Kawasaki brings MY19 KX 250, KX 450 and KLX 450R to India

Indian MX racers rejoice as Kawasaki has followed in the footsteps of Suzuki and brought the 2019 versions of their highly successful MX bikes - the KX 250, the KX 450 and the KLX 450R. Suzuki had launched its RMZ range of motocross bikes a couple of weeks back, and now with these KX bikes, Indian racers can finally get their hands on latest-spec bikes via the factory route.

The KX 250 is the intermediate offering in the KX series in India, slotting between the KX 100 and the KX 450. It gets a 249cc single-cylinder engine with a 5-speed gearbox to go along with it. A 43mm Keihin throttle body provides the necessary fuelling for the motor. The bike is sprung via a 48mm Showa Separate Function (SFF) Type 2 fork and a Uni-trak monoshock. Both of these suspension components are fully adjustable and have a wheel travel length of 310mm. In its factory state, it weighs just 104.7kg with all fluids on board, making for a lightweight pocket rocket.

There are quite a few changes to the KX 250’s bigger brother, the KX 450, as their flagship MX bike is now faster and better than before. The chassis is slimmer in comparison, making for an extremely light and agile machine. The new 449cc single-pot engine gets a host of Kawasaki firsts such as finger-follower valve actuation, electric start and hydraulic clutch. The bike weighs just 4kgs more than the 250 and that is some serious weight saving done by Kawasaki to keep the KX 450’s racing edge over the competition.

The KLX series of bikes are Kawasaki’s trail riding motorcycles and of them, the KLX 450R is the big daddy of their range. The KLX 450R is powered by the same 449cc motor that is found on its MX cousin, albeit with a revised tuning with compression ratio of only 12:1 instead of 12.8:1 of the KX 450. Fuelling duties are handled by a Keihin FCR-MX40 carb and not the KX’s fuel injection system. Even the suspension components are a bit more basic in comparison but offer slightly more travel. It gets an LED tail lamp along with a digital information panel.

The bikes come bearing a price tag of Rs 7.43 lakh, Rs 7.79 lakh and Rs 8.49 lakh for the KX 250, the KX 450 and the KLX 450R, respectively (all prices, ex-showroom India).