shoot some photos and video. Of course we’d also stop if we found some cool jumps, turns, rocks, and mud holes to play in. Soon the sun started to get lower and the temperatures began to fall, so we made our way back to the trailer to load up.

When we got back to camp, the Outdoor Channel was rolling tape on us. They were doing a piece on the park and tracked us all down for an interview on what we thought of the Badlands, and the Kawasaki ride event. I thought that was pretty cool. Tired, a bit cold and somewhat wore out from a great day of riding we headed back to the hotel, got cleaned up, and headed out for a group dinner before calling it a night.

This ride, much like the KFX450R I fell in love with, was more than I had expected it to be, but exactly what John Rall from Kawasaki said it was, a group of buddies out ridin’ – simple as that. I can honestly say I now know why Kawasaki uses the slogan “LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL”

My 2010 KFX450R Review
I suppose Kawasaki wanted us all to ride test more than just one machine all day, but this was my first time on the KFX450R and I just couldn’t pull myself off of it.

First Impression:
I have ridden and raced most of the new 450cc sport quads on the market, and was impressed with them, but they were all modified-out with aftermarket parts, unlike the stock KFX that I was joyriding on all day long. Amazing as it seems it compares right out of the box.

The first thing I noticed was how easy this thing fired up. Just a press of the button and you were ready to rock. Of course the muffled OEM exhaust didn’t give me the same thrill of anticipation as the deep bark of aftermarket exhausts that I am so used to. Little did I know I was going to be in for a thrill once I got this bad boy moving!

Motor:
The KFX’s EFI was very responsive and the quad accelerated quickly as I shifted through the gears. I had plenty of power when I blipped the throttle to make it over jumps on the motocross track.

I would love to swing a leg over a KFX with a full blown race motor after seeing how quick it is in stock form. And a final note on the motor, reverse isn’t that out of the question on a 450cc sport quad.

I can see where it could come in handy in many ways pertaining to racing, especially for the GNCC guys. I never thought I would say this, but I was happy it was there for me when I needed it.

Chassis/Suspension:
I must say I am thoroughly impressed with the chassis design on this particular ATV. As a racer, you tend to pick out some of the finer details of the machine when considering one for purchase. A few of these details are the very narrow front frame rail, the gull-wing design on the a-arms, and the dirt bike-style linkage in the back. The aluminum frame in itself is an amazing piece of work. The front and rear shocks are fully adjustable and rebuildable, and I had no problem landing the jumps on the motocross track. I’m used to long travel suspension, but I had a good feeling about the suspension the first time I landed from a big jump. It’s also a very nimble bike in the air, and is very easy to maneuver once you’ve taken off. As far as handling goes on the KFX450R, I am going to give it a 9 out of 10. The quad is very responsive and will go wherever you point it, but I found this to be somewhat bad during one of my photo shoots around the sweeping turn when the photographer moved in close as I was entering the turn and spooked me a little. I jerked the bars for a second and went straight over the berm. Luckily though, since the handling is so quick, I was easily able to correct myself before going into a drainage ditch! The KFX tracks very well in and out of corners though, and the low center of gravity helps keep it glued to the ground most of the time. All in all, Kawasaki hit a home run in the handling and suspension department.

Ergonomics:
Mind you, I am coming out of a 10-year relationship with 250R based quads, so I get a little nervous when I saddle up on something new. This feeling went away very quickly as I found myself easily hanging off the ATV in turns and being able to slide from side to side in S turn situations. We actually found a cool figure-eight bowl-turn setup in the dune area. It was here where I really appreciated how easy it was to move around on the machine. My favorite feature on the KFX is the factory Renthal “Fat Bars” that come installed on it. This was something I was automatically felt used to. The Renthal bars definitely give that “racer” feel to the KFX. John Arens and I both agreed that the more we rode the 2010 KFX450R, the more we liked it.

Final Thoughts:
After a full day of riding the 2010 Kawasaki KFX450R on just about every kind of terrain imaginable, I must say it is an ATV that I was entirely impressed with. Kawasaki did a great job with this machine. I cannot wait to ride one that is fully modded towards my style of riding, and from a racer’s perspective I would definitely consider a KFX450R as the platform for a future race quad. For more photos of my adventure on the green machine and of Badlands check out my Facebook page.

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