00:00 Hello, Casey Casper here with DirtRider.com.
00:10 Today we have something unique happening at Glen Helen Raceway.
00:12 I get to ride this beautiful 2023 Kawasaki Kicks 450 SR and we get to learn from the
00:18 pros Jason Anderson, Adam Cianstrillo, who are prepping for the second half of the outdoor
00:23 series.
00:24 We'll do a little start practice, we'll go through the bike, see what makes it tick,
00:27 sag, bars, levers, the importance of the factory mechanics insight.
00:33 Follow along.
00:34 Let's go.
00:48 Alright, let's go.
01:12 Alright, let's go.
01:36 Alright, let's go.
01:56 Alright, let's go.
02:16 Alright, let's go.
02:37 Alright, let's go.
02:59 Alright, let's go.
03:26 Finishing up here at Glen Helen Raceway, very productive day with the crew.
03:29 Made a few solid bike changes, going a little bit softer on the front end, a little bit
03:34 more sag on the back.
03:36 Little changes go a long ways.
03:38 It's amazing what a couple extra sets of eyes and a few technicians will help with.
03:42 Highlights on this bike compared to the standard Kicks 450, definitely the motor package.
03:48 It's not only strong but usable.
03:50 We have some big hills out here at Glen Helen and this thing pulls second, farther than
03:55 stock, but you can also short shift to third and it makes it so much more usable.
04:00 Between the exhaust, the head work, the ECU tune, it's as close to factory as you can
04:05 get.
04:06 We still have to dine on this bike and we'll definitely be sure to report the numbers back
04:09 to you, but I can say it's definitely a healthy advantage over stock in the Kicks 450 engine
04:13 department.
04:14 Suspension, this isn't anything you can buy.
04:17 It's coated, it's the premium stuff from Showa, from the leaflets engraved on the top caps
04:22 to the anode everywhere, it's just so trick.
04:25 Every little bit ties together and that's the beauty of having Kawasaki do it for you
04:29 with the SR platform.
04:30 It's all blended together from them.
04:32 You don't have to outsource any aftermarket parts.
04:34 It's done.
04:36 Extric clamps help an already amazing handling bike be that much more tunable from the adjustment
04:42 on the offset for bar positions, retaining the standard 23 offset.
04:48 It works so good for a little bit more front end feel.
04:50 DID chain and Renthal sprocket, Dunlop MX-33 tires, it's a solid package.
04:57 The best part about being a factory Kawasaki rider for the day was definitely getting the
05:00 pit board treatment.
05:01 Having a couple extra eyes on you when you're riding, holding you accountable for all the
05:05 laps and then just seeing how big the spread is from a real pro like Anderson or Sincerel
05:11 is to us, 8-10 seconds a lap and they just keep at it.
05:16 We might have one or two sprint laps in us on this bike, as good as I felt, still doesn't
05:21 hold a candle on these days.
05:23 This thing is amazing to ride.
05:25 It's the best production bike I've ridden and they're still on dealership floors.
05:30 So if you want to pick one up, now's the time to do it.
05:33 I'd like to thank the whole Kawasaki team, not only the race effort, watching Adam Sincerelo
05:38 and Jason Anderson out here, but also the PR side, Brad, Megan, Mike, Aaron, Derek,
05:44 thank you so much for the opportunity to ride this bike and be a factory rider for the day.
05:49 Opportunities like this don't come around very often and I'm definitely grateful for
05:51 it.
05:52 All in all, we spent about an hour and a half more on this bike, blew it up the header just
05:56 a little bit more.
05:58 So fun being able to ride the closest thing on the showrooms to a full race bike, lined
06:03 up next to the big number 9 and big 21.
06:06 Amazing day.
06:07 As always, thank you for watching.
06:09 Check out DirtRider.com for more updates.
06:11 We'll see you on the next one.
06:11 [00:06:57] [END OF AUDIO]
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