QUICKSPIN I 2021 Honda CRF450RL
P110
often at speed during desert
races, so I picked the right crew
to follow around, that's for sure.
Having a bike like the
CRF450RL is great here. The
bike's mass isn't a performance
deduction most of the time and
is a bonus when moving rocks
out of your way at speed. And
you'll be going fast often in Ne-
vada. Plus, the 450RL is super
comfortable with nearly zero
engine, or drivetrain vibration, or
noise thanks to massive insula-
tion buttering out the buzz.
To fine-tune the new bike, we
ditched the stock mirrors like
respectable dual-sport riders and
slapped on a Double Take Adven-
ture mirror. Then, we stole some
Kenda Parker DTs from Jimmy
Lewis or Johnny Campbell's truck
(we're not telling which), and
added a three-gallon IMS fuel
tank because, well, it's important
to have a lot of fuel in Nevada.
As predicted, the updates are
great. I mean, my hands aren't
bleeding after smacking a lot
of trail brush, and I didn't stall it
much, and I still love how quiet,
controlled, and stable the bike is
always.
We've proven again and again
that this bike can span a big gap
on the more open-terrain spec-
trum of dual-sport riding. It is a
great short-tripper for fun dirt-road
rips, or it can handle luggage and
big route days across big states
just fine.
And as the Johnny Campbell
Tour showed, If you're going to be
doing big miles on multiple days,
you will really love this Honda.
CN
Getting out there is
what the CRF450RL is
good at. It's probably
our top choice for a
lightweight adventure
machine that sees wider
open spaces more than
super tight/technical
single track.
