ML512's CRF450 review

gjbruny wrote:

ML,

just wanted to give a quick complement. your reviews of the bikes are becoming head and shoulders above the rest. not just the same cookie cutter responses that most of the publications release. very clear, concise and descriptive. very well done!... and i don't even ride hondas. ;^)

http://www.vitalmx.com/product/guide/Bikes,6/Honda/CRF450R,15565#product-reviews/796

just figured i would give credit where credit is due in a world that seems to be pissed off if their ice cream is too cold.

Woo, thank god, I saw the title and figured I screwed up...

I did screw up the name of the track, it's now called Sunrise MX...it used to be RaceTown...old habits die hard.

Yea, ML's reviews and insight are very logical and thought out. Enjoy all of his work.

I like what you've done. Will you be including lap times like you did awhile back ('16s?) ? Didn't see them on the '17s.

Looking forward to your thoughts.

P.S. If you drag the bikes out to Budds Creek I'll be happy to ride them all and give you old, slow, vet opinions!

Actually I shouldn't laugh, us old late 70s early 80s riders probably still represent a good chunk of the bike sales market.

Sweet bike..thanks for the review

So.....what's the verdict so far?

Ktm450sxf or Honda crf450r? The Ktm is very similar to the 2017 so I'll take a direct comparison between the 2017 Ktm and the 2018 Honda

Respectfully

Another solid review by ML512.
Keep them coming.

gjbruny wrote:

ML,

just wanted to give a quick complement. your reviews of the bikes are becoming head and shoulders above the rest. not just the same cookie cutter responses that most of the publications release. very clear, concise and descriptive. very well done!... and i don't even ride hondas. ;^)

http://www.vitalmx.com/product/guide/Bikes,6/Honda/CRF450R,15565#product-reviews/796

just figured i would give credit where credit is due in a world that seems to be pissed off if their ice cream is too cold.

ML512 wrote:

Woo, thank god, I saw the title and figured I screwed up...

I did screw up the name of the track, it's now called Sunrise MX...it used to be RaceTown...old habits die hard.

Yeah, but before that it was called Sunrise MX. haha!

Very good report, I liked it.

You need to add in these bike reports whether or not it has a BEAST MODE, gotta know if it's gonna have the ability to hang with Tomac

I finally watched video. Do you have tracks with bumps to test suspension? Aside from landing off jumps that track really wouldn't tell you anything meaningful.

PRM31 wrote:

I finally watched video. Do you have tracks with bumps to test suspension? Aside from landing off jumps that track really wouldn't tell you anything meaningful.

Video is all shot in the morning, I rode till about 3:30 and it roughened up a bit. It's just a First Impression test...Shootout is coming up quick though.

gjbruny wrote:

ML,

just wanted to give a quick complement. your reviews of the bikes are becoming head and shoulders above the rest. not just the same cookie cutter responses that most of the publications release. very clear, concise and descriptive. very well done!... and i don't even ride hondas. ;^)

http://www.vitalmx.com/product/guide/Bikes,6/Honda/CRF450R,15565#product-reviews/796

just figured i would give credit where credit is due in a world that seems to be pissed off if their ice cream is too cold.

ML512 wrote:

Woo, thank god, I saw the title and figured I screwed up...

I did screw up the name of the track, it's now called Sunrise MX...it used to be RaceTown...old habits die hard.

Falcon wrote: It was called Sunrise before it became Racetown 395. Way back in the '90s!

Pre my time. I started riding in 1996 and didn't ride up there for the first time until about 2005 probably.

kkawboy14 wrote:

Very good report, I liked it.

You need to add in these bike reports whether or not it has a BEAST MODE, gotta know if it's gonna have the ability to hang with Tomac

Talent costs extra, and sometimes comes with a heavy gravity tax.

PRM31 wrote:

I finally watched video. Do you have tracks with bumps to test suspension? Aside from landing off jumps that track really wouldn't tell you anything meaningful.

I'm going to guess there are a lot of politics at play there.

Track owners want their tracks looking absolutely perfect to the onlooker. Its an advertisement opportunity. How many of you want to go ride Racetown 395 now?

Bike manufacturers want their bikes looking stable, fast, smooth, etc. If a bike is bouncing around a lot, it might look bad to the onlooker/consumer. Bike manufacturers also want riders that make the bike look its best on the track, so that it gives you the impression that the bike will allow you to ride fast.

From a magazine/journalism perspective, they are sitting in the hot seat getting the benefits of both sides of the politics. They get brand new, untouched bikes and a perfectly prepped track to ride, year after year.

I say throw them out on the main track at Cahuilla after 2pm. haha.

theycallmeebryan wrote:

I'm going to guess there are a lot of politics at play there.

Track owners want their tracks looking absolutely perfect to the onlooker. Its an advertisement opportunity. How many of you want to go ride Racetown 395 now?

Bike manufacturers want their bikes looking stable, fast, smooth, etc. If a bike is bouncing around a lot, it might look bad to the onlooker/consumer. Bike manufacturers also want riders that make the bike look its best on the track, so that it gives you the impression that the bike will allow you to ride fast.

From a magazine/journalism perspective, they are sitting in the hot seat getting the benefits of both sides of the politics. They get brand new, untouched bikes and a perfectly prepped track to ride, year after year.

I say throw them out on the main track at Cahuilla after 2pm. haha.

That's what shootouts or continued individual reviews are for.

PRM31 wrote:

I finally watched video. Do you have tracks with bumps to test suspension? Aside from landing off jumps that track really wouldn't tell you anything meaningful.

The short answer is SoCal tracks do not have bumps compared to the east coast with the softer dirt. Heck sometimes there is a mid day groom right when it starts to get fun with bumps! I am from New England and mostly rode ungroomed practice tracks that were rode every night, this place is like riding on a highway. With that being said a couple of the track can get rough but not like the rough your used too.

We need a shoot out on an east coast track with some east coast fast guys.

ML512 wrote:

Woo, thank god, I saw the title and figured I screwed up...

I did screw up the name of the track, it's now called Sunrise MX...it used to be RaceTown...old habits die hard.

Falcon wrote: It was called Sunrise before it became Racetown 395. Way back in the '90s!

ML512 wrote:

Pre my time. I started riding in 1996 and didn't ride up there for the first time until about 2005 probably.

It's okay Ping called it racetown 395 in his vid for the 18 crf.

Great review. Thanks!

kkawboy14 wrote:

Very good report, I liked it.

You need to add in these bike reports whether or not it has a BEAST MODE, gotta know if it's gonna have the ability to hang with Tomac

GuyB wrote:

Talent costs extra, and sometimes comes with a heavy gravity tax.

I have a feeling there is a good return on investment with that kid!

gjbruny wrote:

ML,

just wanted to give a quick complement. your reviews of the bikes are becoming head and shoulders above the rest. not just the same cookie cutter responses that most of the publications release. very clear, concise and descriptive. very well done!... and i don't even ride hondas. ;^)

http://www.vitalmx.com/product/guide/Bikes,6/Honda/CRF450R,15565#product-reviews/796

just figured i would give credit where credit is due in a world that seems to be pissed off if their ice cream is too cold.

ML512 wrote:

Woo, thank god, I saw the title and figured I screwed up...

I did screw up the name of the track, it's now called Sunrise MX...it used to be RaceTown...old habits die hard.

all the videos ive seen so far called it racetown also haha!

I grew up about 45 minutes away so to me it was always Sunrise. Even when it was racetown, I still called it sunrise haha

I dont understand how we had the same old BS video reviews online and then ML comes along and raises the bar by such a wide margin. IMO only Ping comes close to these new reviews from ML. Vital has BY FAR the best reviews now.

nascarnate326 wrote:

I dont understand how we had the same old BS video reviews online and then ML comes along and raises the bar by such a wide margin. IMO only Ping comes close to these new reviews from ML. Vital has BY FAR the best reviews now.

I think it has to do with being able to put specific thoughts into words.

Some guys are good test riders but terrible communicators, I'm talking about you MXA.

Mike Lindsay and Dave Pingree are able to communicate details verbally much better than the rest.

What I hear from his tests:

I think Mike should remember to "...add one tooth on the rear sprocket" lol

yeah good honest review as always ML

rmoto003 wrote:

What I hear from his tests:

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Bingo! Sorry ML, I had to honestly laugh out loud at this. Because, while I've been racing and riding off and on for 40 years, you're detailed knowledge tends to fly way over my head--like this video.

You know your shit so well that I find myself feeling way undereducated on bikes when listening to you. By the way, that's all a compliment.

nascarnate326 wrote:

I dont understand how we had the same old BS video reviews online and then ML comes along and raises the bar by such a wide margin. IMO only Ping comes close to these new reviews from ML. Vital has BY FAR the best reviews now.

Agree.
I imagine he's burning the midnight oil putting these out for Vital.

ML, you are moving up the charts as a bike tester with each review you do. Honestly, I now look forward to your take above all others, and I still read all the mags and most of the web reviews. Great work, keep at it.

Moto520 wrote:

So.....what's the verdict so far?

Ktm450sxf or Honda crf450r? The Ktm is very similar to the 2017 so I'll take a direct comparison between the 2017 Ktm and the 2018 Honda

Respectfully

I'm in this same verdict myself, the dealer I am going to this morning has the following options

2017 crf450
2018 crf450
2017 ktm450sx
2017 ktm450sx factory editon
2018 ktm450sxf

I have to make a decision soon. My 07 still has the original head, transmission, and clutch at ~300 hours and I'm expecting a major failure.

Moto520 wrote:

So.....what's the verdict so far?

Ktm450sxf or Honda crf450r? The Ktm is very similar to the 2017 so I'll take a direct comparison between the 2017 Ktm and the 2018 Honda

Respectfully

jtiger12 wrote:

I'm in this same verdict myself, the dealer I am going to this morning has the following options

2017 crf450
2018 crf450
2017 ktm450sx
2017 ktm450sx factory editon
2018 ktm450sxf

I have to make a decision soon. My 07 still has the original head, transmission, and clutch at ~300 hours and I'm expecting a major failure.

Some nice options, imo if I got the crf 2018, then it would be the 17 Fe. If I chose the ktm , But looks like a win win for you. Good luck.