By Michael Hannas
Photos by Doug Byers
Some may think that the Honda CRF450X rolling into 2009 without any changes besides a white rear fender and new graphics is a bad thing. However, in my opinion, leaving the big CRF-X unchanged from the 2008 version is the best thing Honda could have done.
With an all-new and unfamiliar CRF450R motocross weapon for 2009, keeping the tried and tested CRF-X the same as it was in 2008 should drive more buyers away from the R and towards the X. Anyone who has been entrenched on the sales floor of a Honda dealership in the past few years can attest to the fact that the biggest competition for the CRF450X is not one of the orange machines from Austria or the impressive KLX450 from Team Green, but rather Honda's own CRF450R. Honda guys are Honda guys, and for most of them, the decision racking their brains is which new Honda to buy. Again, as anyone who has had the pleasure of selling these machines can tell you, for probably 80% of the guys who walk into the dealership, the CRF-X is by far the better machine for their skill level and the type of riding they will be doing. However, many of these riders could not be convinced of this fact and chose the R model in the past, since it was faster and lighter, never mind the fact that it stalls at the slightest provocation and deflects off of everything smaller than a set of supercross whoops. With the new R becoming even a bigger burden on the trail with its stiff suspension and lightweight flywheel, 2009 may be the year that Honda dealers will actually be able to convince the weekend trail rider that it is the CRF-X that is the machine that will best suit their type of riding, and the R will be left for the motocross racers.
Part of the problem for the X in the past was that Honda's initial offering of the X was a little too soft and mushy for anywhere near race pace, and it needed emissions junk ripped off it before it would run to full potential. Honda was worried since the CRF-X was tabbed to replace the venerable XR line, and didn't want to turn the machine into too much a fire-breathing rocket. In my opinion, they erred too far on the conservative side. Let's face facts: most weekend trail riders in the US, while they may not have the speed of David Knight, do actually come close to matching him in size and/or weight. Pre-2008 versions of the CRF-X were sprung so softly that the shock would almost bottom out from a 200-pound rider just sitting on the seat in the pits. This resulted in a heavy bike that you were absolutely sure was a heavy a bike while riding, with too much weight transfer back and forth. It did work well for putting through nasty rocks while sitting on the seat in first gear, but any type of aggressive riding had the older CRF-X wallowing all over the trail like, well, like an older XR, as it just wasn't able to keep itself high up enough in the stroke. Let's say it was sprung and valved more for comfort than control.
For 2008 Honda changed direction with the CRF-X line, realizing, perhaps through the success of that Austrian manufacturer, that American consumers wanted a more race-ready trail machine that didn't need massive modifications in order to rip comfortably at a spirited pace through the woods or desert with a skilled pilot aboard. Honda slimmed down the package with a smaller and slimmer fuel tank and radiator shrouds for a smaller feel, changed the tripleclamp offset to 22mm, and added the HPSD steering damper to make the big CRF-X feel a little more nimble yet still controlled. Honda also woke up the motor a little bit and revised the emissions garbage so that ripping it off wasn't necessary for added performance. The biggest change though for 2008 was the suspension settings, which became much stiffer, especially in the middle to bottom of the stroke. The new suspension settings combined with the new offset and HPSD were enough to completely transform the CRF-X from a lumbering, wallowing pig of a machine into a focused and controlled trail weapon ready to attack anything you have the courage to attempt.
The 2009 CRF450X can now be taken directly from the dealership to the trail and ripped with authority, at least for expert-level riders under 200 pounds or beginner riders of any size. Super-fast pilots and ex-racer types that weigh over the 200-pound mark will still need to go up on the spring rate, as they would with any bike, but the new suspension is a major improvement over the older softer stuff, which would require major damping and spring changes for any expert level rider larger than the typical elementary school student. The 08-09 forks hold themselves much higher in the stroke and resist bottoming much better, which makes the CRF-X handle much better than ever before. The rear shock is also stiffer and keeps the geometry of the bike more balanced when accelerating, yet is still plush enough to soak up trail junk without deflecting or bouncing around. With suspension that can now handle its mass, the big CRF suddenly doesn't feel so big, and all the similarities between its frame and that of the pre-2009 "R" chassis become apparent as the new X just shreds corners like no trail machine has a right to. It may be a few pounds heavier than a KTM450XCW but it now doesn't feel like it with the 22mm offset and planted suspension it comes with stock.
The motor is like baby bear would say, just right. Honda has managed to make the CRF450X fast enough without being too aggressive for trail usage. Of course, some guys will want more snap and more power up top, while those who crave super-tight terrain or beginners may wish for a little tamer powerband, especially in the midrange where Mr. X is deceptively quick. But Honda has struck a nice balance in between a full-on racer that will wear you out in an hour and an easy-to-ride trail machine that even a total beginner can handle. The power comes on soon down low and builds quickly but in a manageable fashion through a meaty midrange up to the top end, where it signs off a little earlier than a CRF450R but still keeps pulling strong thanks to its wider-ratio gearbox. It still has around 45 horsepower completely stock and EPA-legal, which is more than enough power unless you are racing WORCS or Baja, in which case some more ponies can be coaxed out of the 450X through exhaust, jetting, cam, head work, etc...But be warned, she runs good stock and messing around with her may lead to more trouble than it is worth.
With the stock gearing you get a super-low granny gear for first and a fifth that is good enough for probably 80 mph or so in the dirt, but this is one area where the boys in Austria have the Honda beat with their sweet six-speed box. A KTM has the same super-low first gear but a higher top speed with the overdrive sixth gear and the benefit of closer ratios in between. With the CRF you are stuck with bigger gaps in between gears, which you notice especially when shifting from second to third under a load like when you are climbing a steep hill. This makes you want to gear the CRF-X down for tighter trail usage where you are never going to go close to freeway speeds, and gear it taller than stock for Baja-type riding where you need triple-digit capability. If it came with a six-speed tranny, you would be able to leave the same gearing on for both conditions.
Another area where the CRF450X could use a little improvement is in the stability department, and this is something all three of our test riders agreed on. The older CRF-X with the 24mm offset clamps and softer suspension may have been mushy but it blew straight through whatever you pointed it at and pinned it through without even a hint of headshake. With the new 22mm offset clamps and stiffer suspension, the HPSD damper was supposed to take care of any slight nervousness or headshake that the new geometry may cause. Well, in my opinion, it doesn't quite accomplish that task. The 08-09 CRF-X does indeed turn much better and feel lighter and more nimble, as was Honda's goal, but in the process it lost some of its "freight-train" feel and requires a little more attention at the handlebars at high speed. The HPSD was reportedly tuned to combat this nervousness, but it needs a little more help.
Sure, some may say that HPSD isn't designed to work like a typical Scotts damper and it isn't going to give the same type of feel. To that I argue: then what is it supposed to do, and if you are going to mount a damper, why not make it work and feel like the industry standard?
To me the HPSD had no effect on headshake at speed over whoops, roots, or rocks, no matter what setting it was at. What did seem to change depending on the setting was how heavy the bike was to steer at slow speeds. With the setting cranked up in an attempt to combat the high-speed nervousness, the bike became a bear to turn at slow-speed through the trees. It appears as if the HPSD adjustment only applies to low-speed damping and has no effect on high-speed damping, which is what the system needed a lot more of to actually have an effect on the headshake. As it came on the bike and without a custom re-valve, all the HPSD seemed to be able to do was maybe keep the front tire from catching on the outside of a rut and pulling the front wheel out of the rut when cornering. Since the system was designed for the CRF-R and adapted to the X, none of this is surprising, but I'd say that Honda needs to work on the HPSD a little bit or just take it off and save the customer some money. If I personally was the proud owner of a brand new CRF450X, I would definitely take the HPSD off, or at least turn it all the way soft, and mount up a Scotts before I even rode it. And no, I don't even use a damper on my personal trail scoot for normal trail riding, only for Baja, so it wasn't just the rider being used to having a Scotts and not being used to riding without one.
One other thing I would definitely put on the fix it list would be the fuel capacity. For 2008 Honda changed to a new slimmer tank that is, well, smaller. Very nice for making the bike feel small while riding, problem being that any bike feels big when you run out of gas after 40 miles and have to push yourself back to the truck. I never thought the older larger tank was a problem as far as ergonomics go, and at least it let you get around 55-60 miles out of it. I can get 40 miles out of the stock tank on my motocross bike, so for a trail machine this is completely unacceptable. I'd be on a forum immediately trying to find someone with a stock 05-07 X tank and shrouds that wanted to "upgrade" to a 2009 tank and trade me for my new 09 versions...
Damper and fuel tank aside, the 2009 CRF450X is an excellent trail machine and represents the best CRF-X for off-road shenanigans yet. Its small problems can be remedied easily and the rest of the package is so well-rounded that it works for most trail riders most of the time. It is aggressive enough to keep the ex-racers happy but still mellow enough to not scare away the newbies. Some of its competition may do one or two things better, but the Honda does pretty much everything almost as good as any other bike out there, and works for the largest range of skill levels and terrain. It comes ready to rip off the showroom floor with no mods needed, and it has that typical Honda fit and finish that will keep it looking good for years to come, as well as Baja-tested durability that will keep it running strong for years as well. And most importantly, for pretty much everything short of a supercross track or pro-level motocross track, it is now a much better bike than a CRF450R.
2Wheeltimes Tested Report Card: 2009 Honda CRF450X
Motor: A
Handling: A-
Brakes: A
Ridability: A
Value: A
2WheelTimes Moto GPA = 3.95
Shhhhh!!!!
For specs and more pics go to www.powersports.honda.com
