motor, the suspension was treated to an
RG3 smart valve/spring and shim birthday
from MotoSR. To keep the hard-working
engine cool, a very slick, almost bulletproof
looking, Twin Air oil cooler was fitted low
down behind one radiator, to keep it in a
protected place. Finally, to harness all the
extra performance, a set of Michelin’s SC5
tyres and heavy-duty tubes were fitted to get
the power to the ground.
This little lot covers the actual performance
side of the equation. But to fine tune the
cockpit comfort, bike reliability, functionality
and, of course, looks, there’s heap of other
bits been changed. The list includes Renthal
Fat bars, bar clamps and grips; Zeta foot
pegs, clutch assembly, brake lever, gear lever,
brake pedal, axle blocks and hand guards.
Then Steven went for the excellent, grippy DR
Moto seat, Workshop graphics kit and, finally,
for long races an IMS oversized fuel tank
that just bolts straight on. This completes
the upgrade list to the bike, but of course
Northern Accessories/Dirt Guide could mix
68 KIWI RIDER
and match products to suit the individual
rider.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
Now, having got my head around all that and
had enough of basking in how cool it looked –
it was definitely time to ride the bike. In a nut
shell, it’s fast, smooth and extremely effective
at going fast. Riding it back-to-back with the
450L was a real eye opener. The 450L is a
lovely trail bike built for comfort and ease of
use, but the Northern Accessories 450X is a
full-on race bike.
The first thing I noticed was the bark from
the Yoshi pipe – it definitely sounds the
business. Next up was how much higher
in the stroke the suspension sits. With the
firmer springs and, what feels like a decent
amount of low-speed shims, the MotoSR
equipped 450X rides high, particularly at
lower speeds.
Finally, once the engine was warm and I
started to open the throttle with a little more
enthusiasm it I could see what the motor