VOLUME 57 ISSUE 39 SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 P97
updated chassis and swingarm work
harmoniously with the 49mm Showa
coil-spring fork and Showa rear shock
for an effortless cornering experi-
ence. Riders will undoubtedly notice
the bike's overall weight-savings
when turning or maneuvering the
bike side to side. Three pounds might
not sound like much on paper, but
reducing overall mass provides a
much nimbler feeling than last year's
model. The transition from a jump
or straight-away to the initial
turn-in of a corner feels
extremely easy on this
CRF. No hesitation, no hiccups, no
coaxing the bike into a specific line.
Just point, aim and shoot. Gone is the
extreme feeling of the front end diving
or the rear end squatting. Instead,
the bike rides with a planted prowess
that inspires confidence all around
the racetrack. Glen Helen's testing
grounds offer a variety of turns—from
the wide-open banks of Talladega
to the hairpin 180s at the bottom of
the hills—all of which were sliced and
diced with the Honda's new scalpel
precision.
Throughout the day, we played with
the assortment of electronic settings
this bike has to offer. After starting the
day on map one, I switched to maps
two and three, only to return to my
Again, three
engine modes
are available but
tuned differently
than before. We
were partial to full
aggressive with a
little bit of TC.
