Cycle World Long-Term-Update

CYCLE WORLD Long-Term-Update

Endurance king

Honda

CRF 450X

WHEN THE OFFICE OFF-ROAD TYPES started talking about competing in last July's 12 Hours of Glen Helen, the logical bike of choice was our brand-new 2005 Honda CRF450X. After all, the X is an excellent trailbike and a pretty good motocrosser.

To “track” usage, we installed a DRD Hour Meter (www.dubachracing.com, $37), a digital clock that counts run time. Protecting ourselves against painful encounters with bushes, rocks and, of course, the ground, we added Acerbis Rally 2 handguards (www.acerbis.it, $70), then changed the oil and fitted new knobbies, a Dunlop 756 front and 952 rear ($199).

After a half-day of non-stop action (and a second-place finish in the Business class), the X was still in fine form, having suffered only a bent footpeg when Off-Road Editor Ryan Dudek slipped off on the pavement section. Stainless-steel replacements from Moose (www.mooseracing. com, $80) feature a wider platform. In the blink of an eye, last October’s 24 hours of Glen Helen was upon us, and again, the X was called to duty. But the stock headlight wasn’t going to cut it at night, so we fitted a Baja Designs Diablo HID headlight (www.bajadesigns.com, $628), which was a big improvement. In the race, we lost some time due to a holed clutch cover (impressively, the X made an entire lap without oil). With a new cover and fresh lube, the X was quickly back on track and on its way to a thirdplace finish in class.

$7199

Supermoto for the street

Suzuki

DR-Z400SM

AS test WE of NOTED the new-for-2005 IN LAST JUNE’S Suzuki ROAD DR-Z400SM, the dual-purposebased, supermoto-style streetbike is a fun, practical everyday mount. Staffers so enjoyed the smooth-running Single’s nimble handling and broad-ranging capabilities that we’ve since added it to our longterm fleet with the goal being to log 10,000 miles.

To date, the bike hasn’t sat idle much, as it is regularly used for commuting, occasional longer jaunts and has even seen some off-road action along the way. On one outing, Off-Road Editor Ryan Dudek caught too much air, the sky-shot landing bottoming the suspension and shearing off the taillight/mudflap assembly. At least Dudek was kind enough to cover his tracks by fitting an Acerbis Enduro Taillight ($40, www.acerbis.it) that provides greater clearance and, despite the lack of DOT rating, comes with a brake/taillight assembly and space for a license plate. We only managed 2600 miles from the rear Tomahawk T1 radial, no doubt due to all the skidmarks riders have been painting around town. Retailing for $340 per set, the retreads are priced on par with high-performance sport rubber, but when the red hoops were mounted on our yellow DR-Z, the bike looked like something Ronald McDonald might ride in a parade. Yikes!

$6099

Chassis dynamics

Suzuki

GSX-R1000

E HAD HIGH HOPES FOR THE Suzuki GSX-R1000. But even with its more aggressive steering geometry, nifty dash-mounted gear-position indicator and asphalt-curling 161 rear-wheel horsepower, the big Gixxer (actually, it’s physically quite small) came up short in the battle for Open-class sportbike supremacy. In the end, the all-powerful Kawasaki ZX-1 OR once again got the nod and the title of Best Superbike in our annual Ten Best balloting.

What could possibly have gone wrong? After all, the Suzuki was pretty much a ground-up redesign. Well, both in our shootout and Spanish magazine Motociclismo'’ s all-singing, all-dancing Master Bike comparison in which CWparticipated, the Suzuki was let down on the racetrack by its undersprung shock and by footpegs that touch down too easily at balls-to-the-wall cornering speeds.

These are concerns that we hope to fix in the ensuing miles. Resolving the rear suspension issues will be the first order of business. Question is, should we revalve the stock unit or purchase an aftermarket alternative? What’s more, feeling a difference is one thing, but we would also like to quantify any improvements. Somewhere down the line, then, a dataacquisition system is in order. As far as cornering clearance goes, we’re looking at a variety of aftermarket rearsets. Stay

tuned. □

$10,849