Long-Term Update

Long-Term Update

Honda CRF450X Service time

$7199

FOR NEARLY A YEAR, WE HAVE BEEN flogging our Honda CRF450X in endurance races and weekend trail rides with minimal maintenance. So after 65 hours of use, some TLC was in order. While stuck in a canyon, we boiled most of the coolant out of the engine and had no choice but to replace it with desert well water. Back home, we rinsed out the system and refilled it with Honda HP Coolant ($3.59 per quart). The badly worn brake pads were replaced with genuine Honda parts ($39 front, $39 rear). Ditto a mangled rear brake lever ($61). We traced an awful screeching noise to a broken muffler mount; blame one too many tumbles with Off-Road Editor Ryan Dudek at the controls. Rather than weld the mount, we opted for a complete new system from LeoVince. Boasting a stainlesssteel header, a titanium muffler and a carbon-fiber heat shield, the X3 Enduro ($726, www.leovinceusa.com) promises increased horsepower while keeping noise emissions below 94 dB.

With all that the bike has been subjected to, the suspension needed a thorough going-through. We sent the fork and shock to Fineline Suspension (www.fine linesuspension.com) for new fluids (front $32, rear $48) and seal kits (front $40, rear $26). Fineline also fitted different springs ($148 front, $111 rear) and reworked the valving ($70 front, $70 rear), the goal being an even smoother ride.

Suzuki DR-Z400SM Food for thought

$6099

OUR been LONG-TERM out to lunch, DR-Z400SM so to speak, has since we last reported on it a few issues ago. Our reliable-running supermoto Single has been in the possession of mad moto-chef Alan Greeley, a gourmet restaurant owner who prefers to cook with internal combustion when not busy preparing food for the rich and famous. One thing we can always count on when our culinary friend returns a borrowed testbike is a blend of colorful comments and real-world feedback.

“This is the bike you buy when you want a smile on your face and money left in your pocket after paying for it,”

remarked Greeley. “It’s fun, flicks, frugal and friggin’ reliable.” Apparently, he’s been having an effin’ good time running about town and strafing backroads aboard the yellow machine. Echoing the comments of literally every person who has ridden the bike to date, Greeley found himself grabbing for gears that were not there once he reached highway speed but also confessed that didn’t deter him from registering an indicated 100 mph while drafting a pickup truck.

“On the sour side, the cops just don’t want to believe the DR-Z is street-legal,” Greeley noted. “They had to call their friends at the DMV to make sure. Even then, they were not convinced.” While we’re not certain, it’s our guess that even the chief of police appreciates a good meal.

Suzuki GSX-R1000 Down,not out

$10,849

N THE PURSUIT OF TRACKBIKE PERfection, certain truths are inescapable. If you’re going to put your sportbike on the track, be prepared to go down. Online Editor Calvin Kim met this truth head-on at Willow Springs International Raceway and came away with a broken motorcycle and a busted finger. No one wants to let an accident go without a lesson, and we learned a few things about our long-term GSX-R1000.

First, one of the threaded nubs that are welded onto the bottom of the swingarm to allow fitment of rearstand spools snapped off in the crash. We used Delrin spools in the hope that the relatively weak polymer would snap off in event of an accident and save the swingarm. Unfortunately, the Grade 8 hex-head bolts that hold the spools in place are stronger than the welds.

Replacing the swingarm, which retails for $1200, is one option. Repairing the damaged arm would be a less-costly alternative, though welding aluminum properly takes skill. Fortunately, the area may be small enough that the welding’s effect on the arm’s heat treatment may not be a problem.

In comparison, replacing the abraded left-side fairing, broken clutch lever and ground-through engine-case cover is a no-brainer, though the latter is backordered. We’re looking into aftermarket alternatives.

Oh, yeah, following a second surgery,

Calvin is on the mend, too.