Motocross Action Magazine - June 2013

WHAT IS IT? Cycra Racing’s new Powerflow body kit for the 2013 Kawasaki KX450F is fresh out of the mold from Cycra’s facility in Hebron, Ohio.
WHAT’S IT COST? $169.95.
CONTACT? www.cycraracing.com or (740) 929-0188.
WHAT STANDS OUT? Here’s a list of things that stand out with the Cycra Racing Powerflow body kit. (1) Kit. Until recently, Kawasaki owners were out of luck if they wanted Cycra’s Powerflow kit. But thanks to Kawasaki’s growing market share and increased demand from consumers, Cycra decided to jump on the green bandwagon. The kit contains radiator shrouds, a front and rear fender, front number plate, side panels, and fork guards. The only things missing from this nearly complete package are the radiator louvers, rear mud guard, skid plate and water-pump guard. ( 2) Template. Many plastic companies copy OEM plastic, but they fail to account for shrinkage during the process, which results in mounting issues. Cycra Racing uses a three-dimensional scanner, and with computer software, they reverse-engineer each piece. Manufacturing parameters are taken into consideration. Then, each piece is checked for fitment before the final product is made. The Cycra Racing Powerflow kit is made in Ohio, and everything is done under one roof. Cycra spent well over $100,000 on research, development and molds to make the Powerflow kit for the Kawasaki KX250F and KX450F. ( 3) Mounting. The Powerflow kit is a direct replace- ment for the stock KX450F plastic, using the same mounting holes and fasteners. We did not need to cut, bend or modify any of the Cycra plastic. The Stadium front number plate protects the bottom triple clamp from roost and rock dings. The included zip-ties keep the number plate firmly attached to the fork legs. ( 4) Styling. There are several stylistic elements that distinguish the Powerflow plastic from OEM. The lines
on the front and rear fender are more defined for a race- inspired look. The mounting areas are thicker and have been reinforced. Cycra varies the plastic wall thickness for extra support where needed. This is particularly evident in the fork guards. Over the years, we’ve broken lots of KX450F fork guards because they were too thin and brittle. Cycra appears to have remedied the problem. ( 5) Colors. Cycra sells the KX450F Powerflow body kit in four colors—white, black, green or OEM (green front fender and shrouds; white front number plate, side panels and rear fender; and black fork guards). The biggest aesthetic difference between the Powerflow kit and the OEM plastic is that Cycra only makes the shrouds in one color instead of the stock KX450F green/black split design. ( 6) Price. At $169.95, the Cycra Powerflow kit is considerably cheaper than OEM plastic, but around $10 more than many other aftermarket kits. We think it’s worth the higher price tag. The Stadium front number plate is excellent at protecting triple clamps from roost, and the plastic mounting holes line up exactly like OEM plastic.
WHAT’S THE SQUAWK? We have two minor complaints: (1) Purists will view the single-color shrouds as a faux pas since they aren’t an exact representation of the stock design. ( 2) Removing the Stadium front number plate requires cutting the zip-ties. We started keeping a surplus of extra-long zip-ties in our toolboxes.
We recommend that you dress up your Kawasaki KX450F in Cycra’s Powerflow body kit when it’s time to replace the plastics. Not only does the kit look great, but it is durable and can be mounted without causing a headache.
MXA RATING
CYCRA RACING KX450F POWERFLOW BODY KIT MXA TEAM TESTED

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