CRF 450, good trailbike?

[Knobbyjake]

I'm wondering if the 450 is a good trailbike for tight woods type riding, with an occasional hare scramble? Any overheating problems etc. I'm looking for a lighter 4 banger than my XR 600. Thanks for any info.

 

[jboomer]

Just got off the trails for the first time a couple hours ago. You'll definitely need to add a couple teeth the rear sprocket --- my clutch started fading within a half hour. It does really well, a tad heavy (compared to my KX) but wheel spin wasn't an issue on the slick stuff (including roots, rocks, and clay). A flywheel weight would be a bonus too (I stalled it probably 20 times ---more so when I really started going fast) although it starts super easy (2 or 3 kicks after stalling it). The clutch pull is smooth as silk and VERY light -- so fatigue isn't much of an issue either. The brakes are kinda crappy. Front brake was squealing like a pig within a few minutes. I've tried doing nose wheelies in my front yard in the grass and rarely get the front brake to lock up (same goes with the rear).
All in all, I would rather have my KX in the woods (the only mods to it were bars were an inch shorter, had handguards, two teeth added to the rear sprocket, and a PC pipe). That snappiness really came in handy when suprised by washouts, roots, and rocks. Although, if I added a tooth or two to the CRF's rear sprocket and a light flywheel weight I may be just as happy!

 

[Knobbyjake]

:thumb: Thanks for the info boom! I'll keep it in mind.