Kawasaki KFX450R 2008-2014 Service Manual

Kawasaki built the KFX450R to be race-ready out of the crate, using two-wheeled championship engine technology in a quad. Its main selling points were an all-aluminum frame and the only reverse gear in the 450 class. It won best 450 sport quad honors in its first year, and Kawasaki backed it with an ATV racing contingency program of up to $800,000. After the 2008 launch the quad changed very little, mostly in colours, with Lime Green and Metallic Flat Raw Graystone among the choices.

Power comes from a 449cc liquid-cooled DOHC four-valve single, derived from Kawasaki's motocross engine. It has a 96mm x 62mm bore and stroke and a 12:1 compression ratio, fed by Keihin 42mm fuel injection with digital CDI ignition. Claimed output is about 43 hp at 7,500 rpm and 41 Nm (30 lb-ft) of torque at 7,000 rpm. The engine uses a titanium exhaust header and a forged piston, with a 5-speed manual gearbox, reverse and chain final drive. Electric start is standard, and a kick-start system was an option on the 2008 model.

The frame is an aluminum double-cradle racing design that weighs only about 26 lbs, roughly 20 percent lighter than rival frames. The long lower front A-arms mount to a single box-tube lower frame, and the battery and coolant tank sit in front of the engine to lower the center of gravity. Front suspension is dual A-arms with coil-over shocks and 8.5 inches of travel. The rear is a swingarm with a piggyback-reservoir shock, dual-rate springs and 10.0 inches of travel. Brakes are dual 163mm front discs with two-piston calipers and a 200mm petal-type rear rotor with a single-piston caliper.

Confirmed figures list a 71.1-inch length, a 46.1-inch width, a 41.9-inch height, a 49.4-inch wheelbase and a 30.9-inch seat height. The tank holds 10 litres (2.6 US gal). Tires are 21x7-10 front and 20x10-9 rear, and curb weight is about 395 lbs. Top speed is roughly 85 mph, and Kawasaki recommended it for riders 16 and over. US pricing climbed from $7,399 in 2008 to $8,099 by 2011.

This factory service manual covers the procedures, torque specs, and diagrams needed to keep a 2008-2014 KFX450R running the way it was built to.