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P160
SHOOTOUT
the other bikes in the
shootout that utilize a
kick starter. It likes a
smooth full kick but with
effort to fire up. Honda
does, however, offer an
electric-starter kit for the
CRF that is ready to be
installed. It will, however,
set you back another
$650 and add about
eight pounds.
Honda made a bold
move and ditched the
air fork for a traditional
spring fork. The Showa
49mm spring forks are
as close to A-Kit forks as
you can get, minus the
DLC coating. The con-
sumer spoke and Honda
listened. It—springs in
the forks—added some
weight but Honda shaved
weight in other areas to
offset the slight addi-
tion. The 2017 Honda
CRF450F weighs exactly
what the 2016 did, 245
pounds with a full tank of
gas.
The 2017 Honda
CRF450R is back to
typical Honda standards,
which means it is a com-
fortable and easy bike
to ride. In less than a lap
every rider felt at home
on the CRF450R. It is
a bike that doesn't do
anything weird or un-
expected. Cornering is
effortless and controlled.
It doesn't matter if it is a rut-
ted corner or a flat and slip-
pery corner; the CRF450R
handles it with ease. The
chassis plays a big role in
how the Honda corners but
the big thank you goes out
to the new spring fork. It
offers a ton of feedback and
keeps the front wheel con-
nected to the ground better.
New frame geometry helps,
as well. We understand that
the new chassis is modeled
after the '09 chassis, which
was generally well liked and
greatly missed after a rede-
sign in 2010.
