Is the Honda CRF450L a good Enduro bike? PROS and CONS (Part 1)

Part 1 of what it's like to ride the CRF450L on the mountain trails in Alberta, Canada. We dive into how well this bike does to the other large bore bikes for mountain riding and various types of single track and quad trails.

[@YZEtc]

Nice video.
On my 2021 CRF450RL, I have done the following mods to make it suited for me:
* Knobby tires are a no-brainer for off-road riding.
* One tooth larger rear sprocket (now 52 teeth).
* DID 520 ERVT chain because the stock chain seemed to have a lot of friction at the rubber ring joints like no other chain I've used, so I took the advice of a lot of other riders and replaced it with the special narrow width DID 520 ERVT. This chain is butter smooth at the joints and high quality. I also used the optional rivet-style master link.
* Suspension springs better suited for my weight.
* Vortex ECU. Beside knobby tires, this is a game changer with how the bike performs. Honda Motor Co. did not release the CRF450L/RL to North America with the fueling mapping it comes with because that's the best they could possibly do, but it was the best they could do with the regulations they had to meet.
If I'm riding my CRF450RL off-road, lean stalling and flameouts are not only a drag, but happening at a bad time makes for a bad experience. 🤕
With the Vortex, I can sum it up as: If the bike ran like this straight off the showroom floor, nobody would be complaining. Well worth the money and I recommend. Finally normal running and normal throttle response! Bike runs cooler with less cooling fan kicking on, too.
* FMF Megabomb head pipe and Q4 Hex muffler. Lighter, runs MUCH cooler with no cat buried inside, and sounds very nice with a pleasing deep tone that actually gets compliments. Not loud, either, but very respectable. Also looks like a REAL dirt bike exhaust, not a mandated boat anchor.
* Removed the evap canister just above the shift lever. Why? Believe it or not, it was largely to gain easier access to the rear shock preload adjuster.
* Disabled the exhaust air injection to get rid of exhaust popping on deceleration.
* Twin Air brand air filter element. Not because the stock filter couldn't filter the air, but because the rubber part of the stock filter makes it a little harder to squeeze the excess air filter oil out of it while servicing the air filter. That's all I needed to justify a nice Twin Air item.
* Removed clutch judder spring, removed the judder spring seat, and removed the one special friction plate sized to accommodate the judder spring. These parts were replaced with a normal friction plate like the rest are, reducing the (what I believe to be) overly long clutch lever throw required to go from fully engaged to fully disengaged. The tradeoff is the clutch feels grabbier compared to stock. It's a personal preference.
* Removed three of the stock clutch springs (there are a total of six) and replaced them with CFR450R springs that are a little bit stiffer. It's funny how I hear and read lots about the clutch pull being a little too hard and here I am making it a little stiffer and grabbier. 🙂
Personally, I think the clutch pull is pretty easy and well within the realm of average, in my experience.
* Here is something I don't hear much about, but a TH-camr (can't recall the name) had a video about installing 2021 CRF450R OEM Honda throttle cables on his CRF450RL. These are much shorter than the stock CFR450RL cables and do not get routed way up alongside the headlight in a big arc, but route behind the handlebar, down to just above the radiator, and then straight back to the throttle body. The point is the stock CRF450RL cables are so long and routed in such a big arc that if you have the handlebar positioned straight ahead and then set your throttle grip free play to the minimum (for precise control), turning the bars full left and full right will then get you too little throttle grip free play and a sticky throttle. In order to avoid this with the stock cables, you need to compensate by starting with so much throttle grip free play that throttle control is sloppy and imprecise. I noticed this on my bike when I first took delivery of it.
I decided to install the OEM Honda 2021 CRF450R cables, and man, is it ever so much better with having a very precise-feeling throttle grip. This is one of the cheaper mods I've done and does it ever make a big difference to me.
That's all the mods I can recall at the moment and made my CRf450RL truly tailored to my preferences.
This is one hell of a dual-purpose bike with plenty of power and torque, excellent suspension, tremendous straight-line stability, and great looks and styling.
It is not the best choice for tight woods but I knew that going in and I make do just fine with what it does do well. 😉

[@ratherberiding5964]

Great video. Amazing scenery. I have a 21’ 450rl. I’ve generally had the same experience with the Honda. Love the bike, and love Honda’s. As you noted the after market has options for addressing the issues with stalling and clutch pull but those are expensive options and you can’t get away from the weight when the trail gets very tight technical. I have a vortex and yoshimura exhaust on my bike. A friend I ride with regularly spent the coin on the ecu and exhaust as well but went further than I did and installed a flywheel weight, megura hydraulic clutch and throttle tamer. Those additions really make the bike feel like a different machine compared to mine. Ultra light clutch pull, much smoother power delivery and noticeably improved stalling resistance ( even though I have the vortex and that helps alot ) with those additional mods… at that point you’re already in the price range of other dual sport bikes and they don’t have the weight of the 450l so….🤷🏻‍♂️ round and round we go lol

[@BRad02]

Hi mate Did you install a CRF450X spark arrestor before you installed your FMF pipe? If so was it louder than stock?

[@ElRubio864]

2:28 Did you just fart? xD

[@rogerlarson8040]

Does anyone know if the new 450RL still has the problems

[@YZEtc]

Sure does.
With a Vortex ECU on my 2021 CRF450RL, the bike now has normal throttle response and no more flameouts and lean stalling.
I also use the FMF Megabomb header and Q4 muffler to get rid of some bulk and weight and also to get rid of the cat buried in the stock muffler which radiates a baking heat.
As for the weight and cumbersome handling on tight trails, that's because that's how a desert sled feels while going slow in the tight stuff.
A CRF450L and CRF450RL is simply a street legal CRF450X, and the CRF450X is what has been used in Baja for years with its excellent straight-line stability over fast, rough ground.
The trade-off for that stability at speed is you being able to tell it's not great in the tight woods trails.