2007 Honda CRF450

[Chris Halvorson]

Any thoughts on this bike?

The reviews are pretty good, and I owned a 2002 CR250 from the showroom floor and really liked it other than it was a 2 stroke.

I am up on the fence about getting rid of my Raptor SE and going back to single track again. The wife has a YFZ 450 for when I get the urge to quad...but I really miss my motorcycles. As much as I ride (15 days off each month), quads are getting a little pricey with rims and tires and such. Just alone on my quad I went through 6 sets of tires, 2 sets of rims and some other wear parts.

I will never hit the race track again...so that isn't really what I would use it for. I do more trail riding and stuff like that...but I like the kick and performance of a track bike. I do not like to ride at night unless necessary (got stuck or something), so the headlight isn't a real issue, and if it does become one...adding a headlight is simple and cheaper than paying for it at the dealer.

What are some other bike's some of you can recommend? The last two bike's I owned was a Honda CR250 and a YZ 250F. Motorcycles have came a long way since 02 and 03'.

Thanks in advance for any advice or comments.:D

[Johnboy]

I'm hearing awful things about the CRF's for reliability. Performance monsters but finicky valves (reshim constantly) and short-lived pistons. The mechanics tell me that the Yamaha and KTM bikes are much more reliable. I can vouch for the YZ450's performance. It is a total hand full in the best possible way. In my opinion Honda is working hard to kill their reputation.
John

[Jeffro600]

I keep in tune pretty close with alot of friends back home in CA who race professionally in MX, Desert and SX racing and ive not heard any complaints on one bike vs another regarding reliability from any of the IMO, 3 best 4 stroke makers(Honda, Yamaha, KTM). They all say the same thing...keep the valves adjusted, the oil and air filter fresh and do a good break in on your top end rebuilds(once a year or so of a decently hard flogging) and they run great!

My last three bikes were a 2002 YZ426, 2004 CR250R and a 2006 CRF450 in that order. I can tell you this after owning those three...i will NEVER buy another two stroke(two joke) again. Youll do just as much maintenance and you still have to bother with pre-mix that makes a fawking mess with all the oil dribble it leaves on everything...not to mention less torque. Both Honda and Kawi stopped producing 2 strokes for 08...its only a matter of time before the rest of the manufactures follow suit. There is nothing a 2 stroke MX can do that a 4 stroke cant do equally good or better.

Anywho, back to reliablity. I beat the living hell out of my 426 and never had a single issue with it. Same with the 450. I did the Barstow 250 on the 450 as well as raced it at Berthoud and in town here and always did very well with it. Just like any other dirt bike, how good of maintenance you do translates into how well its gonna run over the long haul. I changed the oil in mine every other ride or about every 6-10 hours or riding/racing or as time permitted.

Dont expect to save any money riding one over a quad though. Your gonna chew up tires pretty damn fast as well as other consumables...their a money pit, plain and simple! The CRF's are great bikes any way you look at it...take care of it and it will take care of you!

[Chris Halvorson]

Johnboy-thanks for your review. Where did you hear this about reliability?

Jeffro600- thanks for your review. I do exceptional maintenance on my bikes as well. The plastic never looks good, but the motor is always top notch for sure. I never follow the owner's manual in oil change intervals. On my Raptor, it is every 160 hours....they have got to be kidding. I drain every other ride as well. Oil is cheap in my book. As for the tires...I totally agree with you on that one, but at least I can do them myself. The beads on the atv tires are something else. I have had 2 high lift jacks on opposite sides of the tire with my old 18' trailer off the ground trying to pop the bead....that really sucks. I just take the darn rims and tires to Discount and they get 7.50 each from me.

Crashing is the other issue. On motorcycles, it just never seemed to land on me...on quads...it think they designed my atv's to do just that.

[MtnRunner]

I bought a CRF450R to ride for the same purpose. It is an excellent bike with tons of power, almost too much for the trail. It's a little tall and I was always on my tiptoes. It ran pretty hot during tight trail riding and wanted some long open spaces to cool down. I had to gear it down for trail riding too or it would stall too much. It was high maintenance too needing valve adjustments and oil changes way to frequently for my liking. I bought a cool Billy? funnel made just for it though that made oil changes much easier.

The biggest reason I sold it was the seat. For trail/mountain riding you spend a lot of time on the seat. That seat will pretty much cut you in half after about 2 hours of riding. First time I got it and rode for 2 hours my ass was so sore I couldn't sit for about 2 days afterwards. I took the seat to an upholsterer and had him add more padding and it was a lot better.

When I buy my next bike, it will be an XR400. Great seat, low end torque and gearing and a plush seat. It is also low maintenance and good old air cooled.

[Chris Halvorson]

Good review Mtnrunner. I noticed the same thing as you experienced at the dealer. I had to step on my toes just to sit on it. I have always been a Yamaha guy..the dealer has 4 2007 CRF450 for a pretty good deal. I hardly ever see a YZ450F a year later new sitting on the showroom floor.

[van7559]

I ride an 06 crf250r and have owned it for roughly a year. It is a job to do maintence , but just like evereything else in my opion. The better you take care of it, the longer it will run /last. I almost bought a 450 but for anything remotly tight, i think it is way too much power. I love my 250 cause it has enough torque and power to do whatever i need.

[Chris Halvorson]

I loved my wife's YZ-250F...that bike would outrun my CR250 in most cases. The only problem is in the tight stuff and low speed....I am 200 lbs...so that is a little more than design spec. So I would require a 450 so I can go break another bone. lol

I haven't heard anything about the KTM's...I have riden the 525...and that was just scary fast. They are a little more on price, but quallity counts in my book too.

[Jeffro600]

I haven't heard anything about the KTM's...I have riden the 525...and that was just scary fast. They are a little more on price, but quallity counts in my book too.

KTM's are nice...youll pay a little more for them but youll get a little bit better quality...not so much in engine or design, but more in the fit and finish. They usually have much higher quality plastics, chains, sprockets and handlebars vs most other comparable bikes.

[sonofmayhem]

I had an 04 crf450, Nice bike and very fast, but as said too much maintenence. But it had some PULL!


Wish I could scoop up your 700:D

[BIGNICK91K5]

I have owned several bikes in all brands except ktm. I currently have a 2007 CRF 450 and i really like it. Nice crisp power, very reliable, the only piston problem i have heard has been with the 250f's too much wide open all the time. I also really like my 2005 yz450f and i have rode there newer models as well, and are very nice. My brother in law rides a 2007 Kawasaki 450 over heating problems and the valve cover will not stay sealed. But has more low end kick than mine by far.

[Chris Halvorson]

I had an 04 crf450, Nice bike and very fast, but as said too much maintenence. But it had some PULL!


Wish I could scoop up your 700:D

Come up with some cash Adam...you can scoop it up:D !! What do you mean by too much maintenance?

[Chris Halvorson]

Thanks Nick for the review. I would stick with either Yamaha or Honda for now. The KTM is a little pricey for my needs. How is the seat for you? What kind of riding do you do? I used to hang out at Aztec a lot..so with that kind of riding...seat time was minimal and never an issue.