WR450F
The first thing that I liked about the WR is the smooth strong motor. It's soft off the bottom then picks up and throws the pony's down through the mid and top. It is very easy to ride. The second thing that I liked is the plush suspension. It's soft and supple in the initial part of the stroke then transitions well into the mid and bottom of the stroke. There's good movement and tracks very well on the small hard pack chop. The third thing is how well the bike fits my medium build. The peg, seat, and bar positioning are in a good neutral location. The bike feels narrow and is easy to maneuver around on.
I didn't like that it is a little top heavy making it hard to maneuver in some of the tight switchback areas on the trail. Second, is that it could have a little bit more bottoming resistance. When there is an emergency ditch or a random deep whoop. The frame hits the ground and becomes very unstable. The third thing is the throttle response. When lugging the bike around hard packed slippery turns or running a higher gear in a slower section. If you grab some throttle there is a hesitation.
KTM450XCW
I liked the six speed transmission. Being able to ride the bike a gear higher at high speeds gives less engine drag and makes the bike more stable at high speeds. The second thing is the suspension stability in deep high speed rollers. The shock has good movement is calm with no lifting. The third thing is the power to gear ratio. The bike is smooth and easy to ride. It has plenty of horsepower and the perfect gear ratio to match and pulls any gear.
The thing that I didn't like about the bike is the width. I felt that the tank seemed a little wide down low and was a little hard to reach the foot controls. The second thing was the seat--still firm and is not a comfy ride when its time to sit down.
KLX450F
The thing I liked best about the KLX was how roomy the bike felt. It was easy to maneuver around on the bike and get a hold of the controls to set up for any type of terrain that is thrown at you. I also liked how aggressive you could get on the bike. This bike may be for more of an aggressive riding style. It was still plush, but you can attack the rougher sections as if you were on an MX bike.
One thing that i didn't like about the KLX is the gear ratio. The spacing between 3rd and 4th gear was a little to much, and I felt the bike lacked the power to pull it. It felt like it had to many bolt on motor restrictions. It seemed like there was power in there somewhere, it was just restricted. The other thing that i didn't like about the bike was the start button. It's not in a fixed position on the throttle housing which takes up more room on the bar for hand guards and things. The start buttons that are on the throttle housing are more convenient for starting them as well.
CRF450X
The Honda feels like more of a moto bike compared to the rest of the bikes in the field. The suspension has a firmer feel which worked well for me in the more technical rougher sections. I was confident in trying to jump across something knowing that I wasn't going to blow through the stroke and have a harsh landing.
That also relates to the motor. The bike had a snappier feel like an MX bike, which is good for those last minute line selections. Helps you get to where you need to be on the trail. I also like how nimble and easy it was to maneuver the bike around in the tighter slower sections of the trail. But at the same time the front end felt light and twitchy at higher speeds. Especially in the sand. Another thing that I didn't like was how high the foot pegs feel compared to the seat. The bike feels a little to cramped for my style.
Tyler Ruiz 5'9"/180lb/ B rider