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INSIDE TAYLOR ROBERT’S WORKS OFF-ROADERS

TEAM MONSTERWORCS, ISDE &

EnduroCrossunplugged

KAWASAKI KX450F

Team Monster Energy Kawasakirider Taylor Robert is in a good

place. He has taken over the helm as“the man” in the western-basedWORCS Off-Road Series. His tiptoe-ing into the EnduroCross miasma hassegued into giant leaps, as he’s run-ning third, and his abilities have mor-phed from quick but fragile to seri-ously fast and dominant in toughevents. And right as summer waswaning, we snagged his one-off ISDEmachine and paraded it into our stu-dio for a once-over. Like his KX250FEnduroCross machine and hisWORCS KX450-F, the ISDE machineis focused, hugely sano, painted withgoods that highlight rideability andsmoothness forced into the hybridheartbeat of a maniacal open-classmotocrosser.We had a chance to delve into

the soul of Team Monster Energyoff-road, looking at theirEnduroCross, WORCS and thehighly specialized ISDE machines ofTaylor Robert. Each is unique in thateach one is highly focused and setup for their individual specialty. �

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OCTOBER 2012 / DIRT BIKE 57

The factory Kawasaki ISDE machine isdotted with technology gleaned from cur-rent racing venues and mated to pastknowledge. The chassis and swingarm areproduction KX450, Braking rotors (thefront oversized), and an 18-inch rear wheeland Metzeler tires (for ISDE only). The KLXheadlight is powered by the stock ignitionsince the stator has enough power to han-dle a 35-watt halogen light and an LEDtaillight. The engine is stock, as is themapping. An Akrapovic exhaust systemwith the longer header smooth out bottomperformance while retaining a good hit ontop. The exhaust note is softened throughthe smallish rear can core, which ismandatory for ISDE racing.

The odometer was handled via a Trail TechEndurance II, bars are Renthal Twin Walland triple clamps are GPR, as is the GPR 4steering damper, which is a sub-bar-mount design. Taylor prefers Acerbis motoshields rather than full-wrap enduro units.

Renthal sprocket and an RK MXU Teflonring chain that is one-pound lighter andsuper strong handle the driveline. ThisDunlop will be replaced by a Metzeler Ecotire, and BRP’s chainguide is their pre-ferred unit, while a TM Designworks chainslapper is fitted. Zip Ty Racing axle han-dles help with quick tire changes.

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KAWASAKI KX450FINSIDE TAYLOR ROBERT’S WORKS OFF-ROADERS

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Braking rotors and Acerbis disc guardsare used for protection. Zip Ty’s grab-handle bolts in quickly and makes foreasier removal.

Acerbis footpeg guards keep gorp outof the footpeg hardware and Pro MotoBillet’s sidestand is used for its nicetucked-in design.

Moose Hard Parts brake-light switch wasfit for ISDE legalities. Zip Ty chain adjust-ers offer quicker and easier adjustments.

Some of the more obvious changes are dictated by the fact that oneof the bikes is designed to do a two-hour race, while the other has to

go six days without a mechanic laying a hand on it. Overall, Taylor’sISDE machine is a much milder version of its WORCS counterpart.

The exhaust is usually the most challenging thing when building an ISDE bike. Incomparison to the exhausts riders are able to use on their WORCS bikes, the systemmust be 4 to 5 decibels quieter without giving up too much power or building up toomuch heat. This year Akrapovic impressed Team Green, as the ISDE bike is under thesound limit and produces the same peak horsepower as the full-race system on theWORCS bikes. It does have a smoother or more linear feel than the WORCS system,which isn’t all that bad when you have to ride the bike for six days straight.

The ECU map has to be tweaked a littleto run pump gas. We tuned the map tohelp smooth out the power delivery. Thisis a huge help when trying to get the biketo be as quiet as needed for the ISDE.With the new two-meter-max testing pro-cedure, if the bike pops at all whilerevving up, it will throw the sound meterover the limit.

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The WORCS KX450F is pretty much afull-blown motocrosser, built anddesigned to embrace the longer andharder conditions of big-time GP racevenues.Off-road modsare few: a largerIMS tank, GPRsteering damperand suspension thatis just a shade softerthan national-levelmotocross settings.

The clutch is Hinson, preferred for feel, engagement anddurability. IMS footpegs, Acerbis goo guards, Akrapovicmoto exhaust and a Fox shock are the choices for its rigidityand adjustability.

Internally the engine is polished and flowed. Mapping ismodified to suit the circuit, elevation and soil consistency.Kawasaki builds the carbon fiber skid plate.

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INSIDE TAYLOR ROBERT’S WORKS OFF-ROADERS

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There’s a lot of pressure when it comes to riding a per-fect factory bike. It was a week before the Cahuilla

round of the WORCS races, and I just knew that if Taylorbroke down, it would be all my fault. But logically, I knewthat had a 0.0001 percent chance. I had to just pretend Iwas Taylor for a few laps at Glen Helen. Here’s how thebike worked.

ENGINEThe power characteristics for Robert’s bike were all

about comfort over the long haul, lacking any big hit orarm-stretching pull. Unlike the production KX450F, theRobert factory machine had a very soft bottom-end grunt,strong but tame pull through the midrange, and it madegreat easy-to-use power on the top end. You could feelthe bike was always making power, but it never went overthe edge to a level you couldn’t control. I felt comfortablewith the power right away. And the more I rode it, the bet-ter I felt. The smooth power delivery gave me loads ofconfidence no matter what the conditions.

SUSPENSIONThis is where I was the most surprised; Robert runs his

suspension stiff by off-road standards, but I guess

WORCS is basically just a long motocross race withoutmany true off-road rounds. With the initial feel so stiff, Ithought there was no way it would be pleasant to ride. Iwas wrong! The faster I hit the obstacles, the plusher thefeel got. I enjoyed how predictable the action of both theshock and forks were at speed. Robert’s bike has aplanted feel—almost bordering on a dead feel. I am notsure if this has anything to do with the mousse-tubefoam inserts he runs front and rear, or if it’s all the sus-pension setup.

DETAILSThe first thing that I noticed about Taylor Robert’s

KX450 was how neutral the controls were set up. It waslike anyone could have gotten on the bike and foundthemselves comfortable immediately.

I understand that Justin Soule’s Team Green KX450 hasa completely different setup but is identical internally. It’sinteresting to see how two top riders can have such differ-ent takes.

The worst part about the ride was giving it back. But thegood news is that it was running fine and was perfectlystraight. I’ll consider that a victory. �

TTEENN LLAAPPSS OONN TTAAYYLLOORR RROOBBEERRTT’’SS KKXXSneaking in a ride on the top WORCS machine

By Mark Tilley

I enjoyed every minute aboard TaylorRoberts factory Kawasaki KX450F.

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