Staff Stuff

Staff Stuff

Mark Cernicky

What? Seventy horsepower from a 450cc motocrosser? Sign me up! That 40-percent power increase was the claim made by Falicon

(727/797-2468; www.faliconcranks. com), the Florida company specializing in stroker crankshafts and big-bore kits. My 2002 Honda CRF450R, which

I was racing in Supermoto, needed a rebuild, and the idea of jacking its horsepower from the stock 50 up to 70 was too much to resist. So I opted for

Falicon’s 525 kit, a $2742 package consisting of a stroked crank, a longer connecting rod, a bigbore piston and cylinder, and an adjustable cam sprocket.

Three Brothers Racing in Costa Mesa, California, installed the kit, replacing the stock 96mm bore and 62.1mm stroke with Falicon’s 100 x 66.4mm pieces (for an actual 522cc). The first time I tried to start the engine, it immediately locked up solid. I took it apart and found that the culprit was the piston skirt: It was too long and had jammed against the flywheels at bottom dead center.

When I called Falicon, the rep simply said, “Sorry for the piston fit. We’ll send you a correct one.” They did, although it took several months.

There were no problems with the new piston. After assembly, the motor fired right up, and following a few heat cycles, the CRF was lashed onto CW’s dyno. To my dismay, the motor made the same 50 horsepower it had when it was bone-stock!

Falicon said it wasn’t their fault; the motor is just an air pump and needs better breathing. So I had Three Brothers install 2mmlarger valves and port the head. I also was

told that because the stroke is longer, the timing had to be retarded 4 degrees, which I accomplished with a programmable Vortex ignition. But as soon as the engine fired, white smoke began pouring out of the Yoshimura pipe, a sure sign of coolant getting into the combustion chamber.

I again took the motor apart, double-checked everything and put it back together. Within ^ 10 minutes of running, ** milky-white oil was visible in the sight glass and smoke was once again puffing from the exhaust.

When I called Falicon, they told me the engine had too much compression and I should dish the piston to lower the ratio. So I had Ron Wood Racing in Costa Mesa machine the piston and check the squish, but to no avail; the engine still leaked water into the bottom-end.

Falicon then recommended I take the motor to Jim Wood-no relation to Ron-of Southland Racing in Redlands, California, because of his considerable experience with Falicon products. My CRF was way down on the list of Wood’s priorities, but when he finally called, he said, “You need a new motor. This thing will not stay together.

I’ve had all kinds of problems with Falicon’s cylinder kits-sleeves dropping out, cylinders not sealing and leaking water. I’ve had to eat the cost of them at least nine times because they have no warranty on parts. They just say, ‘It’s not our fault.’”

So now, my CRF450 is back to stock and running perfectly, and Falicon’s website no longer claims “bolt-on kit” in regard to the 525cc conversion. I wasted lots of time, effort and money, only to be tuned to a complete standstill.

Maybe 50 horsepower isn’t so bad after all.