the new Kawasaki traction control to the test ( KTRC ). I played around going back and forward between the weak and strong settings of the traction control . The TC set to strong has a noticeable effect coming out of corners , but I preferred the weaker setting as I found the stronger setting didn ’ t give me quite the feedback of what the rear wheel was doing when holding a slide or angle on the exit of a corner . Running the KTRC on the weaker setting made it easier to hold exit speed out of a corner as the KTRC was working its magic without taking away too much of the feeling of movement coming from the rear wheel . I ’ m not saying I couldn ’ t get used to it , just that it gave a feeling I was not familiar with and it ’ d be something to play with further at a later date . It would be cool to test the KTRC on variation of soil types and conditions over here in NZ .
brake can often have . Being a rider who uses the front brake predominantly , I found the Nissin rear brake with a 10mm smaller disc ( for this year ) was great and paired with the Brembo front brake provided fantastic braking . It ’ s a great braking combination that makes for a balanced entry into a corner . The re-designed frame gives the bike a balanced feel , which gave me a lot of confidence , both in the air and attacking corners . With a riding position that ’ s quite forward on the motorcycle it gives good feedback of what the bike is doing beneath me . That new chassis makes the bike feel more planted and less tall than the previous generation bike . This meant I was a little cramped between my knees and feet and , being a taller rider , my knee was positioned slightly above the seat . Thankfully , this can be solved , thanks to the adjustable ergonomics that are carried over from last year ’ s machine . This allows the adjustment of the footpegs both up and down , as well as four different handlebar positions . On the topic of the rider adjustments , the new KX450 has different engine mount points
HARDWARE The new Brembo front brake is top drawer , and is something I much prefer over the previous Nissin front brake . I found the Brembo to have a good blanket of modulation and then a great hit of instant stop power , rather than a squishy feeling when applying force like the Nissin front
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