Cycle News Staff | March 2, 2021
2022 Honda CRF450 Off-Road Models First Look. Honda introduced its CRF450 line of 2022 off-road motorcycles, including the dual-sport CRF450RL.
The three-bike lineup, which is made up of the CRF450RX, CRF450X and CRF450RL, is essentially unchanged. The RL will be available in May, the X in June, and the RX in July.
From Honda:
2022 Honda CRF450RX
2022 Honda CRF450RX
CRF450RX
The CRF450RX is well-suited for closed-course off-road competition such as GNCC, WORCS and NGPC, as proven at the national-championship level by SLR Honda and JCR Honda. Based on the motocross-focused CRF450R, it has off-road-specific features like dedicated ECU and suspension settings (both of which are updated for 2022, for improved drivability and balance), plus an 18-inch rear wheel, aluminum side stand, handguards and a 2.1 gallon fuel tank. The combination yields a race machine that’s ready to chase arrows and ribbon wherever it finds them.
- Color: Red
- MSRP: $9,899
- Available: July
2022 Honda CRF450X
2022 Honda CRF450X
CRF450X
“Legendary.” “Dominant.” “Unbeatable.” In discussions of motorcycle racing in Baja, those are just some of the suitable adjectives for the CRF450X, which earned Honda’s record 30th Baja 1000 victory last November, at the hands of SLR Honda riders Mark Samuels, Justin Morgan and Justin Jones. A record 14 of those wins have come aboard the CRF450X, firmly establishing it as the ultimate desert-racing weapon, but it’s also a great trail machine, thanks in part to its 50-state year-round off-road-legal status, plus off-road appropriate features like a side stand, 18-inch rear wheel, headlight, sealed chain and six-speed transmission.
- Color: Red
- MSRP: $9,799
- Available: June
2022 Honda CRF450RL dual sport
2022 Honda CRF450RL
CRF450RL
By its very nature, dual-sport riding demands many things from a motorcycle, a fact that presents challenges for engineers. That’s what makes Honda’s adaptable CRF450RL so amazing: based on the legendary CRF Performance platform, it has a 449cc Unicam engine, twin-spar aluminum frame and premium, long-travel suspension that make it a stellar performer off-road. At the same time, it’s surprisingly smooth and comfortable when linking those experiences via pavement, thanks to a quiet muffler, a vibration-damping urethane-injected swingarm and a wide-ratio six-speed transmission. Throw in Honda’s legendary durability, and it’s no wonder this road-legal dirt bike has made a name for itself in the dual-sport world.
- Color: Red
- MSRP: $9,999
- Available: May
