These Mods Made My KFX450R WAY FASTER! (and louder)

[@MichaelSabo]

I should have explained this in the video, but because I'm receiving so many comments asking why I converted from EFI to carb, here is a brief explanation. In the KFX450R, especially the early models, the fuel injection system was known to have issues with reliability, specifically with starting and off idle throttle response. There are many well tuned EFI systems that run AMAZING but it is not always the case. The carb conversion was something a lot of guys did and achieved better starting, better performance and reliability as well as ease of tuning. If you're interested in reading more into it, here is a forum thread with good info that convinced me to make the swap - www.kfx450hq.com/threads/green-monster-carb-swap-experiences.19363/

[@gabrielperez2937]

My procom ecu and a good valve adjustment seemed to fix my hard start issues. But I could see why you would choose to do a carb conversion. Looked like it ran real good. Awesome build!

[@nicholascaudill6185]

Got a set of ac nerfs that you like that are like new for a 08 kfx450... lmk if your interested in them. Quad sounds nasty.

[@MichaelSabo]

@@nicholascaudill6185 AC makes nice nerfs but I made custom big pegs for these and I love them. Thank you for the offer bro!

[@2089maca]

@@nicholascaudill6185 are they propeg with heal guard?

[@randyswartz7154]

I'm working on putting a carb on my why do you have to use a procom cdi

[@ethanhudson938]

Honestly one of your best rebuilds in my opinion. This thing went from a basket bike to a bat out of hell! Love the KFX450r and the content you’ve been putting out, keep it up man.

[@MichaelSabo]

I appreciate that Ethan; thank you 🤘👊

[@davidblum_]

@@MichaelSabo I’d love to see you build the 400 making it a 440 and installing a 40mm fcr doing all the mods to make it faster and race it against the kfx

[@Punny1234]

That KFX450R is pure bad ass and I love how you provide the links to the tools and parts you use in your videos.

[@KARIM-db9uz]

I love when he stands with the microphone and reviews his project😂😂

[@ononewheel7]

Love the led bars i have a dual row one for night rides and its super bright. Also with it being on the bars when your turning the light follows. Not bad for a kfx mike 🤣🤣

[@CJ-rc4lx]

i hope u know tha whole time i watched this i was so excited over it, i grew up as a huge kawasaki fan, had a lil toy quad since i was 5, not sure what model it was as i’m jus getting back into it, but this made my day

[@MichaelSabo]

Made my day hearing this man; if you ever see me out riding it, stop me and you can take her for a spin 👊

[@CJ-rc4lx]

@@MichaelSabo thank you so much!! means a lot to me :(!

[@josefrobbins8781]

Damn Mike, your KFX is slowly turning into Josh Creamer's Factory 2009 KFX! All you need is the Fox Floats, Kick starter conversion, and to paint your frame, wheels, and A-arms black. Glad you're continuing on the KFX, it's low key one of my favorite 4 stroke sport quads. They just have so much potential when you uncork them, and I wish more people recognized that.

[@MichaelSabo]

Dude that's a huge compliment; thank you. I think it was Dirt wheels that said the Kawi had the most potential out of all of the 450s once modded. Kicker mod is in the near future!

[@greasemonkeygarage1896]

Shoot you should be in dirt wheels if it’s still around

[@05cateye96]

@@greasemonkeygarage1896 yea dirt wheels is still a thing I have a monthly subscription and get a magazine in the mail every month it’s sick lol

[@Max-ik9qb]

When you port heads you want to smooth out the exhaust side but leave some ruffness to the intake side. You never want to polish intake runners smooth. This is so the gas droplets can bounce off the imperfections and atomize properly before hitting the valves. Especially important for carbed applications. What i was taught by old skool drag racers in my 1/4 mile head porting days.

[@Sanguine_Addiction]

This machine was RIDICULOUSLY fun to ride, especially in the dunes. I know most OEMs focused primarily on SXS which squashed sport ATVs, but I really wish Team Green would of kept this machine in their lineup, like Yamaha still has the 700 and YFZ450

[@bbcala9719]

I had FMF full header exhaust n titanium exhaust muffler. Excellent sounding n great on the track and everyday riding. My buddies riding behind me said they could feel my exhaust 10 feet behind me. Love FMF, never failed me. Won many trophies

[@venturemonkey]

Good to see some KFX 450'S still out there. Been a long time since I've been on mine. It's moded also. Little Sahara Utah is my home playground. I live in the SxS world now. 😄

[@chadcaudill509]

Idk maybe it's just me but anything with a Steering wheel isn't riding!

[@MichaelSabo]

Can't argue with you there man, SXS are mad fun too

[@vintagetrikesandquads4012]

I remember Team Green's KFX's back in the day, they looked sweet. Especially the years where they had the black frames, made the green really pop. Why not stick with fuel injection, though? Just get a Power Commander.

[@MichaelSabo]

I always loved the factory Kawis too; just something about the lime green. From what I read on KFX forums, the carb swap is pretty common especially amongst people who race. I think the EFI system can be improved too but I was convinced from other peoples results; I would have loved to dyno before and after to see actual results.

[@greasemonkeygarage1896]

Some even did it on the ltr 450s too

[@billycheek4220]

the injector was holding them back, when i got to upper 50,s hp it was a issue.

[@highlightzilla9581]

This dude is amazing love every one of these videos

[@MichaelSabo]

Thank you for the love man 👊

[@highlightzilla9581]

@@MichaelSabo u the man

[@michaelmitchell5909]

Wow dude that pipe is sick....stepped header? ...you can tell it's powerful...

[@gregmorgan8103]

Man that thing came a long way! Looks great and sounds even better!

[@Hubbard_Randall69]

Keep coming back to this video every time I wanna rebuild my KFX.

[@_WatsoBrii94_]

Only sport quad I’ve ever wanted that was four stroke sorry Honda’s lol like you guys to but team green always . She barks 🔥 and looks like she tracks up well in the lower gears high throttle

[@theirishaxe9405]

A fun quad is the Kawasaki kvf 700 twin. Fun rig👍

[@rubenechezabal6397]

Hell yeah brother!!!! Way to pay homage to the old polaris....

[@ashtonbell4937]

That is the coolest quad ever.

[@CountryFreshChameleon]

Definitely diggin this kfx build! Carb swap is awesome for us that have had nothing but trouble with FI

[@867diesel]

Love the kfx450 !!! My buddy races in vet 40 A class in nationals and has 2 kfx’s . He grew up racing and thinks the kfx handles the most like a 250r . The carb swap is popular among racers . You can also put a back up kick starter on it with the electric start . That’s how he’s got his set up . He’s got in top 5 in nationals and wins local mx and XC races . I rode one of his kawis at the Decker training facility when we went . That was fun

[@MichaelSabo]

Man that sounds sick! I have the kicker mod next on my list!

[@867diesel]

@@MichaelSabo its nice to have back up

[@skeetlybeet2584]

Nice looking Kawi. Might put that light bar on my Honda 450

[@careysoutherland8291]

i was a fan of your kfx 450 before but now im in love with it. you are the man, keep up the great vids

[@MichaelSabo]

Thank you for that Carey 👊

[@Soulvenger69]

Gotta love the looks of the KFX450R!!!

[@lypheEddie]

That is such a killer build man!! You did an amazing job as usual!

[@MichaelSabo]

Thank you bro!

[@4bearsi678]

Best video yet! The kfx450 has been my favorite outta owning or at least riding about every make and model quad you can throw a leg over.. That exhaust is sick! Been wanting one or maybe a Empire… I’ve got a all original Kfx450 that I’ve bought all the parts do do a carb conversion but haven’t pulled the trigger yet! I think this video may make me get it done!

[@bubba-j-usa4815]

How often or do your neighbors complain? haha Any karens in there

[@alcopower5710]

Wondering myself

[@skeetlybeet2584]

Their probably more worried about if he’s vaccinated or not lol

[@bubba-j-usa4815]

@@skeetlybeet2584 lmfao right

[@MichaelSabo]

LMFAO!!!!

[@bubba-j-usa4815]

@@MichaelSabo lmfaooooo

[@gaucker398]

Awesome transformation! I can definitely relate to the nerves you must've been feeling in that basin. Reminds me of the sketchy test hit spots i used to go to in my drift car 🤣.

[@aaronbrunelle6604]

I've been waiting for this video that exhaust sounds fricken amazing Mike!

[@benzo8364]

Yeah man that bike came out pretty good great job on the lights man

[@xclife211]

I just did this mod used this as a reference I have a stock piston but big cams and I used175 main 52 pilot and it runs great thanks for all your research to make this possible for me to do this great power adding mod my kfx is like a whole new beast on the bottom and lugging out of corners is so easy now thanks Mike seriously thank you

[@logansf1508]

Mike this video just makes me wanna send you my kfx 700 so you can do a build series on it cuz I don’t have the time anymore. Would be bad when your done with it. Love the videos and can’t wait to see more

[@MichaelSabo]

I appreciate you having the confidence in me for that! I'd love to do a KFX700 at some point

[@thebikefiles4654]

I am 14 and my first manual atv i rode was my dads 2005 kfx400 when i was 13 and they are fast i loved it short shift from first to second let her eat and second it would pull the front wheels and ride it out to third it was so much fun and i love the videos man keep up the hard worm

[@gabrielperez2937]

Looks sick!! Love my KFX450r too! The aluminum frame is really confidence inspiring in the air.

[@THEDUKELOVER]

I love how you branded the cylinder awesome

[@resk1130]

She’s a ripper!!! Makes me miss my old kfx.

[@sambutcher5531]

I’m pretty sure that when you port an engine your supposed to leave the intake ports slightly rough textured so that the fuel atomizes. And just smooth out the exhaust port real smooth

[@s.a.f.r.a6403]

Only on the intake side exhaust can look like mirror

[@MichaelSabo]

That is correct

[@S4NORICE]

Would love to see a ds650 build. A great, mostly forgotten about quad that can found cheap, and can surely make great power. (Found mine road side for 400bucks, got it running half hour later).

[@patricknorgard4240]

Hey Mike, I'm a new subscriber and love what you do with rescuing these old but great machines. I love doing this myself.

[@user-lx1zg2qo3c]

Awesome go work can't wait till you go to the dunes 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤟🏼

[@wiggie7420]

Best looking quad in your fleet! Well, the 250R is my favorite but the KFX definitely is the runner up. All your builds are 🔝 notch. Well done Mike!

[@travisjesperson500]

funny to hear ya laughing when you get on the throttle like a kid!! been growing thru your videos great attention to detail, these are like movies. nice work

[@Thewatson77]

Such a sweet quad now man! Love it! You’re really hitting you’re groove with the porting 👌🏼

[@MichaelSabo]

Thank you Jon 🤘

[@danieldecker6396]

That fit and finish on the exhaust though🙊 they even ground the inside of the header flange

[@non-binaryjesus]

I honestly prefer the fuel injection. The procom ecu is awesome. I can completely control my fuel maps and ignition. I do love my kfx for sure

[@Lupis1437]

Hey Mike, nice upgrades! Love the sound and looks of it. So I would recommend a couple things before you head to Little Sahara: 1) install a voltage meter to watch your power. I installed one after I added some lights and it helped me keep an eye on how fast I was sucking power. 2) bring a spare voltage regulator. It's a pretty cheap part like $35 on Amazon. I would have gotten another day of night riding on a trip if I had it. You might be alright now that you eliminated the fuel pump, but the electronics in these bikes can be a show stopper as you know.

[@MichaelSabo]

Great advice man! I ran the battery out just having the lights on for 15 minutes to adjust them lol; the battery is so small on this bike. I'd really like to do the kick start mod for reliability

[@anthonycamacho6475]

Wow great job. Nice before and after

[@derekhunton3293]

I’m brand new to your channel. This is the first video I’ve seen. Definitely won’t be the last! So much knowledge and badass parts and a super nice quad! Love it. New sub!

[@wiggie7420]

Mike, you’re supposed to say you made the plate like that on purpose for “ Customization” 99% of people would . You’re not afraid to admit your mistake and show us not all mistakes are bad ones. Appreciate your builds bud- just picked up 400ex she’s whooped on but will be a good project for the rest of the winter.

[@loganborn_ZL1]

I’m in love with the headlights ❤

[@Z24300hp]

Beautiful bike! I have 09'monster edition. Love the kfx!

[@tonyfoley9988]

Not a huge fan of the KFX450 but this 1 is wicked, looks and sounds awesome. You did a great job with this ride, definitely changed my mind on them. Again great job with the build and of course another awesome video bro. Until next time, SAVE the SPORT QUADS 🤙🏻👍🏻

[@MichaelSabo]

Thank you Tony!

[@Peedarb]

I put fci on my yfz450 and dang! Best mod ever 10 years late, I should have done that first

[@shiftinggearsandpassingque1094]

For me being a Honda person that’s a nice KFX450R man!!!!👍👌

[@rigocastro8067]

Bike looks good brotha I'm a Honda 450 guy but sounds awsome and that carb swap you can tell made all the difference in the world. Have fun keeping that front wheel down in the sand........ cool video and very educational thanks. Ride safe.....

[@nickolasvaughn667]

Yep Honda and Yamaha I like Yamaha for 2-stroke Honda for four stroke I got the trx 700x also got a 84 cm450 got an 85 ascot vt500 and an 82 silverwing 500 and an 88 goldwing 1500 working on getting a CR125 2 stroke dirt bike that'll be my first time on a Honda two-stroke

[@Javy019]

Sick Been waiting 🔥🤘🏼

[@darrellfolk5284]

Mike you did a Awesome job on this Build it's everything I would want in a Dune Quad!! And I thought going Carb instead of EFI was a smart decision knowing that it could fault... because we know from the past it doesn't make for a good time breaking out in the middle of the Dunes. I love the Quad!!

[@Mastora9]

KFX all day , great work

[@fiji8686]

I know you posted this video a while ago but I’ve been to the little Sahara so many times and it’s so much fun I went over near years

[@chadcaudill509]

This Channel needs a Honda 700xx 🤟

[@josefrobbins8781]

YO! That would be sick.

[@chasenorman7827]

Michael always coming through with absolutely awesome builds....love the videos man please keep them coming 🙏👍

[@joeypooschke7914]

Have fun be safe out there. I’d love for you to tune and port my YFZ450 head one day. I wanna have a MS port job.

[@MichaelSabo]

Thank you man; this is something I plan to offer in the near future; I want to make sure I have my skills honed before I start offering this to customers

[@jhawk1985]

Looks sick with the paddles 🤤👍

[@matthewalbone4975]

That rossier exhaust is TRICK

[@nelsonkarrer6961]

Looking awesome Mike

[@noahwells3180]

Night rides at Waynoka are awesome!

[@johnnysprockets9545]

Very nice.. and at one time you told me you were thinking about selling it awhile back lol

[@MichaelSabo]

Joooohnnnnnnyyyyy. Haha, at this point I don't think I will sell it for a long time

[@OdysseyOffroad]

Love this machine. I Want to add a 450 to my stable to go with my raptor and renegade but dont want to get a yfz or a honda since they are the most popular. (I like to be different) lol. This kfx is really. A nice machine, id like to try out a canam da 450 also. Great video, i enjoyed the series.

[@connersnow298]

Awesome vid and edits and filming and bike. I love the garage vids

[@BrewerOffroad]

So sick! This makes me want a KFX 🤣

[@ttatvoffroad2632]

haha

[@MichaelSabo]

I have a rear caliper for you 😊

[@BrewerOffroad]

@@MichaelSabo easter egg? Lol

[@Gladiatorguy1998]

Badass build bro!

[@ryananderson3856]

Videos just keep getting better! Great job

[@cranedaddy678]

That turned out nice man.

[@maddmavic]

I got the same light bars. Works great

[@royhenson3379]

You have enough light to throw a party in the dunes with that light bar.. Sic AF

[@robertwilson5747]

Soon as you said 6 months I knew exactly what it was I just got my exhaust too

[@MichaelSabo]

Haha, worth the wait though

[@timbrougher5078]

This thing is sick! I'm not really a Kawasaki guy but this ones got my vote!👍

[@NothingTooCrazy]

Thanks for Making KFX450rs Great Again!

[@BobSmith-cb5xr]

They never were great.

[@NothingTooCrazy]

@@BobSmith-cb5xr fuck off Bob. What do you ride?

[@ericsilverware4561]

You always deliver on the content mike keep it up nice quad my dude!

[@forresttaylor6849]

Looks and sounds awesome! Love them kawis! I’ve only been working on dirtbikes and “country” 4wheelers but I see something like this in my future. 🤟😎

[@shawnloftin]

Super nice look very clean and mean. Job well done brother.

[@MichaelSabo]

Thank you Shawn!

[@perezan2010]

Release the kraken!!!🔥🔥…Good job bro!

[@MichaelSabo]

Thank you Andy 🤘

[@greasemonkeygarage1896]

If you knock off the sharp edges in the combustion chamber and roll them smooth you’ll see even better results btw .and the infamous zip tie mod is a must

[@jordanseger]

What’s the zip tie mod ?

[@MichaelSabo]

I will make sure the combustion chamber is smooth on the next one 👊. I did the zip tie mod on this one! Forgot to mention that

[@MichaelSabo]

Small mod to the FCR style carb for throttle response/get rid of bog

[@brennaniannone3224]

100k coming soon mike 🤘🏻

[@sniglib1]

Good joob mike im yamaha at heart but u made me ❤ a kawasaki today

[@MichaelSabo]

Haha, I'm happy to hear that

[@RocksNRuts4]

good job man. nice ride

[@trumpfancardanostakepool4737]

What a transformation. This quad was so manky to begin with. That sludge in the engine was a shocker.

[@royalracingtechroyalracing6128]

Sabo built all day love your energy brother much love from upstate new York southern tier

[@chadschneider4856]

What was the benefit to going carb from efi? Is it just for ease of tunifor you? Or extra power? I'm thinking of doing for yfz450r for me to tune it bit easier. Technology is abit much for me. It'll be a dune/play/drag build. Thanks mate, love your detailed videos.

[@pcostyle11]

Damn that sound really good !

[@diegodollaz686]

Yup understand bout the efi probs. I have one with a crf carb with the swivel gas line inlet. If you use the yfz450 carb or any fcr without the swivel gas line inlet on the side it's gonna be on the frame. To me the power is 👌🏿 and starting is 👌🏿. Converted 2 Ltr's to carb also and the one that was dynoed made more power than the efi🤷🏿‍♂️. Carb equals simplicity too

[@kairayce3940]

I'm going to the dunes to at the end of the month I'ma be riding either a KFX orange or just our rzr I can't wait!!

[@chazwuest4557]

Great episode Mike! 👏

[@chrispbacon5793]

Fire glad u did these mods I told u they would spice her up that intake is 🥵

[@humpday2267]

The carb swap is cool and all but I’ve never had a faster carb 450 bike compared to a fuel injected 450. I think you might’ve had better success if you got the kfx ecu re mapped. Just a thought.

[@skinnyslide]

carbs are way cheaper and easier to tune

[@MichaelSabo]

I think FI is great but for these early KFX450R from what I gathered, its wasn't a great system and its not all uncommon that people swap to carburetors and get more power and easier starts.

[@dannydepino3874]

Cool modz she's gonna ripp in the sand lovin it Mike keep the videos coming..

[@MichaelSabo]

Thank you Danny!

[@noelnarrier2283]

Killa quad bro

[@josephgentilejr9059]

Awesome build

[@sethfricke616]

That thing looks bad ass

[@kristianstevens6694]

Hey, I have a KFX450r as well, and I was wondering where you were able to get new plastics for your machine! Love the videos!

[@MichaelSabo]

These are actually OEM take offs from another quad that were in great shape; I got them from a subscriber!