CRF450L: Pssst, hey, over here, have you heard about Honda’s street legal Motocrosser?

TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 10/23/2018 7:48am
10/23/2018 7:48am
gt80rider wrote:
Hate to actually get back to the bike over all this arguing, but exactly what is the oil change interval on the Honda???
I'll check with Honda today. I don't have the manual...& it's time for a change anyway...it just hit 500 miles. I wonder how, many L's will get track miles in their 1st 500?

Laughing
TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 10/23/2018 7:48am
10/23/2018 7:48am
ob wrote:
Bullshit! I only like light beer half the time!
Pacifico?
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TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 10/23/2018 7:49am
10/23/2018 7:49am
BikeGuy321 wrote:
Yamaha is dropping the ball bigtime by not offering a 450 dually. I'm not even a huge Yamaha fan because of their ergos but a street...
Yamaha is dropping the ball bigtime by not offering a 450 dually. I'm not even a huge Yamaha fan because of their ergos but a street legal wr450 would be my first choice because of the durability of their valvetrain.
sumdood wrote:
I won't lie I want one, but my plated 03' is hanging tough, dialed in and paid for so...... maybe next year :laugh: [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2018/10/22/297886/s1200_WR450_SEAT.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2018/10/22/297887/s1200_WR450_SEAT_2.jpg[/img] I've...
I won't lie I want one, but my plated 03' is hanging tough, dialed in and paid for so...... maybe next year Laughing





I've seen one cruising around San Clemente, Team Green ? You're right about it being quiet, it went right by me a couple times and I was surprised how quiet it was. I thought it was a 250L until I got a closer look.
This is a sign of high intelligence: "Paid For" is THE BEST BRAND!
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Myke
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Myke 10/23/2018 8:06am
10/23/2018 8:06am
I think it's awesome you drove it to the track and moto'd with it! Love it!

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GrapeApe
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GrapeApe 10/23/2018 8:25am
10/23/2018 8:25am
G-man wrote:
My God what has happened to this board? Team Green gives a cool review on a new bike and it turns into a flame Fest! Sheesh...
My God what has happened to this board?
Team Green gives a cool review on a new bike and it turns into a flame Fest!
Sheesh.... Unsure
This thread got KTM'd, might be time for a new sub-forum

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TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 10/23/2018 8:36am
10/23/2018 8:36am
G-man wrote:
My God what has happened to this board? Team Green gives a cool review on a new bike and it turns into a flame Fest! Sheesh...
My God what has happened to this board?
Team Green gives a cool review on a new bike and it turns into a flame Fest!
Sheesh.... Unsure
GrapeApe wrote:
This thread got KTM'd, might be time for a new sub-forum

That's funny and typical of the Big Ape.

I love it!
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jankymike
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jankymike 10/23/2018 8:43am
10/23/2018 8:43am
This bike is really good. I went to the intro and had a blast! It's amazing even with all the emissions how good it really is. Honda did a lot of work to make it good on and off road unlike the KTM/Husky which are good off-road but kinda shitty on the street. In fact I think the suspension on the Honda is much more performance based for off-road than the KTM/Husky.


https://www.keeferinctesting.com/motocross-testing/2018/9/17/2019-honda…



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seth505
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seth505 10/23/2018 8:54am
10/23/2018 8:54am
What makes it better on the street? Definitely curious.
TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 10/23/2018 9:10am
10/23/2018 9:10am
seth505 wrote:
What makes it better on the street? Definitely curious.
The 1st thing I noticed? Tires and Stability. The Honda is super stable on the street and the track. The tires are ok off road and surprisingly good on the street. The suspension is amazing for an "Enduro" and it allows for pretty impressive Canyon Carving when I'm up on the Ortega Highway with all the road guys.
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yz133rider 10/23/2018 9:11am
10/23/2018 9:11am
Passenger pegs?? Need a spot for the chick while rippin wheelies lol
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TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 10/23/2018 9:12am
10/23/2018 9:12am
yz133rider wrote:
Passenger pegs?? Need a spot for the chick while rippin wheelies lol
"N/A"

There aren't any on the L
yz133rider
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yz133rider 10/23/2018 9:13am
10/23/2018 9:13am
yz133rider wrote:
Passenger pegs?? Need a spot for the chick while rippin wheelies lol
TeamGreen wrote:
"N/A"

There aren't any on the L
Boooo Sad
buggz
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buggz 10/23/2018 9:16am
10/23/2018 9:16am
TeamGreen wrote:
Went to Pala...on the bike...aka "Rode to Pala"... Got there and took off of my Adventure Jacket that was loaded down with water, phone, 1st aid...
Went to Pala...on the bike...aka "Rode to Pala"...
Got there and took off of my Adventure Jacket that was loaded down with water, phone, 1st aid kit...etc. & dropped my TLD Baja tool pack at the "OB Pits brought to you by Bud Light"...and...hit the Vet track!
Like I said...this is a street legal MXer...ESPECIALLY when compared to other "Street Legal Enduros" that're on the market. It was waaaaay beer on the jumps than ANYTHING I've ridden that comes with a license plate...EVER.
I added 1.5 turns on the rear spring, 2 clicks of Compression and 1/2 turn of High Speed Compression (all "IN").



I see that plenty of people seem to think the EXC is better..or...funnier still...that the EXC has the SXF engine/power/gear box: that's really very funny!
Better yet, have you guys ever taken that EXC PDS Suspenion out on an MX track?
I own Husky FESs(Linkage, thank you!)...they're EXCELLENT off-roaders; but, this thing is waaaay more "Moto" right out of the box. The CRF-L shock and fork are Worlds BETTER than the stuff on the other bikes you guys are bringing up.
I can't wait to ride Honda's new "X".
Certainly your opinion, I have rode both and will take our '18 & '19's EXC's any day of the week
Rode our '18 when we first got it to Zaca and the Ranch and had a blast, it is no SXF but defiantly closer than the 450L to a 450R.

This thing weights 290lbs and feels like it compared to our 500EXC's that we have down to 241lb race ready. I am sure we can shave a lot off the 450L but I am not sure about 40-45lbs worth. Oh and the power and handling on EXC waaay better but we do have some work to ours, but even stock no comparison.

Again just our opinion.

One this is nice, cool to see another manufacture step-up, nice to have options Im sure with time this bike will be incredible
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buggz
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buggz 10/23/2018 9:18am
10/23/2018 9:18am
jankymike wrote:
This bike is really good. I went to the intro and had a blast! It's amazing even with all the emissions how good it really is...
This bike is really good. I went to the intro and had a blast! It's amazing even with all the emissions how good it really is. Honda did a lot of work to make it good on and off road unlike the KTM/Husky which are good off-road but kinda shitty on the street. In fact I think the suspension on the Honda is much more performance based for off-road than the KTM/Husky.


https://www.keeferinctesting.com/motocross-testing/2018/9/17/2019-honda…



I agree Honda is better on street stock. Lucky of us we are 30% street 70% off road with some track.
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jankymike 10/23/2018 9:24am
10/23/2018 9:24am
buggz wrote:
Certainly your opinion, I have rode both and will take our '18 & '19's EXC's any day of the week Rode our '18 when we first...
Certainly your opinion, I have rode both and will take our '18 & '19's EXC's any day of the week
Rode our '18 when we first got it to Zaca and the Ranch and had a blast, it is no SXF but defiantly closer than the 450L to a 450R.

This thing weights 290lbs and feels like it compared to our 500EXC's that we have down to 241lb race ready. I am sure we can shave a lot off the 450L but I am not sure about 40-45lbs worth. Oh and the power and handling on EXC waaay better but we do have some work to ours, but even stock no comparison.

Again just our opinion.

One this is nice, cool to see another manufacture step-up, nice to have options Im sure with time this bike will be incredible
The suspension on the Honda is MUCH less springy and spungey feeling compared to the KTM/Husky. The dampening on the Honda is much better and can be pushed and ridden more aggressively in stock form than the KTM/Husky as well. The euro bikes are great but in my opinion Honda made a better DUAL sport bike.
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seth505
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seth505 10/23/2018 9:57am
10/23/2018 9:57am
seth505 wrote:
What makes it better on the street? Definitely curious.
TeamGreen wrote:
The 1st thing I noticed? Tires and Stability. The Honda is super stable on the street and the track. The tires are ok off road and...
The 1st thing I noticed? Tires and Stability. The Honda is super stable on the street and the track. The tires are ok off road and surprisingly good on the street. The suspension is amazing for an "Enduro" and it allows for pretty impressive Canyon Carving when I'm up on the Ortega Highway with all the road guys.
I'm more of an mx guy (so not a dual sport expert) but I feel like my exc suspension is great for what it's intended for. It's on the soft side IMO but again that's compared to riding mx my whole life or mx bikes off-road randomly. I'm torn on if I'd want it much stiffer though because when I get into real gnarly rocky stuff, the supple suspension works awesome.

Either way, I was wondering when someone like Honda or Yami would contest the ktm/husky, competition is always great.
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jankymike 10/23/2018 10:01am
10/23/2018 10:01am
The Honda suspension is firmer without being harsh, while retaining good bottom resistance. The KTM/Husky may be a bit better in technical rocks, but overall I think the Honda is more well rounded.
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BobPA
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BobPA 10/23/2018 10:03am
10/23/2018 10:03am
Are you going to put some real knobbies on it and try it on some actual dirt? Those 50/50 tires are absolutely useless here on the east coast. They clog up and become worse than a racing slick on snow. Cool to see more bikes hitting the offroad scene, the market must be doing OK....And it looks like Honda actually put some effort into the bike.

I rode a 100+ mile dual sport on Sunday. It was cool to see some Gas Gas and Betas out on the trail. I would say it was 85% Austrian bikes, 5-7% Beta, and the rest a mix of all the others. TONS of two strokes. The "Hard Enduro" sections were pretty damn gnarly (used some of the old Rausch Creek GNCC land). It was way more technical than I thought in some areas. But still an absolute blast for my first dual sport.

Bring that baby to an east coast rock garden and put it to a real offroad test. I saw a few guys on 450's pulled over in the rock gardens begging for mercy (I was almost in the same boat haha). A serious re-gear and a Rekluse are required for 450's in the rocks...unless you are superman. I got a place to stay and a beer fridge if you guys wanna get in to some good single track. Check out "Tough like RORR"...same dudes that held the dual sport ride.
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TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 10/23/2018 11:13am
10/23/2018 11:13am
BobPA wrote:
Are you going to put some real knobbies on it and try it on some actual dirt? Those 50/50 tires are absolutely useless here on the...
Are you going to put some real knobbies on it and try it on some actual dirt? Those 50/50 tires are absolutely useless here on the east coast. They clog up and become worse than a racing slick on snow. Cool to see more bikes hitting the offroad scene, the market must be doing OK....And it looks like Honda actually put some effort into the bike.

I rode a 100+ mile dual sport on Sunday. It was cool to see some Gas Gas and Betas out on the trail. I would say it was 85% Austrian bikes, 5-7% Beta, and the rest a mix of all the others. TONS of two strokes. The "Hard Enduro" sections were pretty damn gnarly (used some of the old Rausch Creek GNCC land). It was way more technical than I thought in some areas. But still an absolute blast for my first dual sport.

Bring that baby to an east coast rock garden and put it to a real offroad test. I saw a few guys on 450's pulled over in the rock gardens begging for mercy (I was almost in the same boat haha). A serious re-gear and a Rekluse are required for 450's in the rocks...unless you are superman. I got a place to stay and a beer fridge if you guys wanna get in to some good single track. Check out "Tough like RORR"...same dudes that held the dual sport ride.
I'm gonna put some DOT knobbies on it like Pirelli's MX32 Mid Hards or comparable Metzelers.

I'll look into a legal/certified exhaust, too.
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Ridelow 10/23/2018 11:27am
10/23/2018 11:27am
Okay serious question:
I am totally in the market for something like this. I was thinking of going for the husky FE 450 due to the linkage..
I am based in Europe, what bike will be the best option for a bike that will be 30% Mx 40% woods and maybe 30% street? Is there huge difference between the us Honda and the euro honda? I would love to throw my öhlins setup on to it for Mx, but that’s on a 2017 Rmz.. so that does not compute me thinks...

Anyway, any advice?I have not tried any of them and have no option doing so either so all good advice greatly appreciated!

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TeamGreen 10/23/2018 11:38am
10/23/2018 11:38am
Ridelow wrote:
Okay serious question: I am totally in the market for something like this. I was thinking of going for the husky FE 450 due to the...
Okay serious question:
I am totally in the market for something like this. I was thinking of going for the husky FE 450 due to the linkage..
I am based in Europe, what bike will be the best option for a bike that will be 30% Mx 40% woods and maybe 30% street? Is there huge difference between the us Honda and the euro honda? I would love to throw my öhlins setup on to it for Mx, but that’s on a 2017 Rmz.. so that does not compute me thinks...

Anyway, any advice?I have not tried any of them and have no option doing so either so all good advice greatly appreciated!

The suspension on the Honda is better than any other Street Legal Enduro I've ridden. I believe the CRF-L is a global market model.
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fullfloater 10/23/2018 11:40am
10/23/2018 11:40am Edited Date/Time 10/23/2018 9:17pm
TeamGreen wrote:
Went to Pala...on the bike...aka "Rode to Pala"... Got there and took off of my Adventure Jacket that was loaded down with water, phone, 1st aid...
Went to Pala...on the bike...aka "Rode to Pala"...
Got there and took off of my Adventure Jacket that was loaded down with water, phone, 1st aid kit...etc. & dropped my TLD Baja tool pack at the "OB Pits brought to you by Bud Light"...and...hit the Vet track!
Like I said...this is a street legal MXer...ESPECIALLY when compared to other "Street Legal Enduros" that're on the market. It was waaaaay beer on the jumps than ANYTHING I've ridden that comes with a license plate...EVER.
I added 1.5 turns on the rear spring, 2 clicks of Compression and 1/2 turn of High Speed Compression (all "IN").



I see that plenty of people seem to think the EXC is better..or...funnier still...that the EXC has the SXF engine/power/gear box: that's really very funny!
Better yet, have you guys ever taken that EXC PDS Suspenion out on an MX track?
I own Husky FESs(Linkage, thank you!)...they're EXCELLENT off-roaders; but, this thing is waaaay more "Moto" right out of the box. The CRF-L shock and fork are Worlds BETTER than the stuff on the other bikes you guys are bringing up.
I can't wait to ride Honda's new "X".
Sorry to quote the pics again but you're busted! I can see you checking the wing mirror for your roost.

Looks fun! Always wanted to try riding a dual sport to the track. Getting better and better.
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Johnny Depp 10/23/2018 5:49pm
10/23/2018 5:49pm
yz133rider wrote:
Passenger pegs?? Need a spot for the chick while rippin wheelies lol
TeamGreen wrote:
"N/A"

There aren't any on the L
yz133rider wrote:
Boooo Sad
This is a good thread about a great new bike, so sorry for threadbombing, but you asked so...

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mattyhamz2
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mattyhamz2 10/25/2018 4:36pm
10/25/2018 4:36pm
Myke wrote:
I think it's awesome you drove it to the track and moto'd with it! Love it!

I was at Chris Neitzel's house a few months ago and he was telling me about him and I think Langham riding dual sports to work and stopping at Piru on the way out. He started busting up laughing and saying, "Dude, do you know how mad people get when you pass them on a dual sport while honking the horn?" Laughing
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jd418 10/26/2018 12:10pm
10/26/2018 12:10pm
rt987 wrote:
Man that 26hp error must have really hurt Honda. I’m a KTM guy and I took great notice at this when it was announced, but the...
Man that 26hp error must have really hurt Honda. I’m a KTM guy and I took great notice at this when it was announced, but the HP numbers and weight immediately turned me off.

Those losers on advrider had a field day with it that’s for sure.

Far as fire roading goes, the KTM 690R is only 40lbs heavier with 20hp more. 6.7lbs/hp:5lbs/hp. And a longer lasting engine. Buy one of those and a cheap 2 stroke for mx. End up with a worn out bike and disappointing lap times if you try to MX a DS bike. Been there done that. But that Honda suspension looks WAAAAAAAAAAAY better than EXC WP.
This is exactly what I did, a 2017 KTM 690 and 2007 CR250.

The 690 is so much better offroad than what I expected. I love being able to ride out of the garage to wherever I am headed offroad, it allows me to ride a lot more often with the time saved not having to load up / unload
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Rooster 10/26/2018 1:28pm
10/26/2018 1:28pm
I wonder what's common between the R model engine and the X/L version?

That six speed transmission might be just the ticket to mesh with the R top end for a sweet little GP450 style road racer.

My 450R was a lot more competitive on the pavement with a wider ratio transmission. Even with engine work I was getting pulled on the straights by the X model because of their wider ratio tranny after I went back to stock on mine. With the wider ratio transmission it topped out well over 100 mph, but without it, it just didn't have the top speed to hang on the longer tracks.
TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 10/26/2018 2:15pm
10/26/2018 2:15pm
Rooster wrote:
I wonder what's common between the R model engine and the X/L version? That six speed transmission might be just the ticket to mesh with the...
I wonder what's common between the R model engine and the X/L version?

That six speed transmission might be just the ticket to mesh with the R top end for a sweet little GP450 style road racer.

My 450R was a lot more competitive on the pavement with a wider ratio transmission. Even with engine work I was getting pulled on the straights by the X model because of their wider ratio tranny after I went back to stock on mine. With the wider ratio transmission it topped out well over 100 mph, but without it, it just didn't have the top speed to hang on the longer tracks.
The L/X has its own engine & I don’t know if the gear-sets are inter-changeable.
Btw, just got a phone call: 39 HP -Stock- on the Dyno.
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Johnny Depp 10/26/2018 4:49pm
10/26/2018 4:49pm Edited Date/Time 10/26/2018 4:52pm
Manny as you said you don't drink anybody's Kool-Aid. Telling it like it is.

"39 HP -Stock- on the Dyno" Ouch that hurts for MX. Maybe perfect for long distance running, detuned for reliability.

The XL's (OK L/X) HP and weight will keep it from being a cost effective way to own a true street legal Motocrosser track weapon.

I suspect the XL will make a very dirt capable long lasting smooth feeling ADV bike with some proper (aftermarket?) mounts for bags (and rear pegs) it will hit a niche that hasn't been filled too well, a reliable low maintenance Thumper for crossing continents. It's most important advancements may be the foam filled swingarm and the sound deadening engine cases.
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seth505 10/26/2018 5:00pm
10/26/2018 5:00pm
street plate meetup day at Pala, I mean fox? lets dooooo itSilly
Johnny Depp
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Johnny Depp 10/26/2018 5:02pm
10/26/2018 5:02pm
Too bad Honda or KTM or someone hasn't put anything like this on showrooms for under $15k:







3

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