Tested Dirt Bike Products – Hot Cams Stage One Cam – Experts On Dirtbikes At Dirt Rider Magazine

Having tested just about every performance part known to mankind over the last few years, we opted to try one of those small parts that make differences in your bike’s performance. So we put the new Stage One cam from Hot Cams on our 2004 Honda CRF450R.After spending the first half of the day ripping laps on our bone-stock bike, we threw in the new Stage One cam. Actually, we didn’t just “throw in” the new cam; we took our time, as you need a very clean work environment, all the tolerances must be accurate and you must follow the owner’s manual. But it was a much easier installation than we expected, and the Stage One fit perfectly. The cam is designed to use the stock shim stack, though Hot Cams does offer a valve shim kit for $69.95. We recommend the shim kit for the serious racer who is looking to continue testing different setups while keeping the proper valve clearance.On the track, the new cam was more than noticeable. In stock trim, the CRF450 has a very linear power curve with a decent roll-on, but some of our intermediate- and pro-level riders wanted a little more pull off the bottom and in the midrange. The Stage One cam gave them that; they liked the quicker throttle response and felt there was more usable roll-on power off the bottom and in the midrange. All of our test riders also noticed they were riding with less clutch out of corners and were able to rely on the solid roll-on power. We began with stock jetting but noticed the bike was a tad lean on top, so we went to a bigger main jet that banished the small lean spot in the top-end.After a few days of testing at several different tracks, we were all very impressed with the significant performance gains from the Stage One cam. And at $159.95, it’s a big bang for your buck. In fact, the gains were bigger than from any exhaust we had bolted on, and the difference in money outlay between the cam and an exhaust system is huge! Yes, we did test the Stage One cam with some aftermarket exhaust systems, and got even better results with the combo. If you’re looking to keep costs contained, the cam is a great buy; if you’re a serious racer looking for performance, the cam is definitely the way to go. It’s available for most late-model four-strokes.DR Tested: 10.0Hot Cams: 515/402-8005; www.hotcamsinc.com