Chris Barrett
In the last few years it appears that current and former dirt riders are realizing that track days or a good ride off-road are critical to mental health and general well-being. Heck, even wives are getting in on the deal. Many of my friends have shown up at rides unexpected, and sheepishly admitted that their better half told them to, “go ride and come back in a better mood!” Despite the expense of our sport, the smiles-per-dollar factor remains high. Still, times are tough, so we asked two folks to build up non-current bikes with no more than a grand in mods. Doug Dubach of Dubach Racing turned pro on the cheap when he was young. He raced rebuilt used bikes that were at least a year old until he earned a factory ride. Jay Clark is a different breed. In politics he would be called a lobbyist, but basically he comes up with project bike ideas, and generally not cheap ones, but we wouldn’t budge on the budget, so this is what they came up with.
Kris Keefer
Dubach knows a diamond in the rough, and he snatched up this forgotten race bike for $3200. The engine was fine, and it already had Enzo suspension mods and a DRD exhaust, but the rest of the bike was a little tired and the header was smashed. Though most of the suspension work could be performed at home, Dubach didn’t push our price limit, and he had the suspension serviced and the seals replaced at retail. Two Dunlops came off of eBay for $100, the chain and sprockets were replaced, and an hourmeter was mounted. Dubach Racing offers a pipe refurbishing service, so the rear of the pipe was polished and repacked, and a new-for-2010 header with a sound chamber was added. When the bike was finished, we met Team D at Glen Helen for a true test. Rains had left the track in incredible condition, but it soon grew deep and full of nasty bumps. At the time we were finishing months of testing on brand spanking new and technically advanced FI 450s, and we were testing 2009 and 2010 Honda CRF450Rs the same day. So how did a two-year-old race bike feel in this company? Pretty darn good. The guys at Dubach Racing maintain their own high-level race bikes, and this bike, despite the age and the hours, has solid brakes, a tight chassis, able suspension and a strong, usable engine. A few of our test crew actually prefer the riding position of the ’08 to the new bikes.
The important point is that careful maintenance and setup, mechanical refreshing and a good choice when shopping produced a bike that most any regular guy would be proud to have at the track. Add in the fact that the total cost is under $4200, and this is one sweet machine. The new tires will eventually wear out, and the engine will need oil changes and such, but otherwise this 450 is set for another year of track fun. Talk about smiles-per-dollar, this bike is half-priced fun.Parts List
DRD graphics kit: $74.99
Suspension freshened up with new seals, oil, bushings: $280
Set of tires Dunlop 945 front/756 rear (off eBay): $100
DRD new PHD header pipe: $249
DRD tail section refurbish service: $59.95
DRD hourmeter and bracket kit: $49.95
DRD hot-start: $49.95
DRD radiator lowering kit: $49.95
Rear sprocket and chain kit: $59
Oil and oil filter: $20
www.dubachracing.com; 951.808.1114
Total Mods Cost: $992.79
Total Bike Cost: $3200
Total Project Cost: $4192.79
This bike has a monster motor. It is strong off the bottom without being crazy, so the bike can be finessed in technical sections. Then in the mid it is crazy fast, yet it revs out hard as well. The Glen Helen track was incorporating some massive hills, and this bike was insanely fun and effective at turning them into molehills. With each gear upshift the rpm drop right into the meat of the power. Starting was easy and clean, and the bike ran fine on pump gas, and that was on a cool day with max traction and huge hills. That is a combination that usually promotes detonation, but we didn’t hear a bit.
Who would have thought more power would make a 450 easy to ride?
Clark started with a leftover, but new, 2009 Honda, so the bike obviously felt super fresh and tight, but the stock suspension holds the bike back. Many of our riders had never even considered wanting more power from a 450, but this engine changed the thinking of most. More good power is really nice, and at this price, it makes sense. If you need to do the top end anyway, it makes dollars and sense. But as we said at the beginning, it’s a more intriguing concept for a rider who already has the chassis dialed.Parts List
Vertex high-compression race piston: $196.66
www.vertexpistons.com; 515.270.2302
Hot Cams stage 2 cam: $209.95
www.hotcamsinc.com; 515.402.8005
Cometic Gaskets top end gasket kit: $69.00
www.cometic.com; 800.752.9850
FMF Racing PowerCore slip-on: $239.99
www.fmfracing.com; 310.631.4363
Tokyo Mods ECU programming (mapping): $50.00
www.tokyomods.com; 888.457.7403
Flu Designs graphics kit with seat cover: $99.00
www.fludesigns.com; 661.256.2313
Works Connection Elite perch, red: $124.99
www.motosport.com
Total Mods Cost: $989.59
Initial Bike Cost: $5999
Total Project Cost: $6988.59
