KX500 VS KX450F ye toe lot etal 22/10/10 TITLE FIGHT - 2000 KX500 VS 2011 KX450F (Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine issue #4, pages 76-83, Words by Andy Wigan, images by iKapture Images) ‘A decade after winning the last 500ce Aussie MX title ever staged, can the KX500 still claim to be the biggest, baddest dog on the moto block? Or has the new KX4SOF got something to say about that? Short of a large-calibre semiautomatic weapon being waved in your face, few machines evoke more fear and respect than a 500cc two-stroke motocross bike. Products ‘of Europe in the 1970s and evolved by the Japanese in the 1980s, these 500s epitomised raw, explosive, terrifying ‘grunt. They were brutal, unapologetic and unforgiving, and became the universal symbol for the hospital Emergency Ward in twowheeled disguise But how relevant is that proscription of the S00cc two- stroke these days? Is the fear, respect and reverence once reserved for these 500s beginning to wane with the passage of time? Surely these rebadged relics from the late 1980s can't still be kings of a moto-jungle now populated by high-tech, alloy: framed, fuel-injected 450cc thumpers. (Or can they? Exactly how does the old KXS00 arguably the most powerful of all the 500s ~ measure up to Kawasaki’ latest Open: class motocrosser, the recently released 2011 KX450F? Afterall, the KX45OF has itself established a reputation for class-leading power fever since it was frst released in 2006, Yes, the time had come for the tiwo meat axes of motocross to stand toe to toe; to determine whether yesteryear’ prize-fighter i stil packing a knockout punch, or whether the new-generation KX4SOF had finally earned the title of top dog, Now all we needed to do was find a KXS00 in good nick... Enter Brett Whale — former Kawi dealer and national race team manager, ‘and a diehard Kawasaki tragic. We asked the question and he was all over it in a split-second. "Mate, Ive actually got the KX500 Peter Melton won the Aussie 500cc ttle aboard back in 2000; Whale enthused. “That was Peter's last season on my team and the last time they ran the 500cc class in the Aussie Championship. She's pretty much a stock bike, though it hasn't been started for 10 years. I'l need anew piston and some TLC, but | can get her going. Easy done. And watch out. that thing is green Viagra, he said, laughing maniacal, Working together with Kawasaki Australias Glenn Macdonald and Melton - who runs his own suspension tuning business these days Whaley was true to his word. Within a week, the boys had brought Melton’s KX500 back to its former glory. The #1 machine was ready to rock. Melton was keen as mustard to put his resuscitated 500 back-to-back with the 2011 KX450F, and to compare the new 450 with the 2010-model held been getting around on. Transmoto test pilot, Danny Ham, also jumped at the opportunity. And en Pere rasa kc) LE WECT | ear cetisoo Nee eet Ree Rom CU nc) rentKX500 VS KX450F ye toe lot etal route to Queensland forthe test, it suddenly dawned on Hammy that he'd actually run a close second to Melton in that 500cc title chase back in 2000, riding a ‘worked! DR-Z400 This story just kept getting better and better! And adding to the amusement, neither Ham nor | had ever ridden a 500cc two- stroke around a motocross track. ‘A natural terrain motocross track and a date with the Dynolet beckoned. HAVE THE 2011 KX450F’s UPGRADES WORKED? Despite claims that the remapped ECU would create a more responsive powerplant, the 2011 450 actually delivers its power in a smoother and more linear way. It's almost as ifthe Kawi engineers have tried to peg back the aggressive 2010 engine a few notches in the name of rideability. The new KX450F stil boasts plenty of mumbo and response across the entire rev range, and i'l still carry tall gears just as well a last year’s bike, But when Pro riders look to blast out of a deep, loamy berm, they'll notice that some of the punch has been traded for traction. This year’s FIM-spec muffler creates a much quieter exhaust note, soit is possible the ECU is in fact more aggressive, in a bid to offset the more restrictive exhaust. Whatever the case, it's a win-win for punters and Clubman riders. The 2011 bike is quieter and more user-friendly. As for Pros ... well, they're likely to fit an aftermarket exhaust system anyway and reclaim any snap, that's been stolen by the new muffler. Kawasaki didn’t deta the “frame upgrades" for the 2011 bike, and the only visible difference we can see is that the rear engine mounts/hangers are cut-down and appear thinner than last year's ~ a tweak that suggests Kawi reckons they've got the frame pretty right nowadays. ‘Aswith last year’s bike, the new 450's engine and chassis is very predictable. The bike has a light, compact, nimble feel. ts suspension is compliant over the small bumps, with excellent progression at both ends and great, bottoming resistance. Most impressive of al is the way the thing hooks Lup on slippery terrain ~ perhaps a combination of the smoother power delivery and the fact Kawi has finally settled on a rsing-rate linkage that works for the machine HAS THE KX500 AGED GRACEFULLY? Inverted fork. Check! Disc brakes with twin-pot callipers at both ends. Check! Just when you've almost convinced yourself the KXS00 Isn't too archaic, you spot the droopy rear guard and crappy litle footpegs. Hmm, old-school! Then there's that pyramid-style fuel tank. What the? And for an eye attuned to modern-day alloy perimeters frames, that spindly litle green chromoly tubing that houses the 500's donk looks ike it belongs on a mountain bike .. and an old one at that! “Mate, it looks lke a dinosaur, but it actually aint bad at all to ride!" This was the first thing Peter Melton said after a couple of laps aboard the 500 that he hadn't sat on since wrapping up the title in Broadford 10 years ago. t's already rattled my filings loose, but itain't bad’ Spoken lke a true easy-to-please old-schooler who grew up on twinshock machines! Fora young punk more accustomed to late-model motocross bikes, the 500's ergos would feel pretty damn foreign. I's nice and narrow through the girth and radiators, but the curved seat makes it very difficult to move around freely in the cockpit and to load up the front-end through turns. The bars are high, the clutch is heavy and the footpegs are half the size of modern units. DOES THE 500 HANDLE? Compared to the compact 450, the KX500 feels tall, And with a full tank of juice it carries its weight much higher than the 450 does. That makes it harder to flick the 500 from side to side orto really feel on top of the front-end through sweepers. But aside from that, she stil steers, absorbs bumps and hooks up very respectably. Sure its suspension isnt as plush as the 450', nor does it offer the same bottoming resistance, but it handles much more predictably than any of us would have imagined. Jumping the thing is another matter though, and it did take some adapting to. The 500 feels as light asthe 450 in the air, ut setting the trajectory of the bike off the up-ramp isa challenge. Pere rasa kc) LE WECT | ear cetisoo Nee eet Ree Rom CU nc) rentKX500 VS KX450F PRESS RELEASE Why? Combine allthat grunt with a heavy flywheel and minimal engine braking, and you can afford to back off way before the takeoff and still clear a jump easily. The big two-stroke just keeps driving and tends to fly nosehigh until you adapt your style to suit. Hammy adapted so well to jumping the 500 that he almost had a massive endo when he first got back on the 450! ‘WHERE DOES THE KX500 RULE? Where there's traction, where it’s smooth, and where the bike can't get out from under you. Which, when you think about it, whittles things down to a very small portion of most motocross racks, No doubt about it, the 500 i stil packing alot more grunt that the 450, and it made light work of the four-stroke when we performed a few third gear roll-ons on a dirt road. But using that power = getting it to the ground — is another matter al together. The 500's power comes on with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, so you have no choice but the to short-shft through the gearbox and use the meaty part of the rev range. It’s your only hope of dialling the throttle on with any semblance of control. In loamy berms, its explosive nature is fantastic; in technical ruts its diabolical! Backin 2000, Melton actually shortened the standard 14/47 gearing to 14/49 on his race bike so he could get off the line in third gear. He carried third for Broadford MX track’ entire uphill start straight, and for much of the rest ofthe track for that matter. Clicking back to second gear means taking your life into your own hands — well just your right hand ~ and who the hell knows what first gear is doing on a 500. Honestly! \With so much torque and big spaces between gears, i's handy that you can get away with very few gear changes on the 500. But you do need to pay attention to what gear you're in and when to shift as the power comes to an abrupt halt before 7000rpm which can bbe dangerous on up-ramps! ‘The 500 likes tracks where you can turn, point and shoot, but is very dificult to ride around grasstrack sweepers with atrailing throttle. These 500s are designed to be on or off the power, and there's little room for a bloke who likes it in between All of which is exactly why most guys spent much of their time detuning thelr 500s and making them more rideable. Most added base gaskets to reduce compression. Many fitted heavier fiywheels. And CRS00 owners found that the biggerdiameter KX500 carbs helped knock the edge off the CR's power delivery at low revs. This made it more manageable through turns, before unleashing the power only when the bike was upright. WILL THE 450 ALWAYS CUT FASTER LAPS? (On most tracks, and in the hands of most riders, the answer is an unequivocal (and predictable but ever-so-slightly disappointing) yes! Thanks to its nimble, lightweight feel, balanced and predictable suspension, sweet brakes, broad and responsive power, and prodigious ability to find traction even when there is little on offer, the KX450F has developed into a fine allrounder with very few chinks in its armour. It doesn't take too many laps to establish the 500 stil has a significant power advantage over the 450, but i's equally evident that the 450's power isa lot easier to use, and the average guy will come out way ahead on the 450 on all but the loamiest of tracks. The 450 demonstrated amazing drive and tractabilty on our slick test track and was really easy to dial on and maintain comerspeed around smooth, flowing arcs. And, unlike the 500, it an be ridden to good effect anywhere in the rev range. It's happily short-shfted on slick terrain or welcomes youtto throw revs att in power-sapping loam or on fast straights. The four-stroke’. ‘engine braking also gives it the chassis a squatter, more anchored feel on the way into turns, For more footage of the track test, dyno session and rider feedback, check out www.transmoto.com.au Pere rasa kc) LE WECT | ear cetisoo Nee eet Ree Rom CU nc) rent