Since it seems to be all the rage to post about bikes other than the KLX thought i might ask around if anyone has any experiance with the CRF450X ?

450cc, 269lbs (advertised), fully adjustable Showa front and rear, electric start.






Only problem is having to lace up the 17"s, add lights and blinkies and manage to get it titled.

 

Looks like a nice bike. There is a TE510 in my local CL. Its a 2005 the year before they were street legal. It would be cool to get that one on the road.

 

I've gotten to ride a couple of these and an R model. Several guys in our club out at our riding area have various models and years of the 450. I had even raced a couple of open class 2-strokes back in the late 70's in enduros, but I'm not as stoked about riding a high powered bike now. Good suspension yes, but lower more manageable power is my preference now. That said, neither were these 450's particularly explosive to the point of being hard to ride. It seems the manufacturers have learned to make very linear powerbands even if there is lots of power. Proper clutch and throttle control made all of them I've ridden decently reasonable and not feel like they were going to throw you down and stomp on you. I think a younger guy with a little experience will like the X or R models. It's just a little more power than I want to deal with.

The one thing I don't like is that the bike will be a good deal more service intensive than the KLX or even most of the KTM's...understandable. This is not a bike I'd like to run a few miles of pavement on very much. If I were going to get an off road bike for pure dirt, I'd get a KTM200 or 300 2-stroke. Those bikes have wide powerbands for their size and are very civil. The 300 even has e-start.

 

I have a couple friends with '05 CRF450X's with dual sport kits, both bought new and converted by the dealer.

One has a locked up transmission, something like $900 in repair parts, so it has been sitting for about 3 years; I'm told this is sorta common for these bikes used in dual sport mode, and the only preventative measure is extra oil in the transmission.

The other guy has had no issues with his. I've ridden this one a little bit on some semi-technical, rocky trails. Honestly, when it comes to power, it was a ***** cat. I really didn't get up into the revs, so I'm sure there is a lot more there, but it was very smooth and easy to ride in the low revs. Where I would be revving the KLX to get into the power, the 450X just chugged along. Ergonomically, the footpegs are much higher off the ground, and the distance between the seat and the pegs seems quite a bit less. It felt a lot harder to flick around than my KLX, much top heavier-feeling, as I suppose it should as it is similar in weight but taller. He commented the reverse: that my KLX was easier to toss around than his CRF.

On a semi-related tangent, I have yet another friend who bought an '03 CRF450R new. That one ended up snapping a connecting rod and destroying the entire engine. Cost to repair was much more than the bike was worth, so it sat for years. I think he finally ended up buying another used engine years later.

So, from my point of view, as a pure off road, high maintenance bike, I think the CRF450X has a place for some people. To me, it's an expensive, heavy pig of a hand grenade. I agree with TNC - if (when) I get another pure off roader, it's probably going to be another two stroke, and probably something like what KTM is currently offering.

 

Do you really think the X models would need more maintenance than even KTM's ? I would figure as they are "offroad" models and not full on motorcrosses they would be setup a bit more mild and not need as much work as often.

Theres just not much out there in the 450-600 range that really appeals to me. I did mention it was going to be a supermoto right ? theres a couple of factory offerings still available but most of those are high strung race bikes with plates and are basically a grenade between your legs engine wise along with being insanely expensive (aprillia, ktm, ducati).

I love my KLX but wouldn't mind something thats got a bit more legs in case i want to do more than just rip around my local 20 mile radius on the secondary roads.

 

Great bike, i used to want one. Honda has not fixed it's valve issue. The other manufacturers do not have near the problems the newer honda's do, they eat valves. Too bad, the bike is quiet, well built and runs great right off the showroom floor.

 

I actually think the WR450R is one of the most durable and tough bikes in this 450 racing category. Their engine is no glass slipper and has an outstanding powerband. I would rather have the Yamaha WR over the Honda.

Lutz, that heavy, non-flickable feeling you describe is somewhat normal IMO. It's that inertia, momentum deal that most all open class bikes tend to have over equally weighted and sized bikes with smaller engines.

 

Hmm...

Sooo... should i just go with the KX450F and hope that a pure motorcross bike can handle street use ? Or should i just get my motard fix on the KLX and just live with the fact that i'm always going to have to keep a sporbike around for extended jaunts ?




*edit*

Looks like TNC was posting while i was typing. The WR450R you say ? Still a bit turned off by the pure racing bikes, as the maint schedule is usually pretty brutal and based off my experiance with racing 2 smokes engines are not very long lived.

what about the WR450F ? just a detuned R ?

Wait... just checked yammie's site and theres the WR450F and the YZ450F ?????

 

See, there's the rub with the 450F. It's a totally different motor...that backwards cylinder head design. The 450R is a stout, durable motor...and FI for '12.

 

ok still confused... website shows the WR450F and YZ450F. no R in any 450 sized bike.

Blah...