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I'm definitely not a great test rider or as fast as most of the riders in the shootout videos so take this with a grain of salt. I didn't notice any hesitation or issues with the mapping. I've pretty much only ridden on map 1 so far and whatever TC setting is default. Setting two maybe? Was trying to get comfortable on the bike before playing with all of the modes. Coming from a KTM 450 there were a few standout differences for me. First, the bike sits much higher than the ktm.. it just feels tall and that took some getting used to. Compared to the ktm the engine is extremely free feeling with almost no engine braking. Almost two stroke like. The '19 kx450 is the only other bike iv'e regularly ridden recently and it feels like this to me as well but the crf was even more so. It also felt quite a bit faster than my old bike but the power delivery is very smooth and manageable. The ruts is where this bike really impressed me. It just dives in and feels very planted unlike any other bike i've ridden. But on flat corners it doesn't seem to have the front end traction the ktm did.
The suspension felt pretty good for me at 160 lbs but I haven't ridden a very rough track yet to really get a feel for it in the bumps. Most of my day at pala was spent on the vet track trying to get comfortable on the bike. At first the bike felt more foreign to me than I thought it would. Rode the main later in the day but it really wasn't that rough on Saturday and I still wasn't comfortable enough to start pushing the pace on it. Perris is always pretty smooth so thats not great for feeling out the suspension either. I'm curious to see how this thing does when it gets really choppy.
By the end of the day today I was feeling fast on the bike and comfortable enough to push it a little more. Very happy with it so far!
Oh one other thing.. has anyone else who's ridden one noticed how easy the throttle turns? It's by far the easiest turning throttle I've ever felt and my ktm has the pro taper ball bearing throttle tube on it. Gotta watch out for the whiskey throttle late in the motos on this one!
The Shop
Glad you like it, sounds like it’s going to be a great generation CRF450. It’s looking like 2022 will consist of suspension and map changes but everything else sounds solid.
I raced SwapMoto at Glen Helen yesterday and a few guys had them. They looked like they were much easier to ride later in the day than the 2020 and my 2017. I want to try one already.
Pit Row
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