Ten Best Bettered?
TEN BEST BETTERED?
APERENNIAL pick as Best Motocrosser in our annual Ten Best Bikes balloting since its introduction in 2002, Honda's CRF450R has been completely redesigned for '09. That should have the competition shaking in its boots! Using the same platform for the past seven years, the 450R has stayed at the top through careful evolution. But it was only a matter of time before Honda followed Suzuki's lead with the 2008 RMZ450 and made the jump to fuel-injection.
Powering the PGM-FI system is a larger generator working with dual crankshaftposition sensors for easy starting hot or cold. Ensuring the precise delivery of fuel and spark are a 50mm throttle body, a 12-hole injector and an ECU that monitors throttle position, air and coolant temperature, air pressure and gear position. The liquid-cooled, 449cc Unicam engine pumps out a claimed 56 horsepower at 8500 rpm, with the revlimiter set at 11,450 rpm.
Read beyond the EFI headline and you will find significant updates to the chassis,
including great effort to centralize mass. A shorter con-rod reduced cylinder-head height, which has allowed the engine to be positioned closer to the front wheel, lowering the bike’s center of gravity. A fifthgeneration aluminum frame with spars both shorter and narrower in section is lighter and equipped with a repositioned steering head, reduced triple-clamp offset and a longer swingarm, all to enhance handling.
Switching from Hondaowned Showa suspension to Kayaba is another significant change. The 48mm fork features Air Oil Separated internals, plus new damping and spring rates. The shock has a
50mm damper rod and a shorter body that allows improved exhaust routing.
Despite the addition of EFI, Honda managed to reduce ready-to-ride weight by 3 pounds to a claimed 235. Honda test riders, Jeremy McGrath among them, report that the bike handles like a 250 Thumper with Open-class power. Sounds like another winning combination.
-Ryan Dudek
