Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

so why cha nge it? But Hon da did fee l tha t t here was room for improvement in the CR's handling de part ment , hence the all-new, fourth -ge ne rati o n frame. The new aluminum frame resem- bles t hat of the CRF250R and is said to weigh the same as the '05 frame. But to improve handling and stabilityw hile cornering, t he stee ringhead area was strengt hened and the rake and tra il changed. The rake has been reduce d from 26.91 to 26.79 degrees and the trail increased 2mm (4.30 inches) to shift the CRF's we ight distribution more forward and give the CR quicker steering. Honda claims that overall stability was not affected negatively by these changes. Also, taller swingarm pivot plates and thinner top-frame spars resu lt in a narrower overall frame cross-section to give the big 450 a smaller feel, as do new radiators t hat allow the use of nar- rower shrou ds. Reducing t he CRF's overall weight was another important goal. Hon da shaved ounces offany part that it could, and the end result was a net savings of 3 1{2 pou nds. Most of that came fro m the all-new swingarm, and the subframe and rear hub. On the track, we could certain ly feel the CR's lighter weight and the narrower frame. Last year' s 450 feels like a big sofa compared to the leaner and tr imme r '05 450. And we must say that we were quite surprised by this since we never had that co mplaint abou t the '04 befo re , but the difference is impressive. The 'O 450 is as comfortable as ever, if S not a little more so, because of the new Renthal aluminum handlebars and the new gripper seat , not to mention the thinner frame and radiator shro uds. O nce again, the CRF's suspension is first rate. We didn't have any real com plaints with the suspension o n the '04, but Honda made some changes that certainly enhanced the CR's already good Showa co mponen ts. Because of the new frame, the rear shock moun ting point was lowered and the shock was lengthene d by 0.24 inches. The shock was also fitted with a slightly stiffer 5.5kg spring, and the linkages were mod ified to produce a more linear dam ping progression. Plus, both the 47mm cartridge fo rk and the shock feature revised valving. We found that the 'O suspe nsion doesS's n't feel any stiffer or softe r than last year 's, but the damping action de finitely seemed improved , mainly in the back whe re the shock didn't seem to blow through the stroke as much. Also, headshake seems to have been redu ced considera bly, which is good news since excessive headshake was pro bably our biggest complaint with previous C RF450s. Even our Pro-level test riders hardly had to mess with the clickers at all, neither did our novice testers, so the bike seem s to be set up quite we ll right o ut of the cra te. Even though the motor itself was left unchanged, modifications to the airbox and intake system resu lt in a slightly smoother powe r de livery. But don't worry: Th e Honda still pumps out tons of power, but the more direct -now air intake system takes the edge off that incredible big-bore hit, so you can last a little longer before your arms start compiaining about holding on so tightly allthe time. Otherwise, the 'OS's motor feels just like last year's, and we 're fine with that. Luckily, the CRF's brakes are just plain awesome, as usual. They offer exce llent feel and tons of braking power at bo th ends. Even though we've ridde n our 'OS CRF450R only a few times so far, we're definitelyimpressed with this machine. It's easier to ride, more comfortable and handles significandy better than before, which amazes us since the bike was so good in the first place. Luckily, Honda refined the '05 CRF in all of the right places and left well enough alone, resultingin an even better machine, believe it or not. What will they think of next year?We eN already can't wait. www.cyclenews .com $6699 449cc Liquid-cooled, single-cylinder four-stroke BORE x STROKE 96 x 62.1mm COMPRESSION RATIO 12: I VALVE TRAIN ........Unicam: four-valve CARBURETION ..4Omm Keihin flat-slide IGNITION ..CD with electronicadvance TRANSMISSION Close ratio, five-speed STARTING SYSTEM Kick FRONT TIRE 80/100-21 REAR TIRE I 10/90- 19 FRONT SUSPENSION .47mm inverted Showa cartr idge fork with 16-position rebound and 16-position compression damping adjustability. REAR SUSPENSION Pro-Link Showa single shock with spring preload, 17-position rebound dampingadjustabili y t LIST PRICE DISPLACEMENT ENGINE TYPE and compress ion damping adjustment separated into low spee d (13·positions) and highspeed (3.5·tums). FRONT·WHEEL TRAVEL 12.4 in. REAR·WHEEL TRAVEL 12.5 in. FRONT BRAKE Disc REAR BRAKE Disc FINAL DRIVE # 520 chain; IH{48T CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT 218.5I bs. FUEL CAPACITY 1.9 gal. WHEELBASE 58.7 in. RAKE/TRAIL 26.79 degrees SEAT HEIGHT 37.6 in.

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