F I R ST LO O K
P44
2021 HONDA CRF450R
H
onda's CRF450R motocrosser gets
a significant overhaul for 2021, with
heavy emphasis put on improving cor-
nering performance and lowering weight.
The motor has been redesigned with the
exhaust port now exiting at the front, rather
than the side of the cylinder head. Gone
are the twin exhaust mufflers, with a single
muffler now in its place. As such, 2.7 pounds
has been saved on the exhaust alone, with
the single system helping with better low-rpm
power delivery. The clutch is now hydrauli-
cally actuated, and the airbox gets a massive
increase from 1.8 liters to 4.1 liters. The new
airbox necessitated a change in the fuel in-
jector position, which now sits at 30 degrees
compared to the 60 of the 2020 model.
When it comes to weight saving, the fuel
pump is 120 grams lighter, the new body-
work goes from 12 mounting screws to
eight, the frame is a couple of grams lighter,
0.7 grams has been saved from the new
subframe, and the new shock spring saves
another half a gram.
2021 HONDA CRF450R
2021 Honda CRF450R
