Honda has never been able...
Honda has never been able to fully disguise the motocross lineage of the CRF450X. Even though the X is a fully capable and outfitted off-roader, it still elicits moto-play on the trail. Or maybe that is just Chris Denison on the trail.
Honda CRF450X riders are passionate about being Honda riders more so than they are about the bikes themselves. That is less true with the Honda CRF450R motocrosser. That Honda inspires emotion and a fanatical following for the track. Its engine is powerful to the point of intimidation, the suspension action is crisp and the feel is light with great handling. But when Honda started with the CRF450R as a platform to create an off-road version, the end result is caffeine-free.
Honda did all the right things: It produced a smog-legal, clean-running engine that is quiet as a man sleeping in church, and it is one that will run fine right off the showroom floor and without making a bunch of modifications. Honda wrapped the trail-spec engine in a modified frame with a softer off-road rigidity balance, lifted it with premium moto-spec components with trail-able settings and supplied those envied off-road accoutrements like lights and a sidestand. It even boosted fuel capacity at first, and then bolstered that with increased cooling.
But where the Honda 450R is usually the lightest bike in the class, the 450X isn't. It's no porker, but instead of feeling lighter than it is, it feels a little heavier thanks to the fuel and larger radiators being carried high on the frame and near the steering head. In 2008 the bike slimmed up and had the suspension refined and bolstered with Honda's cute little steering damper hidden behind the headlight. Those were welcome changes until we realized the new slimmer, lighter feel goes away at about 40 miles from the truck. After that you are pushing the bike with an empty fuel tank, and they never feel light or fast when they are powered by a human. As a result we installed a slightly larger, but good-for-50-miles 2007 tank and shrouds. Sadly, that negated some of the slim, light feeling the new bike enjoys, but stopped much of the cursing after 40 miles.
Before the engine runs out of gas, it runs quite well. In stock form the response is a little jumpy right off idle, then a little soft before another boosty lunge in the mid-range. On top the bike pulls long, but without a lot of excitement. It is plenty fast, just not in a pull-off-the-arms sort of way. The off-idle lunge is fine when conditions are good, but in questionable traction it is easier to break traction and dig the rear wheel into a hole. Since we knew that about the bike, one of the mods we made was the addition of a Hinson billet steel clutch basket. The steel basket has bulletproof edges and adds rotational mass to the drive train without slowing engine response when the clutch is in.
On the plus side, all of those details that Honda is so well-known for do carry over to the X. The seat is comfortable, and the control feel is first rate, though the clutch pull effort is on the high side. To go with the Hinson basket we bolted in an Adige clutch. With only three springs the lever pull is dramatically lighter. The Adige locks up harder with increased rpm, so it doesn't need the heavy spring load of the stock clutch. Most riders were impressed enough with the pull improvement to ignore a little bit of engagement imprecision at low rpm. We didn't even notice the difference in engagement when the clutch was in a CRF450R on the track, but in technical off-road some riders felt it.
 Despite softer power than...  Despite softer power than a motocross model, the X has a few lunges in the power. On the other hand, it is pretty easy to pop the front end up when you need to. |  Early 450X models could be...  Early 450X models could be on the stiff side when encountering braking bumps. The '09 has a far more supple action with added control as well. | |
Honda's are also know for stellar brake feel, but after a brake test using the Honda as a subject, we've gotten spoiled by the Braking oversize front rotor kit, so we added that to the Honda as well, and the result was all the feel we love from Honda, but with additional whoa!-all on demand.
As far as suspension goes, we'd almost call it off-road that appeals to a motohead. It is active and reactive enough for nearly all trail situations, but it isn't as sit-down plush for simple trail cruising as some bikes are. It feels like it could be great for moto when you are on the trail, but when you are actually on a track the action is overly soft and demands you hit your landings right on the down-slope.
We've heard that the bike kickstarts easily, but the button has never let us down, so we didn't spend a lot of effort testing that theory. And that reliable starting began a thought as we studied all the notes we had available from test riders, and even some from owners.
The new smaller tank has lightened...
The new smaller tank has lightened the whole feel of the X, and it makes it as easy to move forward on the 450R. The drawback is painfully short range for dedicated trail guys.
The riders and owners were never passionate about the sheer awesomeness of the bike. They reveled in the reliability, were committed to the comfort, quivered over the quality and smitten with the fact that there is a local Honda dealer, and he will have parts for the bike when and if it needs them. Almost as if the X were a soulless trail appliance rather than an adrenaline-fueled fantasy wagon.
The X is vanilla ice cream in a sea of more exciting and exotic flavors and colors. Not much really sticks in your mind after a ride on the X, but the flip side of that is that nothing odd intrudes on the trail experience either. It is reasonably stable, and more so than ever with the steering damper. It doesn't act up in whoops but doesn't allow a brainless banzai into them either. Turning in ruts and bermed turns is excellent, but capable but forgettable on flat, slippery ground. Like we said: no bothers, but no rapture either.
But the thing to remember is that vanilla is still satisfying ice cream. And who cares if the X has the rep as the dirt bike for accountants and IRS employees? It works. Apparently, there are dirt riders sane enough to think practical when they buy and when they ride.