hondaman22

Member
Apr 30, 2001
15
0
I'm going to buy a CR450(already started paying on it) to see if it will improve my skills at racing. I currently own a CR500AF from Service Honda which is a blast to ride, but i think the H.P. is to much for track riding. I seem fatigue towards the end of the race, even though i am in good shape.
I've rode the YZ426 and did not like it because it was heavy and too slow. Also tried the KTM 520SX, power was ok but not agressive enough.(Parts to expensive also).
I hope the CR450 is as light as honda says it is, and is as explosive as hyped to be.
Any comments would be appreciated.

:)
 

hondaboss

Member
Apr 4, 2000
7
0
hondaman, it seems as though you are taking a big risk by paying on a bike you have never even touched. remember all the hype that came w/ the yz 400 & 426. you said you didn't like the 426 or the ktm for various reasons. also most new models have bugs to be worked out. it is just an opinion, but i would try before you buy. you seem to have a specific taste in machine.:eek:
 

hondaman22

Member
Apr 30, 2001
15
0
I agree on the 1st yr bugs in a new bike. I feel if i dont like the bike i will be able to sell without difficulty. I lean towards Honda secondary to the durability. Biggest thing for me is getting use to the 4-stroke type of power.
With a Cr500af, any bike I get onto feels slow. Thanks for the opinion.
 

krash133

Member
Feb 2, 2001
41
0
I agree that the new crf450 is a good thing and makes some competition in the MX 4-stroke market. I am still skeptical of the new bike being all its cracked up to be. Specs on paper (from the manufacturer) are not the same as real track performance. Even though the bike has been raced a couple times and fared well, those are factory pre-production rule race bikes. I think I'll wait for a couple of reviews before I'd put any money down on one.:cool:
 

ACS

Member
Apr 17, 2001
242
0
I would wait. Remember the Yamaha YZ400 / WR400 hype. A lot were disapointed..........

I did order the YZ250F before it was even a serious proposition but I did that on the basis that Yamaha had a few goes at the 400/426 and got it better each year. The Honda is relatively unknown yet ready for release. It doesnt really have any cutting edge technology either. And remember Hondas weights are about half right. The XR650 was supposed to be lighter. Its a barge, a quick barge.....
 

borsy

Member
May 17, 2000
34
0
Hondaman, if you thought the YZ426 was to slow, and the KTM's 520 power
was not agressive enough, what makes you think the Honda CR450F power
is going to be that much better ? It might make maybe 5 hp more than a Yammie, and the same as a KTM 520 (53) but I think you may really be disappointed, mainly since your coming off a 500, most guys switch because
they like the smooth broad controlable power of the 4 strokes, but if your
looking for instant power should have stayed with your 500 2-stroke
Dirt Rider just had a great article about the CR500, they felt it's one of the
best MOTOX bikes of all times, if you can hang on to it !! I realize the excitement of the new Honda will get alot of rider blood boiling and if your
interested you better buy it because if you waited to test ride it, it more than
likely would be sold, its a tough call, but I think based on what you have stated before you maybe disappointed, best of luck Borsy
 

BruceKLX

Member
May 20, 2000
12
0
If you are getting fatigued by the end of the Moto then smoother or less power is in order. Doesn't make sense to say I get tired and want more power!! It will no doubt be a good bike, but don't count on it being too light. Remember they used to say the YZ400 felt like a 250, that was a load of crap. the Japanese companies have a way of streeeeeetching the truth a little when it comes to the actual weight of their motorcycles.
 

bashn

Member
Dec 6, 2000
65
0
If you didn't like the YZ426, then why would you pursue a bike that's essentially the same thing? Just because the Honda is a few pounds lighter doesn't mean it will handle and feel lighter. Just look at the KTM 250/380. Exactly the same wieght, only the 380 "feels" much heavier. Whenever you add tons of horsepower to the equation, handling degrades, large rotating cranks resist change in motion, and just applying huge torque loads to the drive chain will affect the way the bike handles. I beleive the Honda CR450F will be easier to ride than the CR500, but only because it won't have tha same hit the CR500 does. I turned to 4-strokes because of the incredible spread of the powerband and reduced need for shifting and clutch work.

Mark
 

Rodzilla

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jul 21, 1999
615
0
Originally posted by hondaman22
I'm going to buy a CR450(already started paying on it) to see if it will improve my skills at racing. I currently own a CR500AF from Service Honda which is a blast to ride, but i think the H.P. is to much for track riding. I seem fatigue towards the end of the race, even though i am in good shape.
I've rode the YZ426 and did not like it because it was heavy and too slow. Also tried the KTM 520SX, power was ok but not agressive enough.(Parts to expensive also).
I hope the CR450 is as light as honda says it is, and is as explosive as hyped to be.
Any comments would be appreciated.

:)

Man you're full of contridictions. Kinda can't make up your mind huh? ;)

You're really putting the cart before the horse here, asking questions about a bike that no ones ridden and most of us have never seen in person.

The 426 is too slow? The CR500 is too much, the 520 is not aggressive enough. Seems you've got the old "can I have my cake and eat it too?" syndrome.

Your not going to be happy with any bikes power if you compare it to a CR500 and a thumper will never be as aggressive (power delivery wise) as a smoker.

Sounds like a few more reps in th gym are in order, 90% of the time it's the rider not the bike.

Just my opinion.

Rod
 

Bob Brooks

Member
Jan 6, 2001
367
0
It's vrtually impossible to obtain legitimate opinions on a motorcycle that none of us here have ridden. My suspicion is that the 450 will be a good motorcycle, and well built. However, if you didn't like the YZ426, then it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to buy a motorcycle that was designed to directly compete with the 426. I'm sure the Honda will differ from the Yamaha in some ways, but the only thing we know for sure at this point is that the two motorcycles are going to have many more similarities than differences. It's the same as a person declaring that they hate the Yamaha YZ250, think it's way too slow and heavy, so they're opting for the CR250 instead. Modern motocross motorcycles in the same class may have subtle differences in handling and power delivery, but they're not very far removed from one another. If you like a YZ, you may like a CR a little more or maybe less, but odds are, if you hate the YZ, then you're not going to be impressed with the CR either. That's my opinion.

But my opinion is also that if you buy the 450F and stick with it enough to adapt, you won't be disappointed. My personal confidence level is very high that it's going to be a fun, high-performing, well built motorcycle. Good luck with it and I think most of us here look forward to a ride report and your impressions once you have it!
 

J.B.426

~SPONSOR~
Mar 20, 2000
235
0
The last 3 posts had good points. If I may reiterate something, the differences in power between the new Honda and 426 will be small. If you didn't think the 426 had enough power, you will be disappointed with the power of the Honda.
 

xrsforever

Member
Nov 2, 2000
249
0
The Yamaha 426,and the KTM 520 &400 are all fine 4 stroke motocrossers,now Honda too will have a great bike.It is the rider more than the bike,we all get too wrapped up on which bike is the flavor of the month. Look at Shane Watts beating open class bikes on his KTM 200.Buy the color you like the best.:confused: ;)
 

johnf3

Member
Mar 21, 2000
85
0
Not to flame you brother, but to say the 426 is too slow accounts for a serious loss of credibility. Excuse me, I need to check my B.S. radar. It seems to have started pinging:eek:
 

Nverfastenuf

Member
May 4, 2001
106
0
Call Ryan Hughs!;) ;) He can give you an opinion. Sorry that was'nt called for. But realistically, the other replies are correct, it's going to be hard to evaluate something that is not even here yet!!:think :think
 

mxbundy

Sponsoring Member
Feb 16, 2001
696
6
Hemet, CA.
I have to say that anyone that says a 426 is to slow is way full of BS. I dont care if a cr500 is the fastest bike ever, when can you use all this so called power. Wait a minute I know, when your buzzin up and down the street in front of your house pullin big wheelies for the neighbor kids, yeah that sure can be tireing. Better get a cooler full of beer to stay hydrated . Those long motos on Elm street with all the potholes would wear Larocco out in no time flat.

But seriously, i`m a long time 500 rider that has switched to 4 strokes and loved it. I had a yz400 but sold it and got a 250f and guess what, I can ride it longer and faster with out getting tired. Yeah it may not have as much power as a 500 or 426 but its twice as fun. Anyways I have passed and won races against all sizes and brands on the 250f so its not how much power you have but how long can you use the power you have.

Later
mxbundy
 

hondaman22

Member
Apr 30, 2001
15
0
After riding a CR500AF, a 426 definetly felt slow. More so the bike was heavy in the air. I'm not putting the bike down, but when all you have owned is cr500's, the throttle on any other bike does not seem to pick up speed that fast. maybe with less h.p. means more useable power. Plus up until recently I was anti 4-stroke,more so with the older bikes. (big ,heavy,slow).
If i don't like the CRF450, I'll just put it up for sale.:)
 

akg800

Member
Feb 12, 2001
8
0
I hope for your sake that Honda doesn't have a pile of first year bugs to work out. Because it would be even harder to sell a USED bike with problems. Good luck!:D
 

BoneBuster

Member
Apr 22, 2001
49
0
Re: Re: Buying a Honda CRF450 Good or Bad?

Originally posted by Rodzilla
90% of the time it's the rider not the bike.

Sorry to correct you, but it's precisely 95%, that xtra 5% will make or break the chance for the podium :)

Yes, it's the rider and not the driver. When I was 13 on a YZ80, totally out ran a cop in an 8 cylinder black and white, could've even lapped him. He was going fast enough that when he landed after coming off the top of the street, you see fireworks coming from the bottom of the car (that's what my friend told me). But, he showed up at my house hours later anyway. Not saying that people should go and out run cops, I wouldn't do it any more, that's when I was young and stupid :p

Concerning the CRF, if it was me, I would wait for 03 or 04, until the bugs are worked out. I was going to put some money down on a CRF too, but decided to go back to my first love of 2 strokes and end up with a new CR250.
 
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kevkon

Sponsoring Member
Feb 20, 2001
53
0
I doubt the Honda will have any serious flaws, but first year bikes almost always have production related problems. If you don't need the bike right away why not wait to actually see what happens . If you think a YZ426f is slow, why would you think a CRF will be substantially faster? Also, why not wait to see who else introduces a new model?
 

buffmaster

Mi. Trail Riders
Member
Apr 11, 2001
559
0
While Honda has the reputation of making some pretty bomb proof stuff, you're still planning on buying something that hasn't been tried and tested in the real world. What I mean by that is that the only people riding it currently are the pro's(at least as far as I know, don't think many in the public have one), which means that if they got a problem w/something, you're not going to know about it 'cus the wrenches will have it fixed asap and they won't really want eveyone to know that there's a problem with something. That hurts sales. A little OT, but remember when Microsoft came out the biggest and baddest, latest and greatest, Windows 98? :o Just something to think on. Hope works for you the way you hope it does.:) (Not sarcastic in any way)
 

motoman393

Member
Nov 12, 2000
49
0
Just to let you guys know...I have a Friend named Gary Anderson who is Pro and has a full race sponsorship to race the 520SX...and he knows and trains with Gary Jones (one of the "top dogs" in the CR450 project)
The CR450F is actually down on power compared to the 426...a properly jetted 01' YZ426 cranks out about 58 HP at the crank, the CR450F makes about 55HP at the crank (of course the works bike is faster...but the production model will be 55HP)! The CR450 is 11-12lbs lighter than the 426! And there has been 121 updates to the bike since Tortelli raced it in Japan! Gary Jones also told us about 2 days ago that the YZ426 will be a 450 next year! We asked "what about an aluminum frame?" and he just smiled and said "if I told you I would have to kill you!"

Anyways it looks like next year will be a WAR between the 4 stroke mx'ers! I personally wouldnt own the 02' Yz450 or the CR450F because I will wait til the "bugs get worked out" so the 03 model will be the best bet! Right Now Im enjoying my 01 YZ426!

Garrett
 

Shaw520

Damn Yankees
LIFETIME SPONSOR
May 14, 2000
1,082
6
You guys all have very good points,... let me ad just one more,.... this is Honda 1st production shot at any type of HP fourstroke (dirtbike) in 20....? years!
We'll see if they can take the heat!
 
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