Quick Ride: 2017 Honda CRF450R
By Scott Hoffman and Dustin Hoffman
Photos: Scott Hoffman
It’s been a long road but earthquakes, delays and weather will not stop the long-awaited 2017 CRF450R to come alive in front of our very eyes and under our butts. This bike has been talked about and speculated for so long it’s almost become folklore. We are here (Monster Mountain MX Park in Alabama) to say the wait has come to an end, unlike the Yeti, the 17 CRF is real and we have touched them, started them, have gotten one dirty and even crashed one. We have heard the words ALL NEW in the past from Honda but not everyone believed the hype. Not since the 2008 CRF450R has Honda presented a 450 motocross that garnered mass appeal. The last two generation 450s were not bad motorcycles, they just never had a broad appeal like the last carbureted version and many thought the current models were were underpowered compared to what was available.
This year the tag line from Honda is “Absolute Holeshot”. I know, I know, cut to BS and get to the point of the story, has Honda come full circle with the 2017? Except for a rider error, Honda’s new jockey Ken Roczen made the Team HRC race bike look pretty darn good at the Monster Cup. But we do know Roczen had never ridden or tested a stock 17, only the full race bike until the stock bike intro this week.
Like we’ve posted in the past, the 2017 CRF450R is not a revised motorcycle, Honda started with a blank computer screen and crafted new motocrosser with several direction changes after lots of testing and customer feedback. The chassis was stretched out in the front, swingarm shortened, lower shock and a spring fork that is based off the 49mm A-Kit Showa spring fork. The engine is all-new, larger valves and a straight shot intake track that goes over the shock and straight down into the intake ports. Honda’s goal, a bike that offers maximum traction, faster acceleration compared to past models and a chassis that is accurate, turns well and is confidence inspiring. Just sitting on the bike in the lobby of the hotel we could tell right off the chassis is roomier from the past generations. Here is a link to the Honda launch story http://dirtbiketest.com/fresh-dirt/first-look-2017-honda-crf450rx-and-crf450r/
For 17 it’s almost as if Honda engineers took a few pages from an old pay book, figured out what worked best then, compiled rider feedback and combined it with new technology to create the new mount.
For all of you chumps that just skipped to the meat of the story, here is a quick impression of the new CRF after the first day on the bike. Honda did not pull any punches at this intro and they looked as if they mean business. There were as many Honda engineers, Honda test riders, R@D guys and so on as there were journalists. Not to mention Ken Roczen and Andrew Short hanging out and ripping laps as well.
After the first gate drop there is no real reason to compare the 2017 CRF with the 2016 and before machines, they are two totally different animals despite the fact they are both motocross bikes. You really have to ride the 17 with a new perspective and toss out what you liked or disliked about the previsions generations.
Ripping down the first straight on the 17 you can instantly notice the new ride is faster and has gobs more bottom to mid and a secondary top with a usable over-rev. I hate to make comparisons but it kind of reminded our test riders of the current KTM 450. Tractable pull with some vigor between gears is not something Honda has had in a 450 in years and they hit the mark after the first lap. Then you notice right from the get go, you can ride the bike either in the mid to lower top but there is more to offer. There is a secondary top end that keeps pulling and has a very good over-rev. It’s as if you can shift through the gears but it can hold the last gear and rev if needed instead of having to grab another gear. The engine power curve is broader compared to what’s been offered in years. The new CRF is definitely in the hut with the field now. Older year CRFs were rider friendly but maybe a tad too twitchy, the new 17 should be racer appreciated right out of the box. Not to mention there are three different power configurations right at a riders’ fingertips, which are very much different. Our test rider even felt the aggressive map was too much for his liking on a track that offered a lot of rear wheel traction. The second setting is more mellow than stock and might appeal to slick tracks or riders that feel the power of the 17 is too much and may speed up the fatigue factor if they are less experienced. You can’t change maps while riding but if you stop with the engine still running you can.
The 17 are not crazy “Factory” fast but puts the power to the ground and you can feel the robust mid-range that has been lacking. The 17 are way more racer oriented and feels like it wants to be ridden with more aggression. There was little or no need to ever touch the clutch with the new engine, even with a 200lb rider, powering trough a deep sand section was not an issue. Third gear is very useful and the transition from second to third is seamless with no gaps in power delivery.
After one day testing, we were impressed Honda finally answered some of the rider comments of the 2009-2016 engines being too tame and underpowered. We can’t say the 17 CRF450F is faster than the field after one day but we believe it should rival the heavy hitters for the coming year, stock VS stock.
The chassis has also been an issue for some riders and the new chassis is nothing like the older year CRFs. The change in weight distribution is very noticeable after only a handful of laps, yet note our riders had never ridden Monster Mountain, the dirt is very tractable and nothing like most California tracks, it offers amazing tractable clay and some sand sections.
The new CRF is more roomy but still very light feeling and again, we could tell very early that the 17 is a full race bike and the harder and faster you ride, the better it feels. Bar/footpeg/seat height spacing is slightly less compact feeling compared to older CRFs and our test riders felt like nothing was really out of place and getting adjusted to the new CRF450R took little or no time.
The front wheel is way more planted to the ground while entering and exiting corners and pretty much goes where you tell it to go. Although they extended the front the chassis, its nowhere lazy or slow reacting, a rider can feel the front wheel follow lines and does not have that twitchy light feeling some riders commented on from years past. One of our testers did comment they felt like the chassis was slightly stiffer from before but still accurate after the first day on the bike.
Suspension (front fork especially) has been an ongoing issue for several manufactures. Air forks were revolutionary even though they first reared their head back in the mid 70s. Some love the air fork, some don’t. They are sometimes not the easiest beasts to set up and some work well, yet they also take time to check before every ride. Honda said screw it and they went back to springs, yet this time they pretty much made a very similar 49mm Showa version of the popular A-Kit fork that many top pros have been using for years. We think they made the ride decision thus far.
Even with the new spring fork, the 17 CRF did not gain any weight, yet they did not lose any either. They shed weight in other places and added a few lb. up front, which is an even exchange. The overall chassis has a lower center of gravity despite the slightly heavier fork.
With limited time on the bike we can say the new fork works, is very predictable and we did little or no changes during the day. Bottoming resistance proved to be very very good after flat landing several big jumps early in the day and the overall feel is what we remember from a solid spring fork. The front is way less busy than in the past and eats up chop, although the track never really got overly beat during the day.
The rear also complemented the feel of the new 17 chassis and after a 105mm sag setup, there were very minimal changes during the day. The rear really seemed to put the power to ground even while exiting through chop. It really seems as if Honda spent a lot of time to get the chassis, suspension and engine to work together. There were no issues with the shock other than some minor rebound clicker (slower) adjustments for some riders.
After the first day on the 2017 Honda CRF450R, we can honestly say they built an all-new motorcycle that has little or no traits compared to the older generations other than retaining a light feeling chassis. The new bike is more stable, less twitchy but also very race-inspired. The engine is more powerful and puts that power to the ground and has a power curve that not only has a solid mid but also revs. The 17 CRF should finally rival if not come very close to the competition’s elite contenders.
Overall we feel the 2017 CRF450R is very racer-inspired and likes to be ridden with some prowess. The chassis is very responsive and takes direction very well and feels very planted on the ground along with still feeling light and agile. The 17 Honda does not feel like a lazy-riders motorcycle and likes to be commanded with some skill and the more accurate rider input goes in, the faster it wants to go. When we get the bike back to our regular So. Cal., it will offer up more insight into the idiosyncrasies of the new Red Rider. For for now, we can say Honda addressed the lions share of issues riders’ had with the older generation CRFs, did their homework and after the first ride have scored high scores.
