Life isn't easy for our CRF-X. The Honda hasn't been parked much.Right after the 24-Hour we put it on a steady diet of trail rides. It hasn't let us down once, and the more I ride it, the more it continues to impress me-mostly because it's a strong-running bike that doesn't whimper in any situation. So the real test, I thought, would be racing it. I loaded it up in my motor home and took it to Bike Week in Florida for some GNCC action. The Orange Crush GNCC was a sand-whoop monster. With a borrowed 19-inch wheel and a Pirelli sand tire, the Honda worked quite well, standing out with great stability and control with only some additional compression damping clicked in. Sure, it felt a bit more portly than a two-stroke or even a KTM four-stroke would have, but it wasn't too bad. I finished second in the two-hour industry race.
The next GNCC round in Georgia saw a complete change in conditions. On to red clay, roots, mud and ruts, in which the 450 was equally at home. Thanks to the battery's discharging due to our light switch being wired directly to the battery from the 24-Hour, I had to kick the bike for the start of the race and again the one time I stalled. I'm happy to report it starts easily with the lever. I managed a third this time out, beat by a couple of YZ250-mounted riders. Again, I'll note the weight as my biggest complaint, but the suspension (back at stock settings) and handling were just fine and I didn't have any gripes about how the bike performed.
The brakes are shot, as is the chain-guide buffer pad, and the battery won't take a charge. Not bad for 40 hours on the run timer, but it's time for some wrenching and a suspension service. I'm looking for an easy way to drop some pounds, and I think the muffler will be the first step-but only if the X stays as quiet as it is right now.
Running Tally
Hours on the bike: 4O
Modification cost total: $308.90
Platinum 1 Designs Time Bomb
Hourmeter: $38.95
Powersport Grafx preprinted backgrounds: $49.95
Acerbis Rally Pro hand guards: $70.00
Baja Designs rewound stator and voltage regulator: $150.00
Repair cost total: $0
Maintenance and consumable parts: $39.74 (not including tires)
1 Pirelli MT32 Sandcross 11O/1OO-18 rear and 8O/1OO-21 front, 1 Pirelli MT41O 11O/9O-19 rear (NA)
1 stock oil filter ($9.98)
2 Pro Honda HP4 2OW5O Moly oil (1 qt., $7.69 each)
2 Pro Honda HP4 2OW5O oil (1 qt., $7.19 each)