02 crf450r....any issues?

[stevet]

saw an ad for one. the bike looks to be in very nice condition for a 4-year-old dirt bike.....vet owner, used for trail riding only....think he's asking around $3500.

the ad mentions that the 02 had a few issues, the ad states the following......."This is the 1st year as we all know and unfortunatly there were a few problems. Luckily for you all these problems have been dealt with and fixed."

what issues did that bike have?

i'm also a "vet" rider, who would be using the bike for trail riding only, maybe an enduro someday for the fun of it.....and yes, I need a green sticker bike.....

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Overall the 2002 CRF450 engine has proven to be very reliable. The major weak points are the intake valves, valve springs, cam chain tensioner, and the water pump shaft, bearing & seals. The titanium intake valves tend to wear and get cupped from bouncing off the valve seat as the springs wear and lose seat pressure. The exhaust valves are made of an inexpensive grade of steel and get corroded from the deposits present in pump gas. The quality of the stock Honda head is good. The valve guides and seats are very hard and wear resistant in the 2002 heads, but the exhaust guides need to be checked for wear when you get a lot of hours on the engine. The exhaust rocker arm tends to wear the roller over time, and the cam bearings are also prone to wear if oil changes aren't done frequently. Both are easily replaceable and can be checked by simply turning the bearing or roller and feeling for knotchy movement. If the fixed bearing on the cam is bad, then you have to replace the camshaft. Hot Cams makes both a Stage 1 & 2 cam which feature powerband changes with more low to mid-range (Stage 1) and more mid-range to top end (Stage 2) (about $150).
Installing the 2004 and later Honda cam chain tensioner (about $45) is the standard fix for the tensioner and Kibblewhite Black Diamond valve train kit (about $325 for the parts) is the standard valve fix. The Kibblewhite kits include 4 stainless steel valves, 2-stage racing valve spring kit with titanium retainers. A fresh valve job along with the Kibblewhite kit gives you a pretty bulletproof valvetrain.

With these minor changes the CRFs can last a long time. My 2002 CRF is still going strong. ;)

 

[stevet]

here's some mods he says has been done to the bike...

Airbox-2003 airbox installed.
Valve issues- stainless steel valves/ springs installed.
timing chain- new adjuster/timing chain installed recently.
All the oils have just been changed.
The valves have been recently reshimed .
52 tooth rear spocket
did o ring chain
pro moto billet spark arrestor