2003 CRF450 Motorcycle

[400exUtah]

Is there a forum for Honda motorcycles like this forum is for ATVs? What does everyone think about the '03 CRF450 bike? I would really appreciate your opinions. THANKS:)

[jaspurx]

according to what i have read from dirtbike mag. it will be pretty awesome. i would like to have the motor from one for my quad!!!

[Twiztid]

sounds like its a bad bike

[CBus660R]

It won the Dirtrider 250 shootout with the Yamaha YZ250 finishing second. Try thumpertalk.com for a good dirtbike forum that focuses on 4-strokes.

[Ryan]

the crf450 is a really good bike. Its probably the best 4-stroke bike out there and it has one a few races. ive seen them win some flat track racing on TV. All I want is that motor!:D

[400exUtah]

Thanks for some input guys. I too would LOVE to see that motor geared for an ATV and put in a 400ex or 250r frame. I can't tell you how badly I want Honda to come out with a dominating ATV again. I have a few friends that are into the motorcycle thing and are pushing me to get a bike. I think I like the CRF450 best, but I would still like to hear more advice/opinions.

ANYONE ELSE??

[CBus660R]

People are already putting the motor in atv frames. Tim Farr won the GNC MX title with a CRF motor sleeved to 440 in a Laeger framed "250R" and I have seen where people have put the motor in stock 400EX frames as well. If you are looking to go the 2 wheel route, I would be hard pressed to argue against getting the CRF. Not only is it a great MX bike, but it makes a great trail bike as well.

the 03 crf 450 is the shootout winner, 7 outta 10 test riders said it was the best 250 class bike, it beat out the cr,yz,kx,sx,rm 250s and the yzf 450f

[400exUtah]

CBus660R mentioned that it would make a great trail bike as well. Has anyone ridden or see one perform on trails? How about tracks? Sand dunes?

The CRF450 is a great bike---but like anything else it has it's pro's and con's. The bike was designed to be a MX bike, but with a couple mods it can be a good trail bike. The first thing would be to consider some fly wheel weights if you are going to be riding tight technical single track, which would help prevent stalling it. Second, first gear is a little high. You could gear down but not to much as to detract from it's high speed fire road worthiness. Third, the bike is known for boiling over and puking out coolant. But if you aren't riding real tight single track where you can't get out of 1st gear for a extended amount of time, you shouldn't have a problem. The only time it will boil over is when you are in 1st gear for a extended period, working the motor hard, and not being able to get up to speed to get sufficient air flow across the radiator fins. There are fixes for this problem if you intend to use the bike mainly for tight single track. For example, you can make your own coolant recovery tank for about $5.00-it's very simple. Check out www.thumpertalk.com for more info about it. Several riding buddies have these bikes and all I can say is they haul *****! I have ridden them all and was completely blown away. All of them said that they would never go back to 2 smokes. I am seriously considering buying a '03. And with the automatic decompresson, and the hot start mounted to the handlebar, starting is a breeze. Another bike which I have recently ridden is the'03 Yamaha YZF450, which a friend of mine bought. That this is also a great bike, but being 4 speed, the gearing sucks for trail riding. But at the MX track, watch out---they rip. Later

[golikesnot250r]

I heard that Honda has completely redesigned the 2003 model from the 2002. Apparently they weren't as impressed as they thoguht they would be, so all measurements were changed slightly. Engine is still the same, i guess they're not messing with a good thing.

What measurements were changed? As far as I know, the only differences are that the silencer was shortened 2 inches, and the airbox was changed slightly. All in all, the '02 and '03 bikes are sweet. I have ridden both, and was so impressed I am probably going to buy a '03. I have been riding ATC's, ATV's and bikes for about 20 years, and have never ridden such a killer machine. The combination of the handling, power, suspension, and general "feel" of the bike is unparalleled. Nothing even comes close except a '03 YZF450. I have a tricked out KX250, and the stock CRF 450 is faster. The days of 2 stroke bikes are coming to an end. Why deal with mixing gas and fouling plugs when you can have a 4 stroke that is a overall better machine. At first, I was like "what is all this hype about a CRF450?" Then I understood what everyone was talking about when I dumped the clutch and ran it throught the gears for the 1st time.

[400exUtah]

A bunch of the changes were listed in last month's issue of dirtrider magazine.

Does anyone else have additional infomation/opinions/experiences with the 2003 CRF450?

[Lorduss]

well, 2 weeks ago i went out and bought a 03 crf450r, today i finaly got to ride it, i took it out to octillo wells by glamis,

let me just start out by saying, this bike it mind blowing, im not a experance bike rider, but its every thing i was hoping for, and far far more.

power wise, this thing rips, first to fifth, it lays to waist my 400ex with WB pipe and 14T front.

and i was still going easy on it, 5 gear, without pulling the front end up, gas it, it will pop up.

one thing that was very supprising to me, the stock tank on the bike is 2 gallons, in a hour ride we were allmost dead empty,
i couldnt belive it took me only 2 hours to break in the bike.
this thing needs a desert tank,
the power from the 400ex to the 450r is uncompareable, its just scary, downright scary. love it


the 400ex needs to be beefed up big time for that engine, far to powerfull for a stock bike.