After the new YZ 2009 offering from Yamaha the MX model year is being enriched with the arrival of Kawasaki. The lovely green will present itself at the starting blocks this year with some interesting news.

The protagonists are always the KX, but with the letter “f” added. The four stroke 250 and 450cc have undergone numerous updates, which from this year also include a series with a “Monster” look similar to those of the Supercross AMA.

The bigger sister KX450F boasts the juiciets novelty with the arrival of electronic ignition.

This is becoming an inevitable modification for this class of motorcycle, with reports saying it will appear on the new Suzuki cross too, which should ensure an increase in performance of the powerful single cylinder Kawasakis.

A new ECU is also included to manage this new aspect, which doesn’t require a battery so weight is kept down, and which should see an increase to about six hours of memory for race data. The 449cc liquid cooled engine has seen an increase in the compression ratio from 12.0 to 12.5:1, with new valves and a titanium exhaust that respects the 99 decibel norms.

The chassis and fork are also new - being lighter and stronger, with the Kayaba “Air-Oil-Separate (AOS)” and single shock absorber which manages compression at both higher and lower regimes.

The smaller four-stroke KX250F has seen some improvements in performance at medium and higher regimes and now contains only 1.2 litres of oil compared to the previous 1.5, which sees a reduction in weight and friction.

The KX350F reflects some of the chassis changes implemented on the 450, now being equipped iwith completely new Showa fork and rear shock absorber. Below are the technical specs for the new Kawasaki offroad.

KX 450F
Engine Liquid-cooled, four-stroke single with DOHC and four valves
Displacement 449cc
Bore x stroke 96.0 x 62.1mm
Compression ratio 12.0:1
Fuel Injection 43mm Keihin Throttle body
Ignition Digital DC-CDI
Transmission Five-speed
Rake / trail 26.7 degrees / 4.6 in.
Front suspension / wheel travel 48mm inverted, Kayaba AOS with DLC coated sliders, 22-position compression and 20-position rebound dampening adjustment / 12.4 in.
Rear suspension / wheel travel UNI-TRAK® linkage system and Kayaba shock with 22-position low-speed and stepless high-speed compression dampening, 22-position rebound dampening and fully adjustable spring preload / 12.4 in.
Front tire 90/100-21
Rear tire 120/80-19
Front brake Single semi-floating 250mm petal disc with dual piston caliper
Rear brake Single 240mm petal disc with single-piston caliper
Overall length 86.0 in.
Overall width 32.3 in.
Overall height 50.4 in.
Wheelbase 58.3 in.
Ground clearance 13.4 in
Seat height 38.0 in.
Curb weight 247.2 lbs.
Fuel capacity 1.8 gal.
Color Lime Green

KX 250F
Engine Four-stroke single with DOHC and four valves
Displacement 249cc
Bore x stroke 77.0 x 53.6mm
Cooling Liquid
Carburetion Keihin FCR37 and hot start circuit
Compression ratio 13.2:1
Ignition Digital CDI with K-TRIC throttle position sensor
Transmission Five-speed with wet multi-disc manual clutch
Final drive Chain
Frame Aluminum perimeter
Rake / trail 27.7 degrees / 4.8 in.
Front suspension / wheel travel 47mm inverted twin-chamber telescopic fork with 16-way compression and rebound damping / 12.4 in.
Rear suspension / wheel travel UNI-TRAK® linkage system with 13-way low-speed and 2-turn high-speed compression damping, 17-way rebound damping and fully adjustable spring preload / 12.2 in.
Front tire 80/100-21
Rear tire 100/90-19
Front brake Single semi-floating 250mm petal disc with dual piston caliper
Rear brake Single 240mm petal disc with single-piston caliper
Overall length 85.4 in.
Overall width 32.3 in.
Overall height 50.0 in.
Wheelbase 57.9 in.
Ground Clearance 13.4 in.
Seat height 37.6 in.
Curb weight 229.9 lbs.
Fuel capacity 2.1 gal.
Color Lime Green

via | Kawasaki

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