2017 HONDA CRF450RX
FIRST TEST
P64
a dedicated trail bike, like the
Honda's CRF450X brother. The
harder you push the CRF450RX
the better the experience. For
desert guys and riders who love
speed, gearing will have to be
changed; fifth gear runs out
pretty quickly for those long pin-
it runs over the valleys.
Honda claims a wet weight
of 261 pound and we believe
every pounds when lifting it off
the stand. It feels heavy. But
out on the track and trail, the
weight isn't an issue at all; it
feels light and flickable despite
what the scale says. The big-
ger tank is only slightly wider
between the thighs and isn't
annoying or distracting.
Thankfully Honda provides a
skid plate that covers the frame
well. We installed the Cycra
Rebound hand guards, protect-
ing our fingers since we were
dodging bushes and small trees,
but the bike comes from the fac-
tory without hand guards.
We have a lot of plans for the
new Honda CRF450RX, like
comparing it to its closest ri-
vals, like the Yamaha YZ450FX
and the KTM 450 XC, so check
back as we continue our testing
of the RX, but for now, we can
easily see this bike being more
popular than the CRF450R
among average moto guys and
vet riders who ride more than
just the track, partly because
the RX has electric starting,
holds more gas, handles great
on a variety of terrain and even
has a kickstand. Hey, what
more could you want? CN
The RX is
chomping at the
bit to go GNCC
racing.
