Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1048469
2019 HONDA CRF450L FULL TEST P88 CRF450L PERFORMANCE The CRF450L's performance spectrum pulls away from the mel- lower models of dual sport, really, and significantly so as conditions get more aggressive. But even on flat roads you can instantly tell this isn't an old-school dual-sport bike. Its power delivery is really good. It pulls with healthy torque and acceleration to get mov- ing. Sure, it's muffled to the max with engine-engulfing insulation, chain-comforting cushions and massive exhaust-blocking baffles. But ignore the lack of sound and feel what the bike is actually do- ing, and you'll notice the power is Complimenting the power is the chassis. This isn't a bike held up by bargain basement suspension components from the 80s. It's fully equipped with high-end off-road suspension and its stock settings deliver some of the most comfort- able and capable off-road move- ment we've felt in a while. Yeah, it's gets maxed out in big bumps. But that's not uncommon in all off-road settings, including stock race models. The suspension exhibits almost zero compromise for the entire off-road spectrum, apart from racing conditions. And, considering the job it's doing with a heavy bike, this is more than commendable. In fact, during the course of testing for the dual-sport The license- plate holder is a work of art. It's stout and won't break off. real, real nice. It's not race-bike power delivery. It's not snappy. But it has good, controlled, and consistent pulling power. Every single one of our test riders was happy with the Honda power de- livery and were surprised with it's smooth-yet-strong linear delivery after hearing some premature negative comments/assumptions from the dirt bike world. comparison we're currently work- ing on, most test riders consistent- ly applaud the stock suspension and overall balance of the Honda chassis. We did have one annoying fueling condition arise consis- tently with the CRF450L. It has a tendency to pop-stall at low RPM under load. This is a familiar condi- tion with leaned-out four-strokes. Unfortunately, this happens when you really don't want it to most of the time—like in technical situ- ations. The condition seems to worsen as the clutch heats up and we'd like to see a little more resilience in the clutch to more cleanly disengage in these situa- tions. This would help eliminate a bit of drag on the engine when the regulation-friendly ECU tells our EFI to go ultra-lean. We ran the stock IRC tires on our test bike through a couple of tanks of fuel. They perform decently for the segment but are certainly a compromise when you want more significant off-road grip. As with all dual-sport and Adventure bikes, we recommend wearing stock tires out as you ride a new bike. Find out where you re- ally will ride, and buy tires that are best for that after the stockers are toast. For most of this test, we fit- ted on Dunlop 606 DOT-approved