The Honda CRF450R is once again the first to boogie down at the 2007 new-bike party. Last year, Honda's new and improved 450 made a big entrance and then mingled around for a few months with our testing crew, and when it came time to get down on the dance floor in our 450 shootout (March '06), the CRF put on its red dancing shoes and led the open-class conga line to the winner's circle. It wasn't an easy crowd to win over, as new models from Yamaha and Kawasaki put up the biggest competition the class has ever seen. And that left some big shoes to fill.
The bike has made another early summer entrance this year and, subsequently, got our new-bike heebie-jeebies flowing like mad. We all were wondering if the new bike could be any better than the old-especially since early press information indicated minimal changes for the model. Plus, the bike was really good last year. It wasn't every staff member's favorite, but it won enough hearts and points to take home the title.
The small and effective big changes for the CRF are as follows: Honda played motor-masseuse, not surgeon, for '07 by squeezing 1mm off the exhaust valves (now 30mm) and pushing it into the carb opening (now a roomy 41mm). The typical ignition modifications and cylinder-head porting went along for the ride along with accelerator-pump modifications to enhance the throttle twisting, carb-sucking and exhaust-spitting systems.
Suspension upgrades are even more simplistic. Honda revalved the fork and that's it. The upgrades feature less compression damping in the midstroke for a smoother trip through the stroke. Also, main compression settings are changed through new primary settings and a different shim stack. OK, so it's not that simple.
Chassis improvements center mainly on the muffler. Yes, the muffler. Honda, in its all-out assault on out-of-center weight, has shortened the can on the big CRF and moved the whole arrangement forward 22mm-further micromanaging the controllability of the bike with a 250F influence sans dual cans. We also suspect Honda did this sort of thing as an excuse to use the term "mass-centralization." We don't blame the company-it's a good phrase.
What else is there? Let's see... Oh, yes, the brake lever and the all-new Dunlop meat up front. Honda felt some strange compulsion to engineer a new front brake lever that, besides looking very expensive to replace, is said to boost the braking clout by 15 percent. Apparently, there's always room for improvement, even when your brakes are already great. Dunlop also brought something new to the table with its 742FA tire. The new round variable features dimpled knobs on the shoulders and middle blocks for extra grip in the corners. Also, the sidewall is more rounded for bump absorption. In all, the tire claims a very versatile use, ranging from medium-hard to medium-soft terrain. Its performance hasn't blown us away compared with the standard 742F.
Good gravy, man, how does it work? Well, to put it as simply and sweetly as possible: nicely. The '07 450R has a new attitude thanks to the motor work, and though not much was changed, it seems happier than ever slicing and dicing through corners. We rode the knobs off the stock tires in our initial testing and here's why.
First, the updated Unicam motor has been magic. Even while sitting on the stand in the parking lot you can feel and hear an improvement in throttle response. It's crisp, clean and instant. The carburetor's accelerator-pump improvements have made the wrist-twisting and engine-barking more in tune than ever before. On the track, the trend continues. Power out of the hole is immediate, with a smoother delivery than our art director at a gentlemen's club. Gone is the snap and aggressive trend the CRF motocrossers have been following. The end result of the dimensional change to the motor components? How about a newly discovered bottom-end and an almost nonexistent midrange snap? How about a power improvement that, since the intro, has had us riding a gear high everywhere we go? How about a motor character that starts strong yet controlled, builds to power effortlessly and doesn't sign off? All of that is what we've experienced riding the big CRF, and so far, it's meant longer motos with less fatigue. A great start to the new year indeed. We think the 450 engineers should play a round of golf with the 250 engineers and share some carb secrets! These guys went bigger and got it right!
Next are the less obvious things we've noticed. The suspension improvements in the front of the big red bike are affecting things more than expected. Our testing crew consistently commented about an improvement in cornering and stability over the '06 model thanks to the fork improvements. There's also an office debate going on about whether the shortened and stuffed-in muffler is improving the shock's feel or if it's simply the fork allowing the bike to ride more level initially. Whatever it is, it works. In back-to-back riding comparisons with a stock '06, the '07 bike felt better front and rear in the suspension department. We ran our bike completely stock front and rear with 102mm of sag. The bike's clickers are still lined up from the factory, and we haven't found a reason to move them yet. We went from fast tracks with loose dirt and decent braking bumps to slower, rockier and harder-packed tracks with slower jumps, and the standard settings are working everywhere.