FeatureToday’s machinery is leaps and bounds better than it was just a decade ago. The factories are building bikes today that would trounce on the works bikes of just a decade ago. Every time we get finished with a test of a new bike, we’re always amazed at how far the bikes have come in just one model year. And every time we tell ourselves these bikes are coming off the showroom floor like they used to come out of the factory rig. This got us thinking. How would today’s top production machine, Honda’s CRF 450, fare in a shoot-out against a works bike of just a few years back? Say, perhaps, the last time Ricky rode red?
We were fortunate enough to get a spin on Ricky’s last red steed, and the memory is still fresh in our minds. Our psychiatrists say the flashbacks will pass with time, but we’re not ready to let go of them just yet. One of the surest inspirations of sensory recall is throwing a leg over the production 2006 CRF, so we thought we’d do just that. Maybe we’d exorcise a few demons in the process, but we intended to put the throw down to Factory Honda—using their own gauntlet.No one here at Dirt Rider is shy to endorse the showroom Honda. It handles like a dream, makes handfuls of usable power, and turns braking chop into an optical illusion. The bike feels like a factory bike… to someone who’s never actually ridden a factory bike.Ricky’s `04 bike was pure magic. The power was intimidating to anyone without an AMA pro license. The suspension was unbelievably plush for a machine capable of shorting LaRocco’s leap, and the handling was pure joy. The `06 had its work cut out for it.The bikes’ power deliveries are surprisingly where the greatest difference lies. We know what you’re thinking (or yelling), `factory suspension!’ But the engines separate the two red riders more distinctly than any slick fork coatings. Ricky’s perfect-season CRF had a hit that was brutal from idle up to the rev limiter. We’re going to have to go on good authority that there is a rev limiter, because none of us were willing to go looking for it. The factory CRF had so much power we found ourselves short shifting to keep the beast manageable. Not that the bike had any sort of brutal nature—but a gentle grizzly is still not one to poke a stick at. The `06 production bike, on the other hand, delivers its horsepower in a way more suitable for mortals. The `06′s throttle can be rolled on when the track is slippery, and snapped open when the traction is good. It takes skill to ride the horses once they’re unleashed, but they come out of the barn so evenly that riding this bike aggressively results in huge grins. Ricky’s factory bike, on the other hand, would need about four knobs worth of bite before the thing was out from under us.The production bike’s engine has a much stronger feel of internal engine inertia. That is, when you get the revs up on the `06, the bike wants to stand up. This aids in stability at speed, but can hinder during quick switchbacks. Ricky’s bike, on the other hand, did not exhibit any of this. It always felt stable, and never balked at being asked to lean through some twisties, even with the revs high. We know, we said we never got the factory bike’s revs up—well, we did a few times, just don’t ask us what gear we were in. For the engine head-to-head, the `06 bike has the advantage for anyone, pardon the pun, short of Ricky Carmichael.At this point you’re probably one of the believers that if you could ride with factory suspension your racing season would be perfect, too. Well, there’s good news, and bad news. Let’s go with the bad first. Factory suspension would not do much for your race results. The pros love their factory suspension not for the trick coatings or the unobtainable internals, they love it because they have the boingers dialed in perfectly. Their suspension techs know their riding styles, understand the bike’s dynamics, and have all the tracks on the circuit sighted in. The production bike cannot compete with the tuned perfection found on the factory bike. But here’s the good news—the stock equipment and settings on the `06 are going to be better for the guy that has to buy his own bike in 90% of the cases. Where Ricky’s bike is like a tray of specialized surgical instruments, the production bike is a Swiss Army Knife. A do-it-all. We’re going to give the factory suspension the nod in that 10% for its miraculous bottoming resistance when coming up short on jumps. And the news gets even better. With the help of a reputable suspension shop, the stock bike can be even further custom-tailored to your size and style. All that fiddling going on at the factories is increasingly becoming shared information. For the average rider, factory suspension is not the difference between first and third place. Don’t feel bad, we just saved you many restless nights.When it comes to handling, the `06 CRF would seem to have its easiest challenge against Big Red’s past best. We were surprised to recall that Ricky’s `04 bike, even handicapped with the Gen 3 frame, can turn under, around, or through the bike that comes with warning labels on it. Things come around full circle, and here the engine feel is the deciding factor in how the two bikes differ. The `06 bike’s feel is at the mercy of its engine. Lug it, and it feels heavy and clumsy. Rev it, and it’s a fifty horsepower lesson in gyroscopic physics. Ricky’s bike, as mentioned before, takes the engine’s mechanical feel out of the equation. The bike instills confidence because it reacts exactly the same at any level of throttle. Accelerating, braking, coasting (we know, no coasting!), the bike behaved consistently. The tires were always planted and secure, and the rider input was always given equal credence, regardless of rpm. That big grizzly’s sounding like a puppy dog now, but not so. We always respected the factory engine, but other than its dangerous level of thrust, we never knew it was there.As for the details, well, we’re going to leave that out of this comparison, because it just wouldn’t be fair. We could tell you Ricky’s bike had all the factory titanium goodies, but that would just make you hold the `06 in lower esteem, and that not warranted. Those trick parts are great in the pits, but their effect on the track is negligible. We’re sure Ricky feels and uses each of them, but for us, it’s all in our heads.And that just were Ricky’s factory bike is doomed to stay—in our heads. Riding his bike was a thrill that we will never get again, but our solace lies in knowing we can go down to the local shop and buy a bike that will be smoother, more manageable, more fun, and actually faster (for us) than that one-off works trickery. Sorry, Ricky, your secret is out. It’s the rider, not the bike.Stay tuned for our `05 Championship-winning RMZ comparison against next year’s 2007 production RMZ, this time with both bikes on the track at the same time. Ricky?… Are you reading this?…
Dr. TestedHRP Sports Attack JakMost underprotectors are designed only to deflect roost, not provide impact protection. To accomplish this, most use a comfortable, soft-shell design. These pads do a good job of keeping rocks from turning your chest into hamburger, but they do not protect from the biggest rock a rider is likely to encounter – planet earth. HRP Sports, better known for their over-the-jersey Flak Jak line, has an underprotector that attempts to protect from both roost and crash impacts, without covering up your new jersey. Constructed of hard plastic pieces, the $49.99-$69.99 Attack Jak is a hybrid protector that perfectly splits the difference between the two styles of protection.The first thing you notice when slipping into the Attack Jak is its lack of weight. Without the suspended shoulders and heavy plastic plates, a lot of mass is taken off the rider. The protection is minimized, but so is the bulky, constrained feel many larger protectors bring.Mobility is maximized as the protector does not hinder any action of the rider. The soft foam padding along the chest plate’s lower edge floats over the rider’s stomach without rubbing or pinching. The shoulder cups ride on the body, but also do a great job of not being noticeable once on the bike. The protector offers zero protection over the back, but the thick plastic straps that wrap around are pliable and comfortable.The protector does a better job than you would expect upon impacting the ground. Since the protector fits close to the body, it stays in place when encountering terra firma. Over the jersey protectors can catch and jar themselves askew when needed most. The Attack Jak remains in place, making sure its protection, though minimal, us used to its maximum potential.The venting works surprisingly well, as the plastic is raised off the body. It almost seems to give a vented jersey a shallow cushion of air between jersey and rider to actually increase airflow over the skin. This makes for cooler rides, and stronger laps when the black and white flag starts to show itself.The Attack Jak, like all protectors offered from HRP Sports, comes in a wide variety of sizes. So if you’ve got more to protect, HRP has more to protect you with. The Attack Jak also comes with HRP Sports’ Last Jak Lifetime Guarantee, which is somehow not a comforting warranty in an impact protector.And of course, wearing an underprotector means freedom to wear different brands of gear without the fear of clashing. And really, isn’t looking cool the number one reason to chose an under-the-jersey protector in the first place?
| Gear | Max | Rated |
| Style | 20 | 20 |
| Comfort | 10 | 10 |
| Function | 50 | 42 |
| Wash/care | 10 | 9 |
| Price | 10 | 8 |
| Total | 100 | 89 |
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