VOLUME 58 ISSUE 14 APRIL 6, 2021 P91
turns, I could feel the front
end pushing and washing
away towards the exit of the
corner. The Honda crew
then raised the forks back
up to stock height, which
dissolved all the front-end
push I experienced. From
this point, the bike was
able to cut through the tight
insides and rail the fast outer
lines without giving up too much in the
stability department.
The power of the WE is another
serious talking point. The ported
cylinder head and full Yoshimura RS-
12 exhaust system work together to
bring a smile-inducing throttle twisting
experience. It almost sneaks up on
you. It's not that knockout-style hit like
some of the previous Honda models,
but rather a smooth bark that brings
you up to speed in a hurry. Before
you know it, you've hit fourth gear,
and the bushes on the side of the
track are one continuous green blur. I
noticed the power most in the sharp,
slow-speed corners that transition just
before the long, fast uphills. Here,
carrying speed is a necessity, and
the Honda made that much easier
than I anticipated. Exit the corner, find
your body position, twist the grip, and
hold on. More often than not, I was
so trigger-happy that I found the front
wheel lifting off the ground prior to the
jump face at the summit of these hills.
As mentioned before, it's fast, like
2017-'20 Honda fast, but now has
all the smoothness of the '21 model.
Basically, it's everything we've been
asking from the current red ride. Map
(Left) We had
nothing but
praises for the
Throttle Jockey
gripper seat
cover. (Bottom)
One of the perks
of owning the
CRF450RWE
is the standard
Yoshimura exhaust
system. It's light
and quiet.
