Adam Booth | January 16, 2017
We prove that the venerable Honda CRF450X can still get it done after all these years.
Our 2016 Honda CRF450X has been through a lot in the past six months. We used it at the Glen Helen 10-Hour Endurance race in almost stock condition and then really put it to the test at the grueling 24-Hours of Glen Helen, but with a bit more prep. We learned a lot from our 10-Hour experience and made some changes and additions to help us get through the 24-Hour race in more comfort and confidence on a bike that still impresses us to this day.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Honda CRF450X is still one of the best and most versatile long-distance off-road bikes on the market.
Since its debut in 2006—replacing the XR650—the CRF450X has seen little changes, and that’s because it never really needed them. It’s been proven winner in Baja many times over—in fact, it is the winningest motorcycle to ever set foot on the Baja peninsula.
To read this in Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine, click HERE
Story and Photography by Adam Booth
It’s such a good, comfortable, reliable and long-distance performer that Honda has decided to keep the “green-sticker” CRF450X ($8440) in its lineup even with the introduction of the all-new non-green-sticker CRF450RX ($9249). It’s a decision we believe is a wise one, especially after having just spent a ton of time on the X at the Glen Helen 10- and 24-Hour endurance races.
Even with the introduction of the Honda CRF450RX, Honda has wisely chosen to keep the CRF450X in its lineup—they are, indeed, two very different motorcycles (and very good ones).
We have no doubt that the X can survive the Glen Helen 24-Hour right off the showroom floor, but we found that with a little bit of work, prep and some searching around the garage for old aftermarket parts, the X can still be the perfect ride for long-distance races such as the “biggie,” the 24-Hour.
Ready Set Race
Because we had installed an FMF exhaust system and only changed the needle when we raced the 10-Hour earlier in the year, jetting was a little lean. Part of the 24-Hour prep was to go richer on the main and modify the carb so we could adjust the fuel screw. The 450X is jetted very lean in stock green sticker configuration. Our fuel screw modifications made it a closed-course bike, but that’s where we used it, on the racecourse. The carb changes boosted response and got rid of the lean pop on decel.
Inside the engine we replaced the stock clutch basket for a Rekluse basket, eliminating the chatter we sometimes experienced at lower RPMs with the Rekluse Core EXP. This was a bit of a pain in the butt because to remove the stock clutch basket requires removing the whole side cover, it doesn’t just come out through the clutch cover. With the Rekluse basket installed clutch performance was even smoother and the occasional low rpm chatter was gone.
The X’s motor has proven to be reliable over the years but what motorcycle can’t benefit from a Rekluse clutch?
The biggest and most important modification we made was having 53Twelve revalve and respring the suspension. They have worked on Honda’s (and all other brands) for a long time and know what it takes to turn the stock suspension into gold.
Racing the bike at the 24-Hour make us wish we had done the suspension work before the 10-Hour. The reworked suspension transformed the 450X into a bike that loved to float over the roughest terrain, yet still handle a bit of motocross and high-speed terrain. The suspension made it much more fun to navigate the chopped up Glen Helen course and allowed our team riders to return each lap smiling, rather than fearing for their lives. Had we only been given a few modifications to choose from, suspension work would have been the main choice.
53Twelves Suspension dialed in our X’s forks and shock. As good as the X’s suspension is, it can always be made better.
Lack of adequate planning and a small budget meant we had to get creative with our lighting. Digging through the garage I was able to unearth an old Baja Designs rewound stator and rectifier from a 450X that was raced way back in 2008. Along with the electrical boost equipment, I found an old Baja Designs race light. Back in the day this light stack was what dreams were made of. In today’s world it is heavy and doesn’t put out as much light as the much smaller set ups, but we had it, it worked and we ran it without issue. Helping to keep the lights running all through the night was the Antigravity lithium battery. Stock lead acid batteries don’t recharge as fast, plus our lithium battery swap saved three pounds.
We searched the garage for an older set of Baja Designs lights that bolted right up to the X.
Ditching the traditional inner tube, we gave the TUbliss system a try at the 24-Hours of Glen Helen. It replaces the tube with a small 100 psi insert that creates two different pressure zones inside the tire. The main benefit is that it allows lower air pressure without pinch flats. It isn’t the easiest set up to install, but after watching their how-to-install videos we were mounted and ready for race day. It did take us a couple attempts on the front wheel to get the bead to set while the rear installed much easier.
Follow the TUbliss directions carefully, the process is very important. During the 24-Hour race the front TUbliss system (we ran 12 psi ) burped out all the air after about 8 hours. We tried to reseal it a few times, then went with another wheel with a tube. The rear TUbliss system made the full 24 hours, using 10 psi.
An FMF muffler is an easy way to boost power and lose weight.
We really should have changed the Dunlop tire since it was pretty worn out, but we wanted to see if it the TUbliss system would make the full race, which it did without issue. Overall the TUbliss system is pretty cool. It does take some time to install and the more you do it, the easier it gets. It is really cool for the rider who loves to run lower air pressure for maximum traction.
The 10-Hour and the 24-Hour races alone logged 34 hours of endurance racing on our 2016 CRF450X. The 24-Hour race is especially hard on a bike since there isn’t time for an oil change midrace. We had to add a few hundreds cc’s during the last half race to the engine.
With a bit of prep, our CRF450X sailed right through both the 10- and 24-Hours of Glen Helen.
This 2016 CRF450X hasn’t only lived at Glen Helen pounding laps around the endurance course. We’ve logged an additional 30 hours of trail riding and even spent many hours at the motocross track. The original clutch pack is still working great and we have nothing negative to report. We have burned up almost two sets of rear brake pads, which is to be expected.
Yeah, but the CRF450X did all of the hard work.
The Honda 450X hasn’t changed much at all in the past 10 years and we could have easily used a 2008 450X with the same results. A 450X is a great bike with a rich history and plethora of aftermarket goodies, so if you are in the market to build an affordable bike that can wear many hats, the faithfully carbureted 450X is awesome. CN
2016 Honda CRF450X Shopping Cart
Below are the products we used to make our experience competing in the 24 Hours of Glen Helen on the CRF450X more enjoyable.
