The KX’s premium suspension is softened—both damping and spring
rates— on the KLX, but the fully adjustable high-tech units are retained. I
lightened the compression damping from the stock settings, as I am at the
lighter end of the weight range considered for the bike. Were the bike mine, I
would install lighter springs and have a suspension modification company
perfectly tailor the action to my riding style, but the wide adjustability of
the stock components gets the bike quite close.
The Kayaba forks bailed me out more than once, particularly on
an unexpectedly brutal square-edge step. A twist of the throttle lifted the
wheel, but also increased the speed. As I braced for a hard spike and possible
endo, the forks erased the hit, much to my relief, and the rear shock followed
suit. Likewise, jumps, drop-offs and whoops were dispatched with effortless
aplomb.
After working my way down lump-in-the-throat-steep, rutted
switchbacks into a ravine, then clawing my way up a rocky hillclimb, I took a
break at the top to absorb what I had just done. Had I enjoyed a preview of the
downhill, I would have considered dismounting and bulldogging the bike. Instead,
the KLX gave me the confidence to ride the bike down, without so much as a dab
of a Sidi Crossfire boot. The tires, brakes, suspension, geometry and motor
conspired, by their own volition, to exceed my personal boundaries without my
consent. The KLX450R doesn’t do what you ask—it does more.
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