WHAT IS IT? 2024 KAWASAKI KX500AF – KX500 engine in a 2017 KX450F frame
WHO? Nathan “Nato” Parker
WHERE DID YOU BUY IT? The KX500 engine came from a mate’s shed in Sydney; the 2017 KX450F donor bike was found on Facebook Marketplace a few hours away.
HOW MUCH? All up, about $17,000 once parts, fabrication, coatings, and mistakes were tallied.
WHY DID YOU BUY IT? Big-bore two-strokes are the kings of dirt bikes. As a kid growing up racing in the 1980s, the sound and smell of a KX500 was seared into my brain. My first ride on one was at Nepean Speedway when I was eight, and that three-lap blast burned the addiction into my soul. I’ve always wanted to build one in a modern chassis – something that had the brute power of the old 500 but the handling of a new bike. This build is the realisation of that lifelong dream.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO IT?
Everything! This bike was built from the ground up. I sourced a KX500 engine, stripped and rebuilt it with MCD Racing, using Wossner internals, vapor blasting, and new clutch components. Then I installed it into a 2017 KX450F frame using a full TSR Products conversion kit, including airbox, clutch housing, and frame mounts. Preload Performance handled the fabrication, while the suspension was torn down by Teknik Motorsport and sent to Japan for Kashima coating through On Point Suspension. Every nut, bolt, and bearing was replaced. The frame was powder-coated black, radiators came from Two Strokes Only, and the finishing touches include a custom MXART graphics kit. It’s been a one-year, five-month labour of love, and a wallet-drainer, but worth every late night.
HOW DOES IT GO?
It’s savage. The KX500 motor in a modern chassis is like strapping a rocket to a scalpel. The power is bottomless, raw, loud, and full of character, yet with modern suspension and geometry, it’s surprisingly rideable. It doesn’t just pull; it launches. Every time I hit the throttle, it takes me back to that first ride as a kid. It’s everything I hoped it would be, violent, nostalgic, and pure.
WOULD YOU RECOMMEND BUYING ONE?
Absolutely, but only if you’ve got patience, deep pockets, and a sense of humour. A KX500AF isn’t for the faint-hearted or mechanically shy. Finding parts can be a nightmare, and nothing fits without drama. But when it’s finally together, and that 500cc two-stroke bark fills the air, it makes every busted knuckle and every dollar worth it. It’s a project for those who want to build something truly unique, not just ride it.
5 UNIQUE THINGS ABOUT YOU OR THE BIKE
- Built in a shed with Aussie beer, mates, and stubbornness.
- Frame sourced from New Zealand after months of searching online.
- Engine rebuilt using original KX500 internals from the 1990s.
- Forks and shock were Kashima-coated and reassembled by Teknik.
- Graphics custom-designed by me to thank everyone who helped.
