Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/792390
2017 HONDA CRF450RX VS. YAMAHA YZ450FX SHOOTOUT P84 pretty soft for the track, epi- cally the fork. It bottoms easily off jumps and compresses too much under hard braking, mak- ing it difficult for the front end to hold a line. Stiffer fork springs would make it much more fun and balanced on the MX track. We went with a little more sag (105-110mm) to try and help the overall balance. Both of these machines are more than capable on the MX track, as they should be; after all, they started life as motocross bikes. For a lot of riders, these very well could be a better choice than the MX ver- sion, minus very fast intermedi- ate- and pro-level riders. SEEING RED We rode these bikes through the open desert, flowing single track, pinned it up monster hill climbs and navigated first- and second-gear rocky and techni- cal terrain. We even spent time on the motocross track. These bikes are designed as closed- course off-road racers, which means going fast in a variety of terrain. Think GNCC, WORCS, National Hare & Hound and desert races. They aren't hard enduro bikes or even dedicated single-track machines. Both Yamaha and Honda have 450 trail bikes, the WR450F and the CRF450X. Across the board ev- ery one of our test riders leaned toward the Honda CRF450RX as the choice between the two bikes. The larger tank and better stock suspension makes this bike very capable of racing comfortably in almost any type of off-road racing. The bonus, it is great on the motocross track in stock form. The YZ450FX isn't as at home at higher speeds, but it is just a bigger gas tank and stiffer forks away from being a possible comparo winner. But, as they stand right now, right out of the crate, the RX would be our choice come the next GNCC race. CN 2017 Yamaha YZ450FX ($8999) 2017 Honda CRF450RX ($9249) ENGINE: .....Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, single ......... Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, single DISPLACEMENT: ............................449cc ............................................... 449.7cc BORE X STROKE: ...........97.0 x 60.8mm ........................... 65.5mm x 66.2mm COMPRESSION RATIO: ................... 12.5:1 ....................................................13.5:1 FUEL DELIVERY: .................................. EFI ........................................................EFI STARTING SYSTEM: ....................Electric ................................................ Electric TRANSMISSION: .........................5-speed ................................................5-speed FINAL DRIVE: ......................................N/A ................................................... 13/50 FRAME: .................................... Aluminum ............................................Aluminum FRONT SUSPENSION: ...........48mm KYB 49mm Showa spring fork, fully adj. spring fork, fully adj. REAR SUSPENSION: .....KYB single shock, ......... Showa single shock, fully-adj. fully-adj. FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL: ............... 12.2 in. .................................................12.0 in. REAR WHEEL TRAVEL: ................. 12.5 in. ................................................. 12.2 in. FRONT WHEEL: ..................90/90x21 in. .......................................90/90x21 in. REAR WHEEL: ....................120/90x18 in. ..................................... 120/90x18 in. FRONT BRAKE: ....................270mm disc ....................................... 260mm disc REAR BRAKE: ......................240mm disc ....................................... 240mm disc RAKE/TRAIL: ...................... 26.3°/4.5 in. ...........................................27°/4.6 in. GROUND CLEARANCE: ................. 12.8 in. .................................................12.9 in. SEAT HEIGHT: ............................. 38.0 in. .................................................37.8 in. WHEELBASE: ................................ 57.7 in. .................................................58.1 in. FUEL CAPACITY: ..........................2.0 gal. ................................................ 2.2 gal. WEIGHT (WET): ...........................267 lbs. ............................................... 264 lbs. S P E C I F I C A T I O N S