Factory Effex dialed the look, but some logos don’t match the bike!
Jimmy likes power that is smooth down low, and that makes perfect sense for his cornering style. He is on the gas entering a turn and doesn’t want it to hit in mid-corner. I’m slower, so I need/want more snap off the bottom and don’t care how hard the bike pulls on top. An FMF Megabomb header and 4.1 muffler gave me just what I wanted. The engine is much more willing in the lower half of the rpm range, and the mid-hit is smoothed. It still rips on top, but I don’t want to rev a 450 on jump faces. My style is to build speed as quickly out of turns as possible, and the pipe helped a lot, but the rear wheel would still light up and snap sideways if I got on the gas while leaned over. The Steahly flywheel tamed the delivery enough for my favorite track: Piru MX. The layout is fun and safe, and the traction is great when prepped, but in the morning everyone waits for others to go out and run in the wet and sometimes slippery clay. With the flywheel and Bridgestone 403/404 tires, I am the first one out in the wet. The 450 hooks up and drives calmly in the most slippery conditions. It can even pop the front wheel in the air when you land. You have to work to break the rear wheel loose. Aluminum-framed bikes can feel a little sharp and crisp for me, so I opted for the 90/100-21 front tire. The larger profile softens the feel of the front wheel input, but it isn’t as predictable when the track surface really gets packed as the standard 80/100-21. Overall, I like the 90/100. In addition to having predictable traction and a wide range, the Bridgestones wear well.The stock 2010 CRF450R suspension is much easier on the rider than the 2009, but I wanted a setting that was plush and compliant even if it meant I couldn’t blitz stadium whoops. Wait…I don’t attack stadium whoops, so no problem. At one time I wasn’t a big fan of Race Tech Gold valves, but in the past couple of years the company has been nailing a plush, controlled setup first time, every time.In the end the CRF450R went from a bike I didn’t look forward to riding to one that I was truly sorry to see pass on to Chris Denison. It elevated my confidence and helped me ride more laps without getting tired. Instead of thinking about the bike, the CRF freed me to think about riding and the track, and it worked as well on faster sand-based intermediate tracks as on the tight clay confines of Piru. With all modern bikes being so good I was becoming a die-hard stock-is-best guy, but I’m relearning how much more fun a personalized bike can make a day at the track.Parts
Bridgestone Tire: www.bridgestonemotorcycletires.com
403 front 80/100-21, 404 rear 120/90-19
Factory Effex: www.factoryeffex.com
Shroud graphics, Factory Effex Trim kit, Factory Effex numbers
FMF Racing: www.fmfracing.com
4.1 stainless muffler, stainless Megabomb header
MDK Motorsports: www.mdkmoto.com
Titanium footpegs
ODI: www.odigrips.com
MX Lock-On grips
ProTaper: www.protaper.com
Contour Windham/RM mid bar
Race Tech: www.racetech.com
Fork and shock mod with springs, Gold valves, parts and oil
Steahly Off-Road: www.steahlyoffroad.com
11-oz complete flywheel
Factory Effex dialed the look, but some logos don’t match the bike!
Freestyled
By Chris Denison
Being the last to dance with the CRF450R was a double-edged sword. On the plus side, I was able to benefit from the combined testing experience of all three previous riders and thus had several boxes of slightly used parts at my disposal. But on the other hand, I had to not only fix what the other guys messed up but also address the natural wear and tear on the machine. Fortunately, I had a plan of attack in mind, and in the end I wound up with exactly what I set out to build and then some.Barrett aimed for aggro, Lewis shot for smooth and Karel made the bike…well, Kareled. My goal was to achieve maximum usability from the CRF450R. My first order of business was to redistribute the CRF’s power spread. I liked the off-roady feel of Kramer’s heavyweight flywheel and opted to keep that, but I knew I needed a softer hit and less punch from the exhaust to suit my preferences. Remembering how seamless our DEP setup was from the recent pipe shootout, I installed the S7 Boost System and achieved the much smoother delivery I was after. I then ditched the auto-clutch and reinstalled the Hinson single-spring unit that Barrett ran-I like the control of the manual setup for moto-and added one tooth to the rear sprocket to balance out the bike’s newfound personality. This host of changes allowed me to carry speed much more consistently on the track and to make use of the 450R’s wealth of ponies in a much more controlled manner. The Honda still hauled, but at least now I felt as though I’d harnessed its power.Having ridden Lewis’ finished version of the CRF450R, I knew that I wanted his suspension. For me, this Factory Connection-tuned setup was stiff enough to push the bike speed-wise yet soft enough to not pummel my internal organs on low-speed chop. J-Lew did a great job in dialing in this part of the bike, and I had no shame in poaching it for my own, lowering link and all. However, I wanted more of the rear-end-low feeling that Jimmy tried to stay away from, but I just wasn’t able to achieve this by taking turns out of the shock spring. The solution? After some careful chopping and aluminum welding from a friend, the subframe was lowered 7mm and I’d hit the magic handling mark I’d been searching for. The Honda now had the hooked-up feel I like in turns and off-cambers, while the straight-line stability and traction was right on the money. I then set the sag to 103mm, added one click of rebound to the shock and effectively high-fived myself on a job well done.Even with the motor and suspension dialed in for me, the CRF450R was far from complete. After countless hours of testing from three different pilots, the controls had lost their factory precision and felt just plain beat. Starting with the throttle, I installed Motion Pro’s Revolver Throttle Kit, going with the 35mm (smallest) reel for a slow, easy throttle opening. Along with the new cables, this made for velvety smooth throttle action. I accomplished the same thing on the clutch side with a Works Connection Elite perch, enjoying flawless engagement thanks to the bearing-assisted pivot. I was totally unhappy with the vague feel of the stock used and abused front brake, and chose to go all out in handling the issue by way of a 280mm floating oversize rotor kit from EBC. Joined by new pads on both ends and Fasst Company’s rear brake clevis and brake spring return kit, the Honda now stopped like a dream, and the braking action was both strong and predictable-just the way I like it.
Factory Effex dialed the look, but some logos don’t match the bike!
One of my biggest complaints with the CRF450R when it was handed to me was a decent-sized ding in the front rim that caused the bike to hop around in ruts and feel jittery at the handlebar. The hub and spokes were still good, so I laced up a set of black Factory Effex rims, complete with trick-looking red valve caps and rim locks. Not only did this make the bike handle better, but it remedied the handling issues associated with the aforementioned ding. A pair of Dunlop Geomax tires, the everlasting gobstoppers of rubber, was then gingerly installed on my new rims. While I had the FX boys on the line, I ordered up and installed some DX1 custom graphics. I wanted to give the Honda a slightly edgier look that did justice to my FMX heritage, and I think the new stickers did the trick.From this point, the remainder of my mods to the CRF450R could go into the “super editor spending spree” category. I bolted on some anodized bling-blams that serve no purpose other than to look cool. ProTaper 4.3 triple clamps and Tri-Density grips were added “just because.” An Acerbis plastic skid plate was installed in case I decided to wheelie onto some logs. I did take a small step back to stock with the OEM footpegs, but by this time the bank was already well beyond broken. But who said that perfection has a price cap?All things considered, this CRF450R ended up about as close to perfect for me as I could get it, but the truth is that you could fine-tune a machine for eternity and still never hit on absolute perfection. For me, I would continue playing with the EFI settings in search of even more personalized power, and I could easily spend another two weeks just trying different bar bends (a little more height wouldn’t hurt) and front tires (the Dunlop felt great going straight but a little slick on the shoulder knobs). But altogether, I think that this two-part series helped shed some light on our individual setup preferences and prove that one bike can be fine-tuned to perfectly suit a fast pro, an XR400 fanatic, a KTM-loving giant and a wiry jumper. Mission accomplished!Parts
EBC Brakes: www.ebcbrakes.com
280mm floating oversize rotor kit, Extreme Pro front and rear sintered ceramic brake pads
DEP: www.deppipes.com
S7 Silencer and Boost headpipe
ProTaper: www.protaper.com
4.3 triple clamps, half-waffle Tri-Density grips and rear sprocket
Acerbis: www.acerbis.com
Honda 450 skid plate
Motion Pro: www.motionpro.com
Revolver throttle kit with 35mm reel
Factory Effex: www.factoryeffex.com
Custom DX1 graphics, B-4 ballistic seat cover, engine plug kit, brake reservoir kit, valve cap and rim lock kit, gas vent hose cap and 7000 Series rims
Works Connection: www.worksconnection.com
Elite perch
Fasst Company: www.fasstco.com
Brake clevis and brake spring return kit
Hinson: www.hinsonracing.com
SS Series single-spring clutch
Dunlop: www.dunlopmotorcycle.com
Geomax MX51 tires
Other: Stock subframe lowered 7mm
