RUST magazine: RUST#40

HONDA CRF 450L
stability and predictability as a given.
In the R you also get flickability and
keen direction changes, but being a
stretched-R with a low seat and long
swing arm the L is not the sharpest
cornering bike you’ll meet – but then
it’s not bad either and you can boss it
around easily. And despite hauling a
heft of some 131kg (289lb) with a full
tank (that’s 7.6 litres) it feels remarkably
nimble, you don’t feel that weight.
The ergonomics are good too. It’s far
from cramped and while the Renthal
bars are a low bend, you don’t feel overly
leant forward. The sub-frame probably
pulls a trick or two of its own as the
seat height is lowish at around 940mm
(37.1”) and this helps when it comes to
that super-neat trail technique known
as paddling. With the exception of the
bulge in the side panel to accommodate
that dustbin of a silencer (which Honda
have done well to accommodate) the
feeling is of a slim light dirt bike. Which
is all to the good especially when
compared to the old school ergos on
some trail bikes (aka dual sports) in this
market segment.
The suspension is quality through and
through. The ride feels plush – working
well enough in the woods – but is
apparently working well in faster terrain
too, and being the quality Showa mxbased
kit it is, chances are you can
adjust it to a fair degree. The brakes
were good too. Not eye-popping strong
but up to the job.
The only slight niggle that was
encountered was a tendency to stall
at very low revs, to the point you’d be
inclined to lift the tickover and fan the
clutch a little more. Or as I suggested to
myself – just ride faster.
So despite riding on just 25hp
the CRF450L didn’t feel all that
underpowered. Certainly it easily had
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