| SUSPENSION | 89 |
| TURNAROUND TIME | 18/20 |
| FUNCTION | 45/50 |
| COMMUNICATION | 8/10 |
| DESIGN | 9/10 |
| PRICE | 9/10 |
www.precisionconceptsracing.com
951/894-6117 |
Precision concepts
Honda CRF 450R Suspension Revalve
I was pretty stoked on my stock 2005 CRF450R suspension. Since it was time for a rebuild, I wanted to see what Precision Concepts had to offer as I'd heard a few good comments about its revalve services lately. I filled out the rider profile form, which I retrieved online, and sent in the suspension. It was back in a week, and I bolted it on for a track day.
Initially, on my first ride with the revalved shock and fork, I felt more of a stiff and harsh action than my worn stock stuff, especially in the initial part of the stroke. But as soon as I clicked up into race speed, the CRF became very stable-notably more so than stock.
I was now able to attack the face of jumps with more speed without overjumping the landing ramp-probably due to increased initial and mid-stroke compression. I wasn't getting any spring bounce-back on takeoff. The rebound damping seemed dramatically slower compared to the OEM setup. Also, if I now come up short on a landing (uphill or downhill), the bike stays on the ground and I am able to set up for the next turn or obstacle without delay. When entering corners on the gas or on the brakes, the bike maintains a neutral feel without diving in the front or rebounding out of line in the rear. Now the bike stays squatted, a little more than before and just enough to hold my line or stay in the rut. I can get it to go exactly where I want. Since this is a race bike, it's best to ride in the attack mode to make this package work. Where I would normally try and avoid braking bumps and chop, they are now absorbed with less effort since the fork seems to stay up higher in the stroke. The best way to describe this suspension mod is that it gave the bike a stable yet plush feel without extra suspension movement and with better than stock bottoming resistance.
At $380 for the full rebuild, including seals and oil, it was actually a bargain pricewise for my weight and ability since stock springs were used. And I've just found out that Precision Concepts has a new antistiction mod for the CRF (an additional $50) that gets rid of the early stiffness I experienced when riding slow or relaxed. I'll opt to have that done at my next servicing.