450X valves..ridiculous

[Dust_Devil]

In most cases a 650 will eat any CRF 450 for lunch!!!!

Dont fool yourself kids the 650 is one bad mofo!

[slomotobug]

In most cases a 650 will eat any CRF 450 for lunch!!!!

Dont fool yourself kids the 650 is one bad mofo!

Thank you! I'm starting to like this guy DD

I only made the switch to the 450 because I don't get to ride much high speed or many long rides anymore, but even in tight stuff, I had no problem keeping up with most riding buddies on my 650. I even rode it at the local moto track from time to time, just to watch the look on the kids faces as I was passing them in the air or through the whoops on an XR. I mostly do short single track stuff now, hence the 450X, best trates of both of my old bikes put into one.

[slomotobug]

mate

the650R is great for the PCH but in real offroad it gets whupped by the CRFs.

.

"Real offroad"??????????? You think that Baja type racing isn't real off-road? You're nuts, meet me in Mexico, follow me through 200 miles of deep sand, ruts, silt beds, miles upon miles of 3' deep whoops, all at speeds around 100mph, then tell me what "real off-road" is. My last trip to Mexico, 200 miles of nothing but off-road, not one bit of road in sight, no pavement, nowhere any type of car could ever get to, just miles of bare desert, and it got old having to stop and wait for the 450's (the off-road bikes)!

[Dust_Devil]

BTW- Scott Summers has won some GNCC's on a XR 650........like several titles.

[gaudette]

I love my CRF450X, but I have to agree, on wide open desert my XR would have blown it away. When I first rode the X, I kept looking more 6th gear. While on the XR, the bike would just keep pulling.

[whoops dude]

don't come in the honda forum without a honda avatar and complain about a honda bike lesson learned.......................

[ewbish]

"Real offroad"??????????? You think that Baja type racing isn't real off-road? You're nuts, meet me in Mexico, follow me through 200 miles of deep sand, ruts, silt beds, miles upon miles of 3' deep whoops, all at speeds around 100mph, then tell me what "real off-road" is. My last trip to Mexico, 200 miles of nothing but off-road, not one bit of road in sight, no pavement, nowhere any type of car could ever get to, just miles of bare desert, and it got old having to stop and wait for the 450's (the off-road bikes)!

I traded my XR650L (yep, an L) in for my 450X. I've also owned quite a few XR's in my time, and still have an XR250. My L was stripped to basics, and set up for desert, in fact most mistook it for a 600R until I hit the magic button. I raced a couple of Hare -n- hounds on it, and in the deep sand washes, and long wooped out sand roads, I chewed up and spit out 450's. I'd be tappin' 90+ down a sand wash and passin' 450's like they weren't moving, wasn't even a comparison. I pondered long and hard over trading the L for a 650R or the 450X. I finally went with the X just because of weight, but every now and then I still twinge when I think about a brand new XR650. I'll tell you something else too, my 650 was a couch with a motor. I could ride that thing for 5-8 hours and get off feeling great. 2 hours on my X and my ass feels like it was hit with a blow torch.

[Blaster1200]

In most cases a 650 will eat any CRF 450 for lunch!!!!

Dont fool yourself kids the 650 is one bad mofo!

That's for sure! It may be an old design, but thanks to its weight and raw torque, the 650R can really move. Best of all, in desert conditions the rider isn't fatigued as quickly as they are on lighter bikes.

[slomotobug]

If you don't want a high-performance machine, go get an XR.

That's for sure! It may be an old design, but thanks to its weight and raw torque, the 650R can really move. Best of all, in desert conditions the rider isn't fatigued as quickly as they are on lighter bikes.

Did we change his mind????? This is the same guy that started the XR's aren't high performance machines, right? Did I miss something

[dobent4]

In most cases a 650 will eat any CRF 450 for lunch!!!!

A fact.

If I lived on California or anywhere I could do a lot of wide open riding I'd have both in the garage, a 650 and a 450X.

I'd love to have a tricked out 650 and a place to ride it where it could stretch it's legs . And can they ever stretch their legs ! Doug

[huntmaster]

Saying an XR650R isn't high performance because it hasn't won any GNCC's is rediculous, that's like saying how many NASCAR races has a top fuel dragster won? none, therfor a topfueler must not be "high performance" even with over 6500 horsepower!

Yeah, that Schumacher guy is no racer either...how many dad gum Winston cub races has he won? he he!

Don't worry, I've seen this "MX-centric" attitude before. "XR's are nice but I prefer a race bike" Of course when you ask how many Baja 1000's a CR250 has won you get a blank expression! There's other racing besides MX?

Seriously, the 450X and 650R don't even compete with each. Both excel in their targetted areas and your size, riding style and preferences will quickly make the decision clear. Of course, a lot of people on the XR650R/L group don't get that either and argue to great lengths over the relative merits of the bikes, instead of the real isssue....differences in riding preferences!

[Whoya]

Can't believe I read all 6 freekin pages....... With threads like this, who needs my bike is better than your bike threads....... ?

[gdm]

Should have stuck with Yamaha and got a WR450F. Superior machine and no issues like the X.

[Hedge36]

Should have stuck with Yamaha and got a WR450F. Superior machine and no issues like the X.

Sez the guy with the GoldWing

[goodhands]

Yeah, that Schumacher guy is no racer either...how many dad gum Winston cub races has he won? he he!

Don't worry, I've seen this "MX-centric" attitude before. "XR's are nice but I prefer a race bike" Of course when you ask how many Baja 1000's a CR250 has won you get a blank expression! There's other racing besides MX?

Seriously, the 450X and 650R don't even compete with each. Both excel in their targetted areas and your size, riding style and preferences will quickly make the decision clear. Of course, a lot of people on the XR650R/L group don't get that either and argue to great lengths over the relative merits of the bikes, instead of the real isssue....differences in riding preferences!

So true

[falconjet]

I have about 1000 miles on my 05 and just checked the valves. Both exhaust valves were a nice loose .011. One intake was a tight .006 and the other a loose .008. I find it a little hard to belive that your valves were as far out as you say. Make sure you are at TDC and that two feeler gauges are not stuck together!!!!!!!

Happy feeling.

[slomotobug]

Should have stuck with Yamaha and got a WR450F. Superior machine and no issues like the X.

Yah, no issues, that's why I just had to put valves in an 04 WR that had less than 2000 miles on it, no issues! None of them have issues, they have maintinance, and if neglected, they WILL have failures, no matter what brand! Since Yamaha went to Ti valves, I've seen more Yamis fail than Hondas.

[craugb]

Sounds like a typical factory adjustment,Maybe done in a hurry? finish of shift? Humans make booboos all the time. Learn to do it yourself and then you cant blame somebody.All the brands have problems,some factorys need to improve their warranty and delivery.If you cant do it yourself ask around to find a smart mechanic,there out there. The modern 4stroke dirt bike engine is not high performance as most people think. Make a V twin out of 2 450X s and you have a 900 cc engine which might have 90 or 95 rear wheel horse power.Thats nothing special. Recently here in Oz a friends 450exc snapped a cam chain destroying the motor,all replaced under warranty, Just over 100ks old and at low revs.Guess the assembly worker forgot to peen over the joining link.And i remember the moto guzzi deliverd to the CHPatrol last century which didnt have piston rings in one cylinder.

[K-fab]

Seriously, the 450X and 650R don't even compete with each. Both excel in their targetted areas and your size, riding style and preferences will quickly make the decision clear. Of course, a lot of people on the XR650R/L group don't get that either and argue to great lengths over the relative merits of the bikes, instead of the real isssue....differences in riding preferences!

This is the ONLY post in this thread that hits the nail on the head.

Sheesh, I thought these types of internet boards were here to help each other out, not bash, bitch and moan at each other. - even our Down Under buddies are fighting!!! (where are the Canadians???)

We all have opinions, just some are blind when their opinion and someone else's don't jive. Grow up and learn to listen with a bit more of an open mind.

Egad! You might learn something by listening or get to share something w/o being slammed. Would be nice, wouldn't it?

I've not had any issues with my X bike, but I'm sure that others do have problems. It's a machine. It has specific values that it was designed to. It has a multitude of mechanical structures, parts and materials that all work together in very tight tolerances. When one of these things has a problem (you can't tell me that there are not flawed units out there - it happens!), then the machine has issues.

Just because you've not experienced an issue, doesn't mean that the poster's not had a problem.

Next we're going to hear that X-bikes don't lock up the tranny on occasion... They DO!!!

[rmhrc630]

BTW- Scott Summers has won some GNCC's on a XR 650........like several titles.

Look all this talk about bikes not being comparable is lame.

The facts are we are making the comparision everyday.

The 650R is directly compared to the 450X -all the time. It's a comparisoon that riders made 10 years ago between the XR400 and the XR600. They are botrh offroad bikes yet the 650R has major shortcomings.

The 650R will flat out have it's entire ass handed to itself in any real competitive offroad situation, EXCEPT baja (BFD reallly as the 600 used to do baja AND GNCC). Baja outside the US is kinda not well known and kinda quirky. Yeah Honda US make a big deal about it, but what else can they do to market the 650R? It doesnt win GNCCs or enduros or Blackwater so it is now in a corner - a corner that is highly individualised and unbelievably lacking versatility.

Umm how many GNCCs championships did Summers win on the XR650R.

Zero.

How many races did he try to ride the 650R in GNCCs? Heaps - but even he, the great man that he is could not make that tank of a bike turn and handle.

The facts are Summers didnt like his 650R as much as thre 600R he used win 8 TITLES on.

Watch team Honda - they have been using thr 450R in certain races since it came out - now the X. Go and check Honda red riders and see how many desert races the 450s are bbng used at - hell HOnda even tell you how to desertise your R.