2027 Honda CRF450R Review

Just two short years after a major overhaul, the Honda CRF450R gets another even more significant redesign for 2027. The new red-and-blue bike features a nearly 10-pound weight loss and 10 percent more power. Impressive! While less weight and more power are eye-popping on paper, does that mean the bike is actually better on the track? We went to Spring Creek Motocross Park in early August, where Honda introduced its new baby to the media, to find out. You might recall that last May, Cycle News rode the 2027 CRF450R in Japan, but it was a pre-production bike. At Spring Creek, we rode the real deal, the one you’ll see on your showroom floor.

Photography by Simon Cudby

How Did We Get Here? | 2027 Honda CRF450R Review

Honda operates on a four-year model cycle. That means every four years a new generation is introduced, and every two years the bike receives major or minor tweaks based on market feedback. After being updated in 2025, we expected the 2027 model to see only minor changes to the current platform. After all, the Red Riders are winning everything there is to win right now, right? Instead, Honda rolled out the red (and blue) carpet for an all-new CRF just two years later. With its testing and production crews working alongside the HRC racing teams in both the AMA and MXGP series, Honda aimed to make a more race-ready production bike. We’ve all seen the heavy modifications to Jett and Hunter Lawrence’s bikes, and Honda says its goal was to bring some of those add-ons to the public.

What’s New | 2027 Honda CRF450R Review

Honda says the new CRF450R is 10 pounds lighter. Whoa! How did they do that? Six of those 10 pounds came from the half-inch narrower engine alone. Another pound came from the transmission thanks to a narrower shift drum and updated gear shapes. A smaller, lighter starter assembly cut an additional pound, while a full pound-and-a-half came from the updated swingarm and new rear-hub design. The clutch assembly is also smaller than before and now features a slipper design with new built-in rubber dampers.

The engine had essentially been the same base design since 2017, and after 10 years, Honda decided a full redesign was in order. There’s nothing internally from the previous engine that carries over into the 2027 model, though it still retains its four-valve Unicam (OHC) valvetrain.

Honda claims a 10 percent power increase from the new-from-the-ground-up motor. Among the changes are larger intake valves, a redesigned air intake, a bigger bore, a higher compression ratio, taller gear ratios, and a longer exhaust assembly. Overall, Honda says the bike delivers more than 60 horsepower.

Honda claims a 10 percent power increase from the new-from-the-ground-up motor. Among the changes are larger intake valves, a redesigned air intake, a bigger bore, a higher compression ratio, taller gear ratios, and a longer exhaust assembly. Overall, Honda says the bike delivers more than 60 horsepower.

The bike now also meets the AMA’s incoming 109-decibel sound limit thanks to a 3.5-inch longer header and a 3.4-inch longer muffler. A dual-resonator design in the header helps minimize noise, while the MegaBomb-style expansion chamber helps maintain power.

Chassis-wise, to make it more stable, Honda moved the footpegs back 5mm and kicked the front end out a bit with a new 27.3-degree head angle and a 1.4mm longer trail at 117mm. The rear axle is half an inch higher, and the overall wheelbase is nearly half an inch longer at 58.7 inches.

They’ve upped the fork’s spring rate to 5.2 N/mm and retuned the shock internals for a more consistent feeling across the stroke.

Bodywork is all new and a little wider to improve surface area for the rider to grip. Symmetrical side panels, a wider seat pair and lower footpegs open up the rider triangle. The titanium fuel tank also increased in capacity from 1.7 to 1.9 gallons.

Inside the airbox, Honda has removed the secondary filter cover. Externally, the skid-plate assembly is also gone. The only protection you’ll get is the plastic water-pump cover.

The all-new CRF450R also gets a $400 bump in price. It now retails for $10,099, surpassing the $10,000 mark for the first time, but it’s still less expensive than most of its rivals.

Ride Time | 2027 Honda CRF450R Review

I’ve been riding the 2026 CRF450R all year, and the ’27 model is night-and-day different, most notably with the motor. There’s less vibration now, it’s much quieter, and it delivers power more linearly. The bike is so quiet that the meat of the powerband sneaks up on you. It doesn’t have a notchy personality that ramps up abruptly; instead, it offers a smooth feel from the first touch of the throttle. Power feels like a blend of the Kawasaki KX450 and the KTM 450 SX-F: ultra-linear and easy to manage like the Kawi, yet directly connected like the KTM. Inputs are snappy yet controlled, and as you touch the throttle, the rear wheel hooks up. It’s fast, but it’s not arm-ripping fast like, say, early CRF450Rs—it’s sneaky fast, not in-your-face fast.

More power means the ’27 can use taller gear ratios, which do wonders. I could ride the entire Spring Creek track in second gear if I wanted to. Sure, there were times I could’ve clicked up a gear, but I rarely felt the need to because it never felt like it was going to run out of gear. I could just concentrate on riding. We had a 2026 model at Spring Creek for comparison, and it required more shifting. Even with its smoother power, the ’27 has not lost that previously well-liked Honda mid- to top-end pull, which is great for hills and on the faster sections of the track. The 2027 bike’s overall power delivery should suit riders of wide range of skill levels.

The Honda offers three maps: the usual Standard, Smooth, and Aggressive options, along with three levels of traction control. I preferred the Standard map on the Spring Creek track. The Smooth map was, well, too smooth for the deep conditions, and the Aggressive map ramped up nicely but fell off sooner than I liked. The Standard map felt just right; it struck a good balance between the two. Overall, fueling is clean and responsive, further enhancing the engine’s easy-to-manage and direct power.

The new slipper clutch works well, and when combined with reduced compression braking, corner entry is improved, and the chassis feels more stable over the braking bumps. The clutch’s new damping system reduces kicking when you’re on the brakes, thereby reducing front-to-back rocking motion. A longer wheelbase also helps to make things less pitchy and more stable so you can focus on choosing your lines.

Suspension is another big standout. It felt plush and worked well on the Spring Creek track, requiring only minor fine-tuning to keep me happy for the day.

It’s a good-handling bike that doesn’t feel twitchy or nervous, even in the fastest sections of the racetrack. The Honda’s suspension ate up Spring Creek’s famous sand whoops, never feeling out of sorts even under heavy load.

The CRF450R has always been known for its precise cornering behavior, but the ’27 doesn’t steer or feel as light in the corners as the ’26, even though it lost 10 pounds of dead weight. However, it does feel more stable and planted in the corners, which is an acceptable trade-off for that slightly heavier turn-in feel. It might take a bit more effort to get it into turns, but once you’re in, you’re good.

The new slightly wider bodywork and seat give the rider better control of the bike. As a taller rider, I loved this and thanked the Honda techs for opening up the cockpit. The lower sections of the side panels are reshaped, improving grip for the boots, and the seat feels more comfortable with its less-rounded shape.

It’s hard to fault the new CRF450R—but the grips are harsh, the seat cover has little traction, and the Honda is the only bike in its class, besides the Suzuki RM-Z450, that lacks smartphone connectivity. And, in my opinion, I think Hondas should be all red.

Is the 2027 CRF450R better than the 2026 model? Absolutely. You can tell after just a few laps on the bike. What stands out the most to me is that you can ride it faster with less effort than before. What more can you ask for?CN

VIDEO | Is The 2027 CRF450R Actually Better Than The 2026?

2027 Honda CRF450R Specifications

Click here to read the 2027 Honda CRF450R Review in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.