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/128121
Rlllln~ 2002 Honda CRF450R HOIIII IT HAPPENED C.F••". "'_CII ""CII_II••• @;[m@O[m@; 'Liquid-cooled four-valve, single·overhead cam, 44gcc four-stroke. .Revs to 11,200 rpm, with a claimed 55 bhp @ 9000 rpm and 36 Ib.lft. @ iOOO. 'Compact Lightweight engine assembly weighs only 65.4 pounds. 'Cylinder, offset six-degrees from vertical on crankshft to reduce piston side-loads and fliction. 'Unicam valve train features a carburized sin· gle camshaft that directly actuates two 36mm titanium intake valves. Two 31 mm steel exhaust valves actuated via forked roller rocker anm. (SOHC allows for a shorter motor and resulting lower c.gJ '21.5-degree included valve angle possIble because of compact separate cam holder design. 'lightweight titanium Intake valves permit use of smaller valve springs, reducing overall engine height and saving 15.2 grams per valve compared to a steel valve design. 'Unique, pin-rotation·type auto decompressor produces a lightweight, compact system in an effort to improve cold-starting and hot-restartIng operation 'Crankshaft is made of high-strength, low carbon steel with carburized main journals for maximum durability at sustained high-rpm operation. 'Formula One-style forged-aluminum slipper piston is nearly four ounces lighter that a conventional design, in an effort to rev quickly while maintaining excellent cylinder sealing and high-rpm power. 'Double-carburized connecting rod utilizes a big-end needle bearing for maximum high-rpm perfonmance and durability. 'Nikasil cylinder lining IS lightweight and proVIdes cooler and quieter operation for extended engine liFe. '40mm FCR-type (fIat-slide) carburetor features Four rollers on the flat slide, aImed at proVIding very light throttle effort. smooth operation, crisp throttle response and excellent ridability. 'An 8-bit digItal CPU incorporates the capacitive discharge ignition (CDI), For accurate ignition timing. (Spark plug is Ideally positioned in the center of cylinder for optimum combustionJ •Twin·sump lubricatIOn system has separate oil supply for the engine. and clutch/transmission. 'Vertically spit crankcases Feature a built-in oil pump. redUcing weight by 5.1 oz. .Exhaust system features a titanium header and aluminum muffler with stainless-steel pipe. 'Dua1 radiators for more effective heat dissipation. .Gear-dnven balancer reduces vibration and drives the water pump. .Clutch features eight plates to deal with engine's torque. 'Five-speed close-ratio transmission. 'Primary kickstarting system allows starling in any gear. ©!}(}&~@ 'Third-generation. twin-spar aluminum perimeter frame, with tall swingarm-pivot plates and designed-In resiliency. 'Semi-double-cradle design features a single, large-diameter tapered downtube. Two box-section rails attach to the base of the downtube and support the engine. 'CR-type swinganm features a dual-axis double-taper design with a large castaluminum cross member. 'Ughtweight CR-specification front and rear wheelsets. Front wheel features large·diameter front axle and wide wheel bearing spacing for added rigidity. Largediameter rear axle for added rigidity. 'Post-purchase optional 20" front wheel for improved cornering traction; manual decompression system. ·Removable aluminum subframe. 'Rubber-mounted handlebars. ~~~~-=: @(l1J@IP@;~OCOO!J '47mm inverted Shows twin-chamber cartridge.style forks with aluminum dampers. Features 12 inches of travel, with 16-postion compression dampening, and 16-posltion rebound dampening. .CR-type fully adjustable Pro-link single-shock rear suspension with Shows dampener. 12.4 Inches of travel. with separate 13-postion high- and low-speed compression dampening. and 17-position rebound dampening, Features 50mm piston. 'Compact aluminum twin-piston frontbrake caliper. .Works·type rear-brake system with integrated master cylinder and reservoir. '240mm front and rear brake discs. 44 SEPTEMBER 12,2001 • cue I _ n __ is Forgive us for the roundabout route we followed in our lead paragraphs to this test. but such is the nature of this market segment that one cannot truly comprehend the CRF without first considering its competition. You can bet Honda did In fact. there's a decent chance that. were it not for the competition, the CRF450R might never have existed· not that Honda's U_S. importer hasn't wanted the bike for a long time. "American Honda made requests about 12 years ago for a four-stroke motocross bike," says Senior Product Evaluator Bruce Ogilvie. "We proposed one for a line-up model in '89 or 'gO, and basically got laughed at. Other people didn' t believe there was a fourstroke motocross market out there.' Honda is obVIOUSly a very successful company, but it also has a reputation as being relatively conservative (facts that may not be entirely COincidental). The powers that be wanted "",dence that the bIke would sell well, but Without any such existing models upon which to conduct market research, Ogilvie and his team were unable to guarantee a success story. "With a lot of the most successful concepts in history, if you [were tol ask people beforehand. they would have discounted them." Ogilvie says.• Honda R&D in Japan was very reluctant. even when the [Yamahal VZF came out. " That may come as a surprise to some, considering how iong gossip of a trick Honda MX thumper has been circulating. "There were rumors that I read in publications, and I would just laugh to myself,' Ogilvie recalls. "Guys are calling me saying they know someone who rode the bike, and I've never even seen or ridden it." When it became apparent that Yamaha's thumper was a technological and financial success, Honda R&D did indeed give its go-ahead to the project - and when this company decides to do something, they generally do it right. In fact, once it was given the green light. the project enjoyed a very speedy development cycle. From the get-go, the goal was clear, at least for Honda America. "Whenever we would get asked what this product needed to be. we triad to keep it very simple.' Ogilvie says. 'We wanted it 10 kilograms [22 Ibs.l lighter than a VZ426F. That was what made the Yamaha so good, was that it was a lightweight four-stroke, so we knew we had to be significantly lighter than them - if it were two or four kilograms, It wasn't enough. We knew that with our motor guys, that would take care I I rrJCOOlCDffi of Itself; I knew they were bringing their Fl guys In, and that they would be Innovative, but if you make it lighter. too, It would make the VZF undesirable. " It was here that Honda's earlier decision to sit on its hands actually proved beneficial, since having an existing model as a benchmark helped assure that the CRF would be as good as possible. "Competition breeds excellence," agrees Ogilvie. "You always strive to build a better product than the other people are building. Because Yamaha did a very good job. it gave us a very good target that we not only had to meet. but surpass by a good amount. .. And at least in OgilVie's eyes, that goal has been met. It's not uncommon for perfonmence to be lost In the transition between testing and production, but in this case, Ogilvie claims that the production version is better than any prototype Cin fact. he puts it at 30-percent better than the machine Sebastien Tortelli victoriously competition-debuted at the final round of the AlI.Japan National Motocross Series approJd· mately one year ago). As late as July of this year, refinements were being approved for production. "I'm extremely pleased with the level of performance of this bike,' says Ogilvie, who holds more knowledge of Honda four-strokes than perhaps anyone in the world. "I'm really happy. It's a testament to the team. We broke In the magazine bikes, and I was just ecstatic. Right away, everybody was impressed. The motor was really fast. and the handling was really good, and it was in the hunt for meeting weight targets. It's more confidence-inspiring than any CR bike in our lineup, and yet extremely competitive. " ~ ENGINE TYPE ...........................•....liquid-cooled, single-cylinder four-stroke VALVE TRAIN SOHC; four-valve DISPLACEMENT .........•..•......•.•...•............................. 449cc BORE x STROKE " .............•................ _ 96mm x 62.1 mm COMPRESSION RATIO . . . . • .. .. .. . . . • . .. . .. . .. . . .. . . . . . .. ., 11.5: 1 CARBURETION "_ _ Keihin 40mm flat-slide IGNITION ' _..•......•..•......Solid-state CD w/ electronic advance TRANSMISSION _ Close-ratio five-speed 520 chain; 13T/50T FINAL DRIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . FRONT SUSPENSION 47mm Inverted Showa cartridge fork w/ 16·position rebound & 16-position compression damping adjustability REAR SUSPENSION Pro-Unk Showa single shock w/ spring preload. 17-position rebound damping adjustability. & compression adjustment separated into 13-position low-speed & 3.5-turns high-speed FRONT TRAVEL 12.0 In. REAR TRAVEL 12.4 in. FRONT BRAKE , . . . . . . . . . .. . Hydraulic. single 240mm disc w/ twin-piston caliper REAR BRAKE .......•..•..•... _ Hydraulic; single 240mm disc 80/100-21 FRONT TIRE ........•..•......•................................ , REAR TIRE 110/90-19 WHEELBASE ...........•......•..•..........•.........................59.4 in. RAKEITRAIL . . . . . . . . . .............•...............••..........28.6"/119mm SEAT HEIGHT "." 37.2 in. GROUND ClEARANCE " _. . 13.0 in. FUEL CAPACITY ............•.. " ..•...•..........•..•.. _.. . 2.0 gal. ClAIMED DRY WEIGHT . _ _.. _ 225.0 Ibs. SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE $6,299