2017 CRF450 engine hangers

The 2018 oem hangers are a direct bolt on.

I'm the OCD guy who takes a new bike down to the frame for prep, pre-motos, and here a few findings from my 17':

1) Before considering purchasing different hangers, grease all engine bolts and the swingarm pivot. A few of the 17/18's I've prepped have had 'unusual' Honda torque settings and were quite tight. I'm convinced that the outlets who have tested different engine hangers really blew it; they should have tested loosening all pivots and resetting to proper spec before ever replacing with aftermarket (or RX or 18’) parts for a fair test.

2) If this is the right direction, regarding chassis feel, go 10% less torque on hanger bolts and swingarm pivot from manual specs. This may be a bit conservative as it was relayed to me directly from a Honda shootout rep. (I'm currently -7ft/lbs swingarm pivot, -3lbs upper engine hanger bolts, and -5lbs lower/engine mount on the hangers)

3) If this feels even better yet, which it did for me, save some dinero and modify your stock 17' hangers before purchasing the $80+ 2018 pair or other outrageous alternative. After installing 2018 hangers on Pops' bike, I had two sets of 17's to play with. Results below:

A.

B.




Example A: One 17' set with a 4mm hole drilled in the middle: worked better than stock but still not exactly like the 18' hangers. These are sitting on the shelf until I grind them, in a similar manner to example B, for more flex yet.

Example B: Cleaned up all stock casting marks, thinned each side profile, and a touch on the backside as well. Compared directly to the 18' hangers, I was able to replicate the shape. These feel great and are comparable to the 18' hangers as tested on the same bike. 'Softens' up the middle of the bike, and I highly recommend losing the two rear tank bolts (and grommet washer, leaving just the rubber for buffer) as well. Not a fan of losing the mid-pipe bolts, especially with aftermarket exhausts, but that's just me. Only downside is that an exact match will never be had as they're a garage-grind spec. In the photos they're overlapped with 17' original profile, for clarity.


Cliff-notes: Purchase 18' hangers over expensive aftermarket alternatives if you must, but your free stock ones can be made to flex just as much (if you're willing to get a little creative).