conditions. As the track dried up
we went to the mellow map for
softer hit off idle, improving trac-
tion and consistency through
the corners. The clutch changes
improve the feel and improve
engagement. We didn't have any
issue with fade or a mushy feel
at the lever, a common problem
with previous CRF450Rs.
If you want to add electric
start to the CRF450R it will set
you back about $650, not in-
cluding a battery. Some riders at
the intro struggled with starting
the 2017 on the first or second
kick. We learned early that
pushing the kickstarter down
until you feel top dead center
and then coming up for a nice
smooth full kick fires the bike up
easily.
Our two days riding Monster
Mountain in Alabama gave us a
solid first impression of the new
CRF450R. We know this for a
fact: The 2017 is much improved
over the 2016 and going back to
a quality spring fork was a wise
decision. Monster Mountain's
dirt consistency is all about trac-
tion, something we don't see
a lot of in Southern California,
so we are excited to put a lot
more time on the Honda and
ride it at familiar tracks to learn
more about how it preforms and,
more importantly, how it stacks
up head-to-head against other
450s. CN
VOL. 53 ISSUE 42 OCTOBER 25, 2016 P79
2 0 1 7 H O N D A C R F 4 5 0 R
ENGINE TYPE: .... Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke,
single
BORE X STROKE: .................96 x 62.1mm
COMPRESSION RATIO: .....................13.5:1
VALVE TRAIN: ..... Unicam 4-valve, 38mm
intake, titanium; 31mm exhaust, steel
INDUCTION: ................. Programmed Fuel
Injection (PGM-F1), 46mm downdraft
throttle body
IGNITION: ..........Fully transistorized with
electronic advance
STARTING SYSTEM: ............Kick (electric
optional)
DRIVETRAIN: ............ Close-ratio 5-speed
FINAL DRIVE: ....... #520 chain; 13T/49T
FRAME: ................... Twin spar aluminum
FRONT SUSPENSION: ......49mm inverted
Showa spring fork, fully adjustable
REAR SUSPENSION: ........Pro-Link, single
shock, fully adjustable
FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL: ................. 12.0 in.
REAR WHEEL TRAVEL: ................... 12.3 in.
FRONT BRAKE: ........ Single 260mm disc,
w/twin-piston caliper
REAR BRAKE: ...........Single 240mm disc
FRONT TIRE: ... Dunlop MX3S 90/100-21
REAR TIRE: .... Dunlop MX3S 120/80-19
WHEELBASE: ................................ 58.3 in.
RAKE / TRAIL: ................ 27°21' / 4.6 in.
SEAT HEIGHT: ................................37.8 in.
GROUND CLEARANCE: ................... 12.9 in.
FUEL CAPACITY: ........ 243 lbs. (wet, fully
fueled)
MSRP: ..............................................$8849
S P E C I F I C A T I O N S
We looking forward
to riding the new
CRF450R on more
tracks, but for
now, we are very
impressed with
what Honda did with
it, especially the
engine.
