Josh Demuth's CRF450R
Bike: Honda CRF450R
Rider: Josh Demuth, #686
Mechanic: Billy Bell
Sponsors: BooKoo Energy, RCA, Dep Sport Hair Gel, Honda, Volere International, Thor Motocross, FMF Racing, Pro Honda Oils, Dunlop, Berik, Acerbis, Serdi, Plano Honda, MasterCraft, Braking USA, TAG, Holt CAT, Hinson, Scott USA, Ringers Gloves, Applied Racing, Kaeser, Ogio, Cannondale, VP Fuel, Freestone Raceway, Globe Footwear
Holigan Racing picked up a hot commodity in Josh Demuth. After coming off a stellar season in the BooKoo Arenacross series, the newly recrowned AX champ filled the team's vacant 450 spot. Since then, he's put in solid, if not excellent rides for the only motocross team you'll find on TV (with their "The Reality of Speed" series on, you guessed it, SPEED). Since he's best known for his racing in the tight confines of professional arenacross, I figured his bike would be snappy, jumpy and quick out of the hole, with an aggressive bite designed to get out front early and leave the elbow-jockeying to the rest of the slow starters. And I was right-about the starts.
I pulled up to the base of the start straight at Motocross 338 in Southwick to see just how it would feel to drop the hammer on a pro-caliber 450. Demuth's bike was idling high, a necessity since his motor boasts high-revving DNA thanks to a lightweight crank and its subsequently low rotating mass. Since the crank isn't pulling the piston through the stroke like a heavier unit would, the idle must be set up to keep momentum in the motor. I had some issues throughout the day stalling the bike in slower turns because I wasn't on the gas, and I had a hard time getting it restarted due to the aforementioned lack of mass turning the motor over. Billy Bell, Demuth's mechanic, explained the crank situation to me and said, "It's waiting for this." I looked up, and he had his throttle hand in a perfect full-throttle-pin-it pose. This isn't your daddy's 450.
So there I was, body forward, bike in neutral, valves and cam churning underneath. The 30-second board went sideways in my head, and I popped the bike into second. I concentrated, elevated the rpm to a constant rumble and carefully watched as my fantasy gate dropped. In a fluid motion, motor grabbed clutch, which in turn grabbed gears, which grabbed chain, then tire, then dirt and bike and I shot forward, quickly. It was the best start I've ever had in my life. The bike pulled, revved and pulled some more. I clicked into third about 20 yards before the first corner and was pleasantly yanked to the apex of the turn. I idled back down past the mechanics, and an awestruck editor-in-chief, and felt the joy of holeshot. In reality, no one else was on the gate, but it didn't matter. I would've, well, the bike would've, killed them anyway.
On the track, this reality of speed remained consistent. Demuth's bike likes to rev. It's a motor that barks with a power 180 degrees different from most 450 fours. It's not really torquey. It's not lazy or mellow. However, it's not overly aggressive or snappy, either. It's like the perfect three-way marriage between a snappy motor that hits hard, a rev-to-the-moon speed-freak and a low-end grunt-monster that will still lug. It will set you back in the seat, and if you're not hanging on, you'll be surprised. But it's almost as if the bike gives you a nanosecond to get ready. It's highly effective at high-rpm power and is a blast to ride.
Suspension setup on the #686 Honda was also surprising, though not as much as the motor. I thought the fork would be a lot stiffer considering Demuth's jump-track discipline and the fact that he's about my size but a lot faster and more aggressive. His past wrist injuries may take some of the stiffness out of the setup, but for my taste, his fork was great. His shock was set up a bit stiff for me and ended up kicking my tail a time or two. Overall, the balance front and rear was nice, though I did have the only good crash of the day on his bike. I was hitting a corner for our photographer when the motor wanted to go and I wanted to stay. Our disagreement ended in a highlight reel-worthy high-side that left me shaking off a headache bigger than the braking bump I dented. Sadly, it was the exact same corner Demuth went down in during one moto the day before. "That corner's like a magnet for this bike," Bell joked.
If I could someday own this exact bike, I'd drop the bar back a little, maybe even go with a lower-bend since it was way out there. Then I'd put gas in it. Then I'd make room at home for my holeshot award checks. And lastly, I'd stay the hell away from that corner at Southwick.
Opinions
The BooKoo 450 was definitely not what I was expecting. The motor was beyond belief-it just ripped. For me, it was really hard-hitting and carried that boost throughout the full pull. My only issues were with the suspension, as it seemed a little rigid. I couldn't get the bike to settle no matter how hard I pushed it. -Ryan Orr
I wasn't expecting to see much as JZ pulled up to the start line and set up for a practice start. But the sound was perfection-it was the sound of a motor pulling 100 percent and a tire ripping at the ground. The front wheel lifted 2 inches off the ground, leveled and stayed that way for half the straight. The bike looked like it was shot out of a cannon. And Jesse was on it! It was one of the best starts I'd ever seen. I'm claiming it would have put him into the National first turn in the top three...at least until he shut off too early! -Jimmy Lewis