The Torture Test - Dubach Racing Development CRF450X - Dirt Rider Magazine

About the Bike:
The Dubach Racing Development (DRD) CRF450X started out life as a mild mannered, unassuming trail bike that came from Motoworld of El Cajon. With countless man-hours of testing and developing, every aspect of the CRF450X has been transformed turning the trail bike into the Ultimate All Around Off-road machine. To achieve this feat, here is a synopsis of DRD modifications:Motor: First and foremost DRD had to unplug anything and everything so we removed the stock pipe, emission control system and rerouted the vent tubes. During tear down DRD decided to take the head off for some secret cleaning and massaging of intake and exhaust ports, valve seats along with a couple of things DRD cannot disclose. DRD matched the motor mods with a Stainless Steel/Aluminum exhaust system, complete with spark arrestor ability to use a quiet core insert if needed, and the new Pro-packing system just released to the public. Applied Racing provided the clean emission block off kits along with all the hardware needed to reroute vent hoses that were displaced. Next step for the motor was to install a steel clutch basket from Hinson Racing along with all the billet aluminum inner basket and pressure plates. The steel clutch basket will enhance the tractable power in low RPM situations where it is needed without taking away from the mind blowing top end power of the Dubach Racing Development CRF450X. Once we had the motor running at its peak we looked to the guys at Ride Engineering to make it look great with their engine plug kits.Wheels / Tires: DRD wanted to make sure, with all the useable power the DRD CRF450X was now producing, it had wheels and tires that could withstand the punishment. QTM Wheel Sets with oversized spokes, Excel rims and strong Talon hubs, both front, rear wheels are wrapped with Dunlop rubber. Of course to be able to stop the Dubach Racing Development CRF450 QTM also added an oversized floating rotor kit coupled with AP brake pads, this bike stops on a dime.Controls: With the new GPR Version 4 Pro Kit installed holding the Universal fat bars sleek is an understatement and increased stability is the end result. ARC racing provided DRD with their RC-8 clutch perch system along with folding front brake lever to match for that factory feel everybody is looking for. The torture test requires many hours straight on the motorcycle so for the comfort of the Dirt Rider test pilots (We know Jesse Ziegler's hands are soft!) we installed ODI Cush grips. For more bling we put Ride Engineering kill and starter switches on, teamed with a very functional DRD Hot start lever.Chassis: DRD bolted very functional aftermarket parts from companies such as Zip TY Racing, Lightspeed, and TM Design Works. Zip Ty provided chain adjuster kits, axle puller handles for quick wheel changes coupled with a rear rotor shark fin. Lightspeed provided a sweet Carbon Fiber skid plate with built in engine guards, lower front fork guards and a trick carburetor heat shield all designed for ultimate protection without the weight associated with other materials. Having a bike moving for hours on end wreaks havoc on chain sliders and chain guides so to remedy this problem the guys from TM Designs sent DRD their beefy and almost indestructible rear chain guide teamed with their upper swingarm slider.Suspension: One of the most important aspects of a project. Dubach Racing Development turned to Precision Concepts to put the raw power to the ground that the DRD CRF450X is producing. With years of factory Honda off-road suspension tuning under their belt it's a perfect fit. The Dirt Rider test crew won't want to ride anything else.(DR Note)
Now you're into the top six!
This bike stood out at Dirt Rider's annual Torture Test and was chosen by the editors and test riders of Dirt Rider Magazine to be included in the magazine. You've likely read about how it compared to the other top five contenders in the test in the June issue of DR. This is the singled-out test of one of the best bikes we've tested all year. Enjoy!

Initially, the Dubach bike's smooth power was happy in the tight and technical but a change in character took it out of the winner's circle.

Parts List:****Dubach Racing Development: www.dubachracing.com: 1-877-Dubach 1
DRD Hour meter and bracket kit*$49.99
DRD Hot Start*$48.95
DRD Radiator Lowering Kit*$49.99
DRD Complete SS/A system*$549.95
DRD Pro-packing system*$39.95
DRD full motor mods**$549.95AP Racing: www.apracingusa.com: 562-945-1098
AP brake pads rear*$35.99
AP brake pads front*35.99QTM: www.qtmi.com: 714-575-5000
QTM wheels with oversized front disk asdf dirtrider.wordpress.2012-04-30-final.xml splitter.sh tmp wordpress.2012-04-20.xml wordpress.2012-04-30.xml $299.00
QTM Rear wheel BLK/Red* $594.95
QTM Front wheel BLK/Red*$594.95Hinson Racing: www.Hinsonracing.com: 909-608-0839
Hinson complete clutch basket*$294.99
Hinson clutch cover*$159.99CV4: www.CV4.net: 1-800-448-1223
CV4 Radiator Hoses Red*Zip Ty Racing: www.ziptyracing.com: 760-244-7028
Zip TY axle pullers*$21.95
Zip TY chain adjuster blocks*$85.00
Zip TY shark fin*$130.00Ride Engineering: www.ride-engineering.com: 949-722-8354
Ride Engineering air fuel screw*$21.95
Ride engineering timing plugs*$39.95
Ride engineering 0il plug*$19.95
Ride engineering kill switch*$49.95
Ride engineering brake clevis*$44.95Lightspeed: www.lightspeedperf.com: 714-990-5767
Lightspeed Wrap around Skidplate*$199.95
Lightspeed forkwraps*$55.95
Lightspeed Carb Heat shield*$55.95
Lightspeed front fork gaurds*$109.95ARC: www.ARClevers.com: 714-543 0362
ARC RC-8 clutch perch & lever*$179.95
ARC brake lever*$59.95
ARC Slipper clamp*$19.95GPR: www.gprstabilizer.com: 619-661-0101
GPR version 4 lowboy Pro-kit*$650.00ODI Grips: www.odigrips.com: 951-786-4755
ODI Cush soft grips*$12.95Applied Racing: www.appliedrace.com: 951-694-3272
Applied Racing block off kit* $39.55
Applied Racing Vent kit*$21.94508 CRF450X VENT KIUniversal bars: www.universalmotocross.com: 1-877-278-7000
Universal Fat Bars*$100.00Precision Concepts: www.precisionconcepts.net: 951-656-5949
Fork Revalve with springs*
Shock Revalve with springs*Factory Efex: www.factoryeffex.com: 661-255-5611
Complete custom graphics kit*$189.95Dunlop Tires: www.dunloptires.com
773 Rear tire *
756 Front tire*Honda Pro Oils: http://powersports.honda.com/accessories/parts.aspx
Assorted Honda oils*IMS Racing: www.IMSproducts.com: 1-800-237-9906****
IMS pro series pegs*$96.00TMDesigns: www.tmdesignworks.com: 541- 535-1612**
Front slider*$ 49.95
Rear Guide*$ 79.95Dirt Rider Post Torture Evaluation****This is the Best Bike Because: Dubach Racing makes race bikes and the fact that you could tackle a wide variety of high-speed off-roading with this CRF450X makes it one of the most versatile high-speed and friendly rides we've ever seen at a Torture Test.This is not the Best Bike Because: It boils down to a few usability points with this hot rod. Once we got it away from its happy elements (higher speeds and faster tracks) the shine wore off a little. But not from that headlight! That thing was blazing!

Mark Tilley from DRD loves the dirt.

DR Says
DRD went into this Torture Test the way Doug Dubach goes into a race. They wanted to win, they wanted to win by a lot and they wanted to do it with a smile on their face. With a parts list that could make a grown man cry, this Honda CRF450X was built to impress. And it impressed the DR staff and pool of test riders enough to land in the top six.The reason it cruised into the cream of the crop was a combination of it's smooth, strong power delivery and it's healthy appetite for speed. Rynoland is a wide open space and this DRD X-model ate it up and spit it out. On the terrain test speed-freak Kris Keefer nailed his fastest time on this bike and I, too, had the best pace aboard this bike during the motocross test.The test times were proof that DRD came to play and in rider comments this fact was backed up more than once. Numerous accounts of the torque-heavy power delivery were noted from the Escargot test. It seemed the Dubach-tuned motor was grabbing and going like crazy. The bike really made fans all day. The grumblings of complaints came from a heavier feeling than some of the European 450s (this is an X, after all) and a suspension setup that could use some fine-tuning to dial in. As a baseline, the fork/shock combo was great. But faster riders wanted more hold-up in the fork and the Extreme test rock bouncers wanted less of a springy-quick rebounding feel to keep the bike planted and controlled. But that was it, really.The most praise this bike received was in the faster "fun" trails we had set up and throughout both Motocross courses and the Terrain Test. Especially with intermediate-to-pro level riders aboard. The heaviness of the X model seemed to disappear when banking turns and the pumped-up power made it one of those great off-road MX conversions. We had some jealous X owners for sure.So, why didn't it win? That's the real question here. The simple fact is when we took the top six out to our favorite riding areas for additional testing (and to determine the Torture Test winner) we almost immediately knew this bike belonged more fenced in than roaming free. Out on the trails the DRD CRF450X showed its bad manners. The power delivery that was so smooth at Rynoland's open acres became abrupt, snappy and hard to control at times when we got into anything gnarly (think rock waterfalls, challenging switchbacks and trails up washes that make you dizzy)-especially with a stiffer feeling clutch and suspension that wasn't measuring up to our demands. But the real bummer was the noise. This muffler wasn't the same animal from our first day of our Torture Test. Its noise level turned other riders off in our group and almost single-handily decided the bike's fate.
--Jesse Ziegler****OpinionsThe Dr. D CRF450X was another torquey motor with lots of grunt off bottom. If shifted properly the bike was amazing. That meant you could not overrev bike and could not be lazy: it was a working man's machine. The fork felt plush under heavy chop, but maybe little too divvy in rutty corners. It did have great front-end traction on flat, hard surfaces. With different gearing I could race this bike, and it was the fastest time for me.
-Kris KeeferVery smooth power delivery which resulted in excellent traction everywhere on the course; no major hit in the power made it easy to ride smooth / gearing felt decent in the tight stuff and the faster stuff / suspension was really soft and worked excellent in the rocks.
-Chris Barret (on Extreme Test)I have to admit, when I rode this bike back-to-back-to-back-to-back with all the other rides in my fleet, I was sure it was one of the best. The bike tackled our flowing and twisty trails like a champ and really loved the moto test section I was overseeing. In fact, I dropped my fastest time on this bike around the track. The motor was really fast. But it was fast like I like them to be with a longer delivery. This is the power I try to mimic with quieter pipes on MX 450s. However, all those happy thoughts left when I was two miles up a rocky ravine and the DRD X's aggressive attitude started to show. I went from happy to sad when the sound hit my ears, too. I don't know what happened to the exhaust note on this bike, but it sure went downhill fast and was quickly too loud for any trail and most tracks. I think it brought the ugliness out in the power department making this bike harder to handle than others, too, proving once again that noise doesn't equal usable power.
-Jesse ZieglerThis Honda worked well on the track and trail, but the Husaberg was oh-so-sweet on the trail. The Honda beat it hands down at the track and showed me where its roots lied. Being a guy who rides on the track as well as the trail, this bike was one of my logical choices during the Torture Test.-Ryan HannaThe Dubach CRF450X had a ton of power and torque with very smooth power delivery. First gear was perfect for the really tight stuff and it was very maneuverable on the trails with its easy-to-toss-around feel. The suspension was plush but managed harder hits decently. The bike pulled strong on the MX track and down fast straights. The power all-around was great.
-Chris Barrett (on Trail/MX Testing)The DRD Honda had good low end power and worked well in tight turns as well as in high speed sections. It has a low center of gravity to it and was very easy for me to ride (as a shorter person). On the track the power is there but the suspension blows through on anything hit aggressively.
-Clint Castleberry