production vs. conversion

[kickin kfx 400]

what would b faster? a yfz/450r completely worked out or a crf450 custom built racer?

[Chanman420q]

id have to go with the CRF conversion. because the quad engines are always detuned for some odd reason

[416exmx]

the rider makes the difference...

Ellis proved it last year

[team_450_88]

yea wut 416exmx said is right...Dana likes his crf better he said it was more racer friendly!!

[lukester720]

they had a shootout in one of the mags thats on the newsstand right now, it was the 450r vs a crf quad. both had simular mods and john natilie said he was leaning toward the trx450r.:eek:

[motoman00440es]

it depends on how much $$ you want to spend but i think the crf's are better.... but like 416exmx said its rider too

Originally posted by lukester720
they had a shootout in one of the mags thats on the newsstand right now, it was the 450r vs a crf quad. both had simular mods and john natilie said he was leaning toward the trx450r.:eek: i think honda reps had something to do with this ( maybe a little extra $$$?? )...a crf quad is so much faster iv'e heard

[lukester720]

John natilie rides a yfz so it seems he could care less either way. The crf was piped and the 450r was piped with hrc cam and he said that he liked the power delivery better on the 450r. The only thing he said was just a little better on the crf quad was the rear end, other than that it was all 450r or tied.

[lukester720]

BTW, they tried to get all parts equal to one another for a fair comparision, shocks, a arms, swinger, all that stuff was made by the same companies. They may of had different brand pipes though, I can't remember.

[hondafox440]

Originally posted by 416exmx
the rider makes the difference...

Ellis proved it last year

Thats the thing most people don't understand. A 25,000$ quad won't win you races if you can't ride worth a damn. Too many people spend too much time and money upgrading their quads when they should really work on riding.

[team_450_88]

John Natalie was just trying to help the production quads..unless you fix both the quads up youeself your never gonna get a real comparison...the crf motor is stronger but I dont know which handles better after u widen them and get suspension cause I havent rode a honda with suspension !!

[WhiteBros400ex]

Originally posted by 416exmx
the rider makes the difference...

Ellis proved it last year

Yupp:)

[SRH]

i would choose a yfz over a crf...the power is pretty close to the same once you do the regular mods to the yfz motor, and i think the yfz has way better geometry than a r or ex, and the rear suspenison is just awesome the only downfall to me is bump steer, but man im so happy with mine.....also the fit and finish is perfect on a yfz were as you might have to make parts fit and other lil headaches on a crf, i havent rode a 450r yet but im not impressed with what ive seen from them, i like to build my quad then grow into them so that i have no complaints and only thing to improve is me

[Scottie Mac]

I have had the opportunity to own both a full production race quad and a full aftermarket framed race quad. I have also ridden a couple of Leager quads, and full JRD CRF and a bunch of aftermarket 250Rs.

Seeing that the sport is going the production route, I would not build an aftermarket framed machine. YOu can look on ebay all day and find really nice quads that have lost soooo much of their value because of the production rules.

As for me, I loved my aftermarket framed YZ426. It had a Protrax/Axis set up and handled like a dream. But, as nice as it was, I am faster on my YFZ450 than I ever was on my aftermarket quad. I don't know why, I am just more comfortable on my YFZ, and that is a main factor in reduce lap times.

My buddy Andy Lohr had a very nice JRD CRF450 and we raced a couple of motos together. I actually think my quad was faster to the first turn, but his quad was a little easier to ride once the race got going.

As for the 450R, it is a trail machine. If that is the kind of riding you plan on doing, it is great. If you plan on riding MX, you would be better with a YFZ or aftermarket quad.

Good luck,
Scott