Top Performance Kawasaki ATVs of All Time

These days things are quickly becoming slim-pickings if sport and performance ATVs happen to be your forte. However, this was not always the case. Each major ATV manufacturer today has spent a whole lot of time, R&D budget and passion in the performance pool.

This week we’re taking a walk down memory lane with Kawasaki. While they no longer boast a dedicated sport ATV offering, “Team Green” has certainly had its share of sport and race ATVs throughout the years. We’ll take a look at some of the good times.

6) KFX700 V-Force

The early to mid-2000s will be remembered as a sort of sport ATV Renaissance. It was as if suddenly the manufacturers realized that only their lack of imagination held them back from offering ATVs that could make big ponies, come with luxuries and be an absolute blast to ride. Kawasaki built precisely such a machine in the V-Force 700 KFX.

Built off the unlikely platform of their 2001 650 Prairie 4×4 utility ATV, the KFX700 bumped the displacement of the V-twin engine from 633 to 697cc and tapped a reported 49-horsepower for their efforts. It maintained the automatic transmission and 4-wheel-drive platform of the Prairie but mated it to long-travel track-inspired suspension and let the torque on tap speak for itself. It was available from 2004 till 2009.

5) Tecate 3

The Tecate name was born in 1984 in an era when ATVs came a wheel short… from the factory. Packing a 249cc liquid-cooled 2-stroke into a 3-wheeler chassis and mating it with a manual clutch, hydraulic disc brakes all around and aluminum wheels, Kawasaki quickly proved it wanted to make its mark on the competitive 3-wheeler racing scene.

While it went largely unchanged for 1985, 1986 actually saw a complete overall that literally turned the machine into the 3-wheeled equivalent of their 1986 MX bike. Sadly, because of shady politics and lawyer agendas, the era of the 3-wheeler was nearly at an end. As a result, Kawasaki’s much improved Teacte 3 was out for only a single model year.

4) Mojave 250

1987 was a big year for Kawasaki’s engineers. Seeing an opportunity to own the track with a 250cc 2-stroke race machine while also offering a 250cc 4-storke trail quad for those looking for the zippy performance of a manual clutch, the Mojave 250 was born to fill such shoes.

Unlike a majority of the performance trail offerings from the competition, Kawasaki gave the Mojave’s DOHC 249cc 4-valve 4-stroke received liquid cooling from the get-go. The configuration proved wildly popular and the model remained unchanged (except for color schemes and graphics) on Kawasaki’s line all the way until 2005! There are countless ATV riders the world over who cut their performance teeth from the saddle of the Kawasaki Mojave 250.

3) Tecate 4

The much-improved 1986 Teacte-3 may have lived only a single year but was proceeded by the equally elusive Tecate 4. Four-wheeled ATVs were all the rage at the time and Honda’s venerable 250R ATV was met with competition from Kawie that included a liquid-cooled 249cc 2-stroke with KIPS (Kawasaki’s power valve system to maximize power delivery), a lightweight steel and aluminum chassis, long-travel suspension and a hideaway headlight. Yup, just like Knight Rider’s Trans Am, the Tecate 4’s front light flipped down into the cowl when not in use.

Despite capturing the curiosity of the media and public alike, the Tecate 4 graced Kawasaki sales floors for only 2 model years (1987 and 88). These days happening upon one, especially one left original with low hours, is becoming increasingly difficult. The Tecate 4 has gone on to develop a cult-like devotion from collectors and most riders, regardless of age, have gone their entire careers without seeing one in person.

2) KFX400

We’ll let you in on a little secret. Despite being Kawasaki’s most popular and successful sport ATV offering of all-time, the KFX400 isn’t really a Kawie at all. It’s a rebadged Suzuki LTZ400 Quadsport but don’t let that dampen your enthusiasm for the machine. Not only is it fast, reliable, stacked with nice features (like electric start and reverse), it amassed a following unlike any ATV before it or since (this was partially because a third badge option of the same machine called the Arctic Cat DVX400 also existed at the time). If you think we’re understating this machine’s influence, it is generally considered the single quad that ignited the premiere 450cc ATV race class.

Like the other two machines mentioned above, the KFX was powered by a liquid cooled 398cc DOHC 4-stroke mated to a manual clutch, fully adjustable long-travel suspension and could be just as comfortable on the track as it was the trail. It existed from 2003 until 2006.

1) KFX450R

Though their brief partnership with Suzuki resulted in the co-development of the wildly successful Z400/ KFX400, Kawasaki knew that it wanted a thoroughbred of its own development when it came time to enter the premiere 450cc ATV racing ranks. Enter the 2008 Kawasaki KFX450R, a machine that took the engine based on the company’s highly acclaimed KX450F MX bike and mounted it into the class’s first all-aluminum chassis. Fully adjustable long-stroke suspension complemented the highly rigid frame while fuel injection and a reverse gear (another class rarity) added to the machine’s usefulness off the track.

Despite doing everything right, Kawasaki entered the fray just as the red-hot 450cc ATV racing class was starting to cool down. It came on the scene as a 2008 model and ran until production ceased for 2014. However, there are still a few new old stock (leftovers) available at dealers for the fastidious. To date, this remains Kawasaki’s most recent performance ATV offering.