RUST magazine: RUST#40

HONDA CRF 450L
CRF450L hits a very early torque peak of
23 ft-lb (32Nm) at just 3500rpm. So no
question the EU and the ROW motors
must feel dramatically different to each
other, we only wish we could ride the
ROW bike…
Also part of the modifications
is the substantially longer engine
maintenance intervals, with the first
engine strip-down set at 30,000km.
That’s okay, although we’d dread the
cost of a complete rebuild, but Honda
have put the oil, oil filter and
air filter change intervals at
an altogether more frequent
1000km repeat. Now that
might niggle slightly, albeit it’s
understandable given this
engine – being race bred,
where less is more – doesn’t
hold a great oil capacity.
So the oil change is both
simple, quick and doesn’t
call for masses of the black
stuff. It is what it is.
Chassis-wise, this is
mostly the same frame
as you’ll see in the R, except we
understand the addition of the sixth
gear and noise-deadening outer cases
made for a wider engine and so a
slightly wider frame at the rear engine
mount. Honda also mention that ‘the
chassis geometry is specially selected
for responsiveness’ which sounds like
double-speak for the change of rake
and trail plus further mods to aid both
rigidity and flexibility (don’t you wish
they’d make their minds up?). Then
there’s a heavier sub frame, after all that
exhaust weighs some.
The suspension units are also lifted
directly from the R, then modified to
suit trail work. And that swingarm, it’s a
longer unit, which combined with the
geometry change makes the L-model
18mm longer than the R. As well the 19”
rim has been swapped to a trail-friendly
18”. Tyres are a hybrid road-trail job that
worked well enough in loam, but not so
well on clay – but again this all about
meeting homologation standards.
So while retaining a fair percentage of
the motocrosser’s DNA the CRF450L has
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