Garage Build
2026 Kawasaki KX450
BIKE Build by Jamie Ellis/Twisted Development
WORDS: Kris Keefer
PHOTOS: Simon Cudby
Building a green beast named Roxy
The Kawasaki KX450 got a bad rap in 2025 with Jorge Prado, but as I was leaving Loretta Lynn’s last year, I picked up a phone call from Jamie Ellis from Twisted Development, mentioning he wanted to build a KX450 for me to test. That phone call last August put this build in motion that you see here! In stock form, the KX450 is a mellow, somewhat lethargic 450, but with a little work, it can be transformed into a healthy machine that is fast enough for most. With this Garage Build, we wanted to take it a step further and really dive into the engine to see what Jamie and crew could dish out. Could Twisted Development build me a KX450 that is so fast that it would be un-ridable? Would I even like the type of power that it builds? “Roxy” absolutely changed the way I thought about KX450s in general. Below is how she became the boss of the garage/shop.
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