anyone think honda will tweak the 450r? to be more "race ready"?

[brandonpeake]

just curious what people thoughts are on this, im not trying to start a war but out of the box the yfz is more racer oriented, so does anyone think honmda will breathe some magic into it , maybe make it sit lower?
man would that make alot of people mad if they changed them up next year, talk about killing something's re-sale value!

[Rrider4life8]

450R is more xc machine

[brandonpeake]

let me say this first i have very little seat time on each, 450r felt alot more tippy, than the yfz, not as bad as a raptor but still a little tippy, this was trail riding where i rode them both

they all cant handle like 400ex's...i'd compare it to the z400...& no one thats serious about racing races a stock four wheeler.....:rolleyes:

[Fred55]

Actually I heard somebody compare the TRX handling to the 400ex and the YFZ to a 250R.

[dannyboy20]

Originally posted by Jumbo747
they all cant handle like 400ex's...i'd compare it to the z400...& no one thats serious about racing races a stock four wheeler.....:rolleyes:


Good point ;)

[holeshot19]

gladly pay for a electric starter conversion kit and some please come out with a new first gear for the transmision

[ATC83]

I don't think Honda will do any major changes to make the bike competative with the YFZ until 2006. If you look at the motocross bikes they typically upgrade the bikes every two years.

[brandonpeake]

i understand any pro level racer would change the suspension and about half of the other parts on it as well, but i was talking about "out of the box" and its not as race oriented as the yfz in my eyes strait from honda,

i thought it might be something like the raptor where in the 2nd year they got a different tansmission the R might get some lower gearing, and the raptor got a different rear shock maybe something a little different as well
just my thoughts

[MIA450R]

They wont make any major changes for a few years. But they may make small changes sooner.

I kindof doubt they will make changes to the tranny, when a 13T front really does pretty much correct the tall 1st gear. They will prob make tweeks to the shocks to correct the tippyness. They *may* add the HRC kit as standard...to more closely match (surpass) the power of the stock YFZ. They wont add the FCR carb. They *may* add E-start by 2006 model year.

Just my guesses.

[WOracing]

the 450r already has more power than the yfz stock....

[Crayfish]

Here is my 2 cents. $15 bucks and the gearing is fixed. A few minutes and some seat time to dial it in and the tall "tippy" feeling is gone by adjusting your suspension. Which really surprised me how many folks didn't do when they first got their quad, considering that is the first thing that is always done on a dirt bike. If I were to guess or suggest something it would be the rear linkage/swingarm combo. I can't really see a quick easy fix for this if you are planning on racing the bike.

[#1speedbump]

To each his own I guess. Like crayfish said ADJUST your stinkin suspension people. If the R feels tippy to you I hate to hear what your previous quads felt like. As for power IMO the honda has plenty stock. Yes the Yamaha has more but its how easily you can use it and IMO the yamaha is not nearly as smooth as the R. No Honda wont change anything for awhile, They will just wait till people start to see that their product is equal if not better than the competition.

[Honda]

Hmm? I don't know, I hope they do though. I think it is time Honda Got off their asses and showed Yamaha who the original King of Offroad machines is.

I am loyal to Honda, But only as long as Honda remains Loyal to me the customer. I should not have to sacrifice my enjoyment of a product, or the performance just because I choose to have a certain Manufactures Product.

Honda should update the TRX as they do the CR series bikes, It is only logical to do this if they wish to maintain a strong presence in the market. Already Honda is behind, I am tired of people talking to me about the TRX like it is an inferior machine.

I have not ridden the new YFZ, But I can tell you that the TRX is not as competitive as the old 250R, I hate to say it, but if I felt that the YFZ was going to win me more races, and be overall more fun to ride, I would, with much dissapointment, have to make the switch. It is Honda's Responsibilty to itself, and to it's customers to produce a product that consumers want to buy, and buy without having regrets about doing so.

Should Honda Make Changes? I would Say That they Must Make Changes, Maybe not this year, but definatly on a 2-3 year interval.

[markk]

I don't think that they will chang anything on them, but i think they need to chang up the gearing a little bit. I have riden YFZ's, Trx 450's, and 400ex's, a couple z's, and one Trx250r, and a LT250r, And i thought that the TRX450r felt really good on offcamber actully alot alot like a honda 250r, but i thought the same thing about the YFZ. They are all good quads, if just preffrence, and riding ability!

[quadrcr161]

there is a few changes i would like to see, im very happy with mine, and yes my 250R handles better, but ive got some $ tied up in it. plus like they stated above, noone really races a stock quad. mine is pretty much stock and i can pull a great start along with modded yfz's i could care less about a kick start but this this is too east to kick over even when its hot.

if they do plan on aiming it for the racers, a few things do need to change, like the taillight having a plug to remove it instead of cutting it. i also would like to see the headlights easier to remove without buying a hood. would be nice if the hotstart lever was in with the clutch perch like the crf so they could do away with the thumb controlls. also they should drop the front to a 13th tooth sproket. and liek stated above, adjust your shocks, it will make a difference.

[KILLAQuad]

I think it will stay the exact same just for the fact that honda spent so much time on it that they dont want to go change anything with it............which in turn will affect their assembly line....

The BUYERS are however screaming for ELECTRIC START capabilities (for xc and hareschramble guys)..... other than the gearing i think they will MAYBE offer a hevier flywheel that will give it more OFF the Bottom Torque that will help the high gearing.....

As for the racer in mind i agree with the above statement that they need to make the light easier to remove without haveing to buy a hood....:huh ..... and the tail light is detatchable with out haveing to cut the wires..... just use some electrical tape and tape the wires up to the frame.......(thats what i did)..... ohter than that the bike is a race machine just as the YFZ is, both in stock form......... (by race we mean it has good HP for a Thumper and has the stance and suspension to be an entrie level quad)..... i think it is one awsome stock race quad just as the YFZ is..... just with all quads ever built they need $ in them to really be RACE READY....... (but not as much as the old days)(3yrs ago):eek2:

[Matt102]

I think they should update it every 2 years and have an update kit for the earlier year quads. I'd be happy with that. I also do feel that stock vs. stock, this is hard to say being a hard core honda guy, that the yfz corners better because of the lower ride height. I had my first race last weekend and I took the holeshot both motos with my 450r w/ just HRC kit over a yfz with a sparks exhaust and Im not sure what else, but I couldnt corner as good as he could. When I was trying to keep it on 4 wheels in the turns he was gettin right under me. Unfortunately shortly after the start of the second moto I spun out and flipped and through my hip out of place when i was in first place in my first a-class race(and i took first the first moto because the guys yfz quit):cool: . Next time I race I will have tottally aftermarket suspension, a-arms, etc.. so I should be cornering much much better. I guess i will just have to wait six weeks to test the new suspension out:mad:

[greghall]

Originally posted by Crayfish
Here is my 2 cents. $15 bucks and the gearing is fixed. A few minutes and some seat time to dial it in and the tall "tippy" feeling is gone by adjusting your suspension. Which really surprised me how many folks didn't do when they first got their quad, considering that is the first thing that is always done on a dirt bike. If I were to guess or suggest something it would be the rear linkage/swingarm combo. I can't really see a quick easy fix for this if you are planning on racing the bike. 450R rules just adjust it for the woods & its better than the YFZ for woods. I can see why people like the YFZ for MX but I dont ride MX so I made the better choice I think.

[SSRedRider]

I have had my Trx450r since Jan. I have raced it three times in the GNCC series, all three times I got wood. I can use the clutch so the tall first gear doesn't bother me. Everybody changes the shock settings when they buy a new bike or quad to match their riding. The Trx450 starts so easy, I just don't see why people are crying about electric start. I think that this is one of the best quads I have ever rode, the power never stops. Why would they change it, maybe a Trx500 or how about a Trx650 As far as the YFZ450, I have beat them off the line more than they have beat me, when we switch quads its the same, its rider ability. They both are good quads. THe only bad thing I am seeing about the Yami's is the battery, some of my friends race them and they dnf because of battery problems. I am a Honda man, so I have the Trx450. I also have the Crf450 dirt bike. I have set back and read about all of the differences in the 450's. What a joke. I guess all of the bickering will increase when Suzuki and the other manufacturers come out with their versions of them. I think that its great that we have all of the choices we have now, its only going to get better. Its all good. By the way real men kick it :devil:

[trout]

im going to take a contrarian view to the rest of you. I think they will most definately update it next year and every year. History repeats itself.

Take the 250R for example. It got major updates every year of its production. Longer swingarm, new top end, and other things as well. I would not be surprised to see updates for the next few years that are substantual. Plus it needs a few easy things to fix. Add a 1.5inch longer swingarm, widen it 2 inches, lower the seat height, strengthen the casing around the kick starter, just some examples.

my .02
trout

[#1speedbump]

If Trout is correct and Honda updates the TRX 450 like they did with the TRX 250 every other manufacturer better watch out. In the late 80s 250r was the quad to have I'm guessin that if Honda treats this quad the same it will be the dominant 450. However it is already a great machine. JUST ADD MONEY, IT NEVER ENDS.