European vs US specs

[Goforaride]

Why are the bikes deminsions different?

[kx4life13]

Because the bikes aren't all assembled in the same place so they don't get the same parts everywhere, like my 89 kx125 had standard forks here in the us but everywhere else got the experimental forks

[Goforaride]

Because the bikes aren't all assembled in the same place so they don't get the same parts everywhere, like my 89 kx125 had standard forks here in the us but everywhere else got the experimental forks

that makes no sense. The bikes are made and shipped to their perspective countries. It's almost like the sell us Americans the version for fat asses and everyone else gets the other version Edited June 20, 2014 by Goforaride

[kx4life13]

When say Kawasaki makes a bike they don't send the bike as a whole they send all the pieces and sometimes they send different parts like I said before with the forks

[Goforaride]

When say Kawasaki makes a bike they don't send the bike as a whole they send all the pieces and sometimes they send different parts like I said before with the forks

ok. So why does Am

that makes no sense. The bikes are made and shipped to their perspective countries. It's almost like the sell us Americans the version for fat asses and everyone else gets the other version

  

When say Kawasaki makes a bike they don't send the bike as a whole they send all the pieces and sometimes they send different parts like I said before with the forks

[kx4life13]

Am?

[grayracer513]

All Yamaha's are shipped from the factory with all of their parts in the crate.  The only specs that vary with them are spring rates, tires, and other minor things to match local preferences and conditions better.  There are also occasionally government mandates to comply with, but otherwise, there isn't a significant difference in the Euro and US models. 

 

What specs were you thinking of that are so different that it made you curious?

[kx4life13]

You could also check the 89 kx 125 the shocks were completely different

[grayracer513]

This is the YZ450 forum.  Information regarding Kawasaki products is not the topic, nor does it have any relevance here.  Besides, model variances happen from one time to the next.  The WR's and YZ's started out as the same basic motorcycle, but started to diverge from one another around '01-'02.  The '04 YZ came with the "experimental" fork that became the WR standard in '05.  Stuff like that's not uncommon, but there has been no difference in the US/Euro models that was as significant as that in the last 20 years at least.  The variations you see in trail and head angle are generally due to differences in the preloaded height of the front and rear springs.  The frames, forks, etc., are the otherwise the same on both.

[Goforaride]

All Yamaha's are shipped from the factory with all of their parts in the crate.  The only specs that vary with them are spring rates, tires, and other minor things to match local preferences and conditions better.  There are also occasionally government mandates to comply with, but otherwise, there isn't a significant difference in the Euro and US models. 

 

What specs were you thinking of that are so different that it made you curious?

Seat height. Wheel base. Overall length. The differences are only fractions of an inch but enough to completely change the handling characteristics. Also the suspension is sprung and valved differently.

[kx4life13]

Only brought up the kx as an example

[grayracer513]

Seat height. Wheel base. Overall length. The differences are only fractions of an inch but enough to completely change the handling characteristics. Also the suspension is sprung and valved differently.

 

Again, most of those differences are the result of the same sort of very small variations in the spring rates, which affects unloaded height of the bike on the ground, and such things as that that you would be planning to do to yours anyway.  The wheelbase variation can be caused by a one tooth difference in final gearing.  The bikes will be sprung for the "typical" rider, and that likely varies from here to over there, as well.  Valving changes constantly.  I have found 5 different stack configurations in verifiably stock '06 YZ450's alone.