2018 HONDA CRF450R
FIRST TEST
P102
was much loved, the redesigned '09,
not so much. Ever since then, Honda
has been playing catch up. They did im-
prove the CRF450R over the years but
never really reached success like it had
with the '08, comparatively speaking.
Luckily, Honda learned its lessons
from '09 and did all of its homework
with the 2017 CRF450R, and we ended
up reaping the benefits by getting a
much-improved motorcycle. But there's
always room for more improvement,
right? Honda thought so and did some
tweaking on the '18.
The list of changes to the 2018
Honda CRF450R, however, is short,
but there are a few significant things
on that list that get us excited, like
electric starting. Yes, the '17 had that,
too, but only as an option—it's not an
option anymore; you get it whether you
like it or not. We like it! With electric
starting comes added weight (about
five pounds) but to help compensate,
the back-up kickstarter lever has been
removed, though there is still a place
to install one if you feel the need later
on. Honda also went with the lightest
battery as possible to run the system—a
lithium-ion battery made by Eliy. It's the
same battery that the factory Honda
HRC race team uses and is substan-
tially lighter than a standard lead-acid
battery.
Again, we're glad Honda has joined
the electric-starting trend that KTM
started a while back. (Yamaha has
climbed on board, as well.)
Something's
missing. It's
the kickstarter!
But you can
still install one
easily if you
want.
