VOLUME 58 ISSUE 42 OCTOBER 19, 2021 P77
H
onda gave its flagship mo-
tocrosser, the CRF450R, a
complete overhaul in 2021, so
it comes as no surprise that the '22
model returns with few updates. The
updates it did get, however, are crucial.
To refresh your memory, the 2021
CRF450R got a ground-up rede-
sign, shedding seven pounds in the
process. It arrived on the scene
with a new frame, swingarm, en-
gine updates, and body styling that
gave the bike a striking look, but the
CRF450R was hurried into produc-
tion last year due to the looming
pandemic, and as a result, some
last-minute tweaking and fine-tuning
were sacrificed. Consequently, our
high expectations for the all-new
CRF450R fell short, and the Honda
brought up the rear in our 2021
450cc MX Shoutout. The Honda's
culprits were glitchy ECU mapping
and under-sprung suspension, which
robbed a lot of the bike's true poten-
tial. Later in the year, we addressed
these issues with our test bike. Techs
from Honda flashed our ECU, and
they helped us develop a better over-
all suspension setting. Tada! Much
better. It was now the motorcycle that
Honda had initially intended it to be.
2
Did Honda make all the right fine-tuning
changes to the CRF450R it needed to be the
bike it should've been last year?
Did Honda make all the right fine-tuning
changes to the
bike it should've been last year? bike it should've been last year?
changes to the
bike it should've been last year?
changes to the
2
Did Honda make all the right fine-tuning Did Honda make all the right fine-tuning
OUND
BY RYAN NITZEN I PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT PALMER
