Kawasaki KX450F & KLX450R unveiled

Kawasaki has launched two new motocross products in the Indian market that cater to a miniscule population of off-road enthusiasts. The Kawasaki KX450F and KLX450R are imported to the country via the CBU route and are not street legal since they are built for off-road use only.

Kawasaki KX450F
Tipping the scale at just 108.8 kgs, the KX450F is powered by a 449cc, liquid-cooled engine mated to a 5-speed transmission. While the front-end gets 49 mm inverted forks from Showa with Triple Air Chamber, an adjustable Uni-Trak monoshock is provided at the rear. The braking department is headed by petal discs at either end. The bike is priced at Rs 7.97 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Kawasaki KLX450R
The KLX450R utilises a carburetted version of the 449cc liquid-cooled engine and comes with the same five-speed gearbox. Equipped with a headlamp, digital console, electric starter and a larger fuel tank, the bike is suspended via 48 mm adjustable AOS-type inverted forks at the front and Uni-Trak monoshock setup at the rear.

However, it sits 20 mm closer to the ground, gets a smaller petal disc at the front and is 17 kgs heavier as compared to the KX450F. This bike is priced at a premium of Rs 51,700 over the KX450F.

The two motocross machines also get a Launch Control function which switches a different engine map to provide better starts on low traction surfaces. Even though the market for dirt bikes is limited in India, the new product launches coupled with updates to their superbike range show Kawasaki’s efforts for our market.