07 Racer X 450 Shootout

[adamdf]

http://www.racerxill.com/articles/detail/1167/racer-x-tested-2007-450-shootout.aspx

Something tells me you guys are gonna like this.

[The_Edge]

Hell Yeah! Thanks for the post!

Everyone says the same thing, honda's engine is very powerful and may not be for the average rider. I know mine has scared me a few times.

[XR6's_rule]

Alll the bikes seem like they are very close in overall performance here, but the thing that interested me was that they were all saying the Honda had a huge engine and the Yammy was mellower. I can remember not so long ago when the honda was Mr easy to use and the Yammy was regarded as being too explosive. I suppose the real message these days is that theres not a "bad" bike out there.

[gh57]

Everything I have read so far has stated that the CRF450 has a smooth, easy-to-ride powerband for '07 but Racer X keeps mentioning that the engine is hard-hitting and for advanced riders only. What's the real deal? I am planning on getting an '07 but was looking for smooth power delivery. Opinions?

[VB_Racing]

I kind laughed at the comment about the motor also, I came off a KX 125 big bore to my 07 CRF, and was absolutely comfortable with the motor within a couple laps. I am NOT a pro rider, and consider myself only an average B rider.

I have ridden and owned a couple Yamaha's and the 03 YZ's were ALOT different than these 07 Honda's(And alot harder to ride).

I do agree with the comment that the motor signs off earlier than some others, I notice the same, BUT you can lug the crap out of this motor, so the upper RPM range isn't as critical,IMHO. A local pro rider put a WB carbon pro on his bike, and he said it does address the top end power.

I was really close to buying a YZ, and after reading the comments that the Yamaha push still exists, I am glad I went with the Honda, I could never get used to the pushy front end on any of my Yamaha's.My Honda feels almost as nimble as my 125.

From the sounds of these guys comments, you cant go wrong with any of these bikes.

Dave

[VB_Racing]

What's the real deal? I am planning on getting an '07 but was looking for smooth power delivery. Opinions?

In my opinion the motor is very powerful, BUT very easy to manage, my bike pulls from idle to rev limiter with no real "hit" . It just pulls extremely hard. It is very snappy off idle,and has extremely quick throttle response, but I am used to quick revving 2 strokes, so this doesn't bother me. Hope this helps.

Dave

[gh57]

Great info, thanks a bunch. I am a novice MXer and didn't want to end up with a bike I needed to hold on to, rather than ride. I loved the power delivery of my '04 CRF450 so hopefully the '07 engine is similar. I think I will be needing a revalve/new springs, especially up front. I weigh in the 200lb range. I had a revalve front & rear with .49 fork springs & 1.76 pressure springs in my '04 and they worked well. Probably the same deal with the '07.