Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

(Left, right) Grab a handful of throttle and the CRF450R responds !nstantly, but in a smooth and controllable fashion. As a result, the bike Is a joy to ride. a la the YZ426F, but there's no sudden or excessive burst of power anywhere in the rev range to get you into trouble, or to wear you out prematurely. Just chose a throttle setting - any throttle setting - and the Honda will reward you with strong, usable power. We also found the Honda's motor to be quite forgiving. If you blow a turn or, for some reason, find yourself in too tall of a gear, just roll on the throttle and the Honda will usually torque you out of trouble. We found that on most tracks, the CRF can be ridden primarily in second and third gears, so you're not constantly shifting the bike from turn to turn. Some of our test riders went as far as saying that the bike felt as though it had an automatic transmission, since you really didn't have to shift it all that often. Even on faster tracks, rarely did we have to click the Honda into fifth. Heck, we're not even sure it has a fifth gear. After getting our CRF450R test bike, we busted out our '01 YZ426F test bike and rode the two machines back to back and found that both bikes seem to produce about the same peak on-track horsepower. (We'll dyno both bikes when we receive our '02 YZ426F.) But the main difference between the new Honda and the '01 Yamaha seems to be more in the delivery, the Honda being a bit smoother than the harder-hitting YZ. But when it comes to outright power, neither bike appears to have a huge advantage over the other. One very distinctive difference between the two bikes is that the Honda has significantly less engine braking than the Yamaha. Honda claims that the bike has reduced engine braking because of valve timing, and the off-set crank and many of the internal engine parts that operate on roller-bearings, providing for a more friction-free motor. Whether or not less compression braking is an advantage or disadvantage is really a personal preference, but we found it (Right) The aluminum frame has found Its place in the CRF450R. (Below) The CRF's piston is nothing much more than a ring holder. to be advantageous, since it reduces that herky-jerky feeling when balancing between throttle and no throttle, and reducing arm fatigue caused by forward rider weight shift every time you close the throttle. The Honda's transmission does a fine job transferring the bike's awesome power to the rear wheel, and clicking up through the gears is as simple as can be, even under a full load. Clutch action is also superb. You wouldn't think that with such a big motor that you could operate the clutch lever with one finger, but you can with the Honda. In ultra tight turns, where stalling the engine is a distinct possibility, you can, with one finger, slip the clutch just enough to keep the piston moving at all times. In fact, we have yet to stall the 450's motor on the track, which, no doubt has a lot to do with the Honda's heavy flywheel, which also contributes to its remarkable tractability. While four-stroke motocross bikes have many certain advantages over two-strokes, exhaust noise usually isn't one of them. Yes, the Honda CRF450R is a little on the loud side, but it really isn't as offending as it could be. We've already heard one aftermarket silencer on the CRF450R, and it wasn't pretty. Our ears are still ringing. This bike performs amazingly well in stock form and should be given a chance before you spend your hard-earned cash on aftermarket hop-ups. We've heard knowledgeable sources claim that Ryan Hughes' short-piped race bike doesn't perform as well as stock. Honda must've had the CRF450R in mind when it developed the aluminum frame for the CR back in '97, because the big motor and chassis work so well together. That "h~rsh" or rigid feeling of past aluminum-framed CRs is non-existent with the 450. Instead, the CRF feels quite plush over the smaller bumps yet firm enough to withstand harder impacts and rough landings from big jumps. We have yet to make any suspension changes since we took delivery of our test bike - not even one click, front or back. This is one area were the bike's heavier weight - compared to a two-stroke - is a plus, since the greater sprung weight-to-unsprung weight ratio allows the suspension to move more freely. On the track, the Honda feels quite light - for a four-stroke, of course. This was Honda's number-one priority when they were developing the 450. A Honda spokesperson told us that, while they wanted the Honda to be - at least - as powerful as the 426, they were more concerned about making the Honda weigh" 10 kg" less than the Yamaha. Honda's official claimed dry weight for the 450 is 225 pounds, but a Honda technician told us that 232-233 is more realistic. (We plan on weighing the Honda ourselves when we receive our '02 YZ426F in a couple of weeks. Yamaha claims that the '01 YZ426F weighs 231 pounds.) n c U a • e But who cares about numbers? It's how light they feel on the track that matters, and the Honda does feel noticeably lighter than the '01 YZ426F, but still heavier than a 250cc two-stroke. Getting the big Honda through the turns is as easy as climbing up on the tank, flicking 'er over and rolling on the throttle. The 450 does what it is told without any talking back, and its semi-low seat height (compared to the Yamaha) gives the pilot added confidence. Overall rider comfort is another one of the Honda's strong points. It has a nice semi-wide seat with perfect foam density, and there's still some cushion where the front of the seat narrows down at the fuel cap. The rear of the seat hardly sticks up at all, giving the Honda an overall flat layout, and in turn giVing the bike a super neutral feeling. Most riders will feel right at home on the 450, even if coming off another brand of motorcycle. All of our testers were amazed at how easy a big-bore four-stroke can be to ride; even our diminutive editor was ready to trade in his standard 125cc mount for the user-friendly thumper. So friendly is the CRF, in fact, that it calls to mind the Yamaha hero-producing YZ250F. In typical Honda fashion, attention to detail is top notch: The brakes are strong and progressive, controls are light and responsive, ergonomics are comfortable and adaptable, and componentry and hardware are top quality. Overall, Honda appears to have pulled off the near impossible by living up to the near-deafening hype surrounding its CRF450R, not unlike what Yamaha did with its first YZF thumper. It may seem as though we're referring often to the Yamaha YZF in this Honda riding impression, but it's perfectly normal that the class benchmark be used for comparison. It's impossible to say how these bikes will stack up until we've performed our pending big-bore four-stroke shootout. But for now, we can tell you that we're very impressed with the Honda CRF450R. It may not have been the first bike on the four-stroke motocross block, but it just might be the best. eN __ S • SEPTEMBER 12, 2001 43

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