Jesse Ziegler | October 29, 2018
2019 Honda CRF450X First Impression
Photos: Drew Ruiz
The legacy of the Honda CRF450X can only be compared to its predecessor, the Honda XR650R. And before that, it’s predecessor, the Honda XR600. And before that, dominating the Baja 1000 from Honda’s perspective was, like a lot of things fueling the lift under the Honda wing—a dream.
Through it all were a handful of people. And what they developed in the CRF450X should be massively celebrated in off-road motorcycle history. I rode with one of those guys on my test ride of the new 2019 CRF450X. His name is Johnny Campbell. And he’s clearly the best 450X ambassador in the world with his domination of the Baja Peninsula as a racer and team boss–always on red bikes.
The 2019 Honda CRF450X is the seventh and final 2019 CRF model to be released from Honda’s suddenly crowded “CRF Performance Line.” It is only the third iteration of the 450X that debuted in 2005 and it follows in historic footsteps.
Let’s all drift with the 2019 Honda CRF450X!
Finally, the new CRF450X is here
Some may be wondering what took so long to get here. Well, the recession stuff and rising costs and shrinking sales and things like that may have made a difference in Japan’s decision to not massively update the 450X sooner. But, also, it just kept (keeps) winning. Like, a lot. A modified 2009-ish CRF450X just wrapped up the 2018 National Hare and Hound series championship with Kendall Norman at the controls. This is the same bike/rider combo that won this championship back in 2010!
It wins with a carburetor and its decade-old chassis. So, there hasn’t been a lot of reasons to freshen up the old girl.
But remember, this is a “Green Sticker” bike. That means it’s certified to meet tighter emission levels (sound, exhaust and evaporative) in order to be legal to ride year-round in California. And those regulations are getting tougher to meet every few years. Meeting them for much longer with a carburetor and 12-year-old bike will be very difficult.
It all started with the 2005 Honda CRF450X—a bike that was introduced as an open class and open terrain-dominating machine. It was developed to do one thing exceptionally well and run the gamut of off-road conditions more than acceptably. And it did so. It shined in the fast and rough terrain of the North American West with a stable chassis, torque-friendly power delivery and great reliability. It also has about a billion tuners out there making it work how they want it. As a platform, it was hugely successful at being both a fully built racer collecting podium checks and a weekend warrior’s dependable dirt friend.
From 2006 forward, any Honda winning the Baja 1000 would be of the 450 variety. The 2006 Baja 1000 win was the CRF450X’s first attempt at the race. That’s a pretty good start for the winningest bike in Baja (11 Baja 1000 wins and nine Baja 500 wins).
In 2008 the CRF450X received a list of upgrades and updates to the proven platform centered on the triple clamp to integrate with the Honda steering damper as well as some fuel-tank changes and the normal suspension valving massage work. A few internal parts changed, as well, to increase the legacy of longevity. Maybe even some jetting changes. And in 2009 it got a cosmetic makeover. That’s it.
If anything, the CRF450X model is a lesson in purpose-built development paying off. And make no mistake about it, this model was built to perform in and win the fastest, longest off-road races it could find. It also works really well for non-racers riding in those same conditions. It’s reliable. Parts are aplenty. It’s comfortable. And Honda has sold over 27,000 of these babies since 2005.
Well, we’re now in the future and the future has fuel-injected, titanium-tanked Honda CRF450X’s. Let’s deal with it. Honda gave us a sixth speed to help us in our transition.
Let’s ride the 2019 Honda CRF450X
We jumped aboard the new Honda off-road machine at a private property dirt bike temple deep in the Mojave Desert. I’ve ridden out of Black Mountain Ranch a few times on other adventures and I knew the terrain would be a test of suspension (whoops) and power (huge, open trails/roads). Also, it accesses real, legal, OHV trails that a lot of family’s camp around and ride, so it’s a good test for the real world.
After my ride I can tell you this: 13 years after its introduction to the world, the Honda CRF450X and its mantra has clearly stayed the same. This bike has things like “woods” and “singletrack” in its press materials. And you’ll see people riding them there. But make no mistake about it, this bike shines in the wide open where the throttle gets to initiate damn near every motorcycle movement. From wheel lofts and manualing rollers to drifting through beautiful desert sweepers, the Honda CRF450X is right at home in the open country and carrying momentum.
As an engine, the new 450X doesn’t scream race bike, but it says it loud enough that you can hear it in stock form. It’s certainly tamed down a bit with a stock, non-competition exhaust system and matching ECU settings for control and emissions compliance. But its heart and soul are still on the race line. It has excellent torque delivery thanks to its heavier crank (up 12% compared to the R and RX models) and spot-on lower rpm fueling. Once the wheel is in motion at about 1/8-1/4 throttle, the bike churns with momentum and that equates to massive control to the absolute freaking throttle stop. I love the engine for open terrain cruising and chasing horizons. It wants to be on the move and so do I when I’m riding it.
Just when you think you’re doing all the 450X can do, go ahead and shift up again. The new sixth speed will give you serious legs. I kept trying and trying to hold it open deep into sixth. It’s just fast up there. Not snappy and getting to the rev-limiter in a hurry. But you’re cooking. I clocked in the high 80s on my Rever app in my pocket on a sandy road. I could feel the rear end losing traction. Johnny Campbell said he wants to run a bigger tire to get more grip and more speed. I was cool at the speed I reached.
We dug into some open-desert single track a few times on our test loop and the 450X’s bulk does start to show the slower the go gets. It’s not that the bike doesn’t stop and turn around trees or bushes, but it sure lets you know you’re going to be working a bit for it. Thankfully, the motor seemed to be fueled decently for tight stuff and I only pop-stalled the bike a couple times—mostly my fault, but it was an indication this bike is a tool for a slightly faster job. Really, highly technical single-track riding is not this bike’s bread and butter. It has mass, and mass wants to move forward. It’s capable of tackling any rock section you throw at it, but I’ll always be happier at speed on this bike pretending I’m Campbell or Ogilvie or, Hengeveld or Cody or Norman or Samuels or Udall, or Bell or, heaven help me, Jimmy freakin’ Lewis (ugh).
The chassis balance and suspension setup seemed to ride fairly neutral over one decent distance of sand whoops. While certainly soft for a race setup, the 450X’s front suspension never bottomed with unpredictable speed. I knew it was coming every time I did get the forks to dig deep but I can’t really say I found them to be too soft for general off-roading. I’d be hard pressed to give up the small bump comfort if I owned this bike. There’s nothing worse than having a harsh feel on initial stroke followed by wallowing and bottoming. The new 450X felt great on rocks and bigger rolling bumps alike. Again, the heavy crank-fueled torque delivery of the 450X’s motor will have you smiling in desert whoop sections since it makes the front easy to loft.
I did get an awkward hopping sensation on sandy washboards and other higher-speed bumps. Both front and rear felt like they were reacting out-of-sync with the rapid-fire hits. Almost as if the wheels were massively out of balance. Which isn’t out of the question.
Ergonomics still feel very much like a Honda. Which is generally universally loved. I think the newest generation of the CRF’s is more cramped from seat to steering head than the 450R’s and 450X’s of the earlier 2000’s, but the riding position when standing is really good and it’s comfortable cruising in the seat. I only get a little caught up in the ergos when I take this bike in more technical situations.
Finishing touches on the bike are nice. Standouts include the multi-function ride computer that displays traditional data like speed, odometer and trip meters. This model also shows fuel consumption and average fuel economy per trip meter. So, you can ride all day, and see at a glance how much fuel you’ve used. This comes in handy when you’re trying to see how much gas is left through the titanium fuel tank.
What’s missing from the 2019 Honda CRF450X?
A big miss for me on this bike is the complete lack of hand coverage coming stock. Both the 450X and 450L really fumbled the hand coverage situation. Remember, all the XR’s back in the day had hand guards. Just flag-style hand guards would make a world of difference in any terrain comfort. Also, I’ve changed a CRF450L air filter and it’s not a great experience. This bike has an identical airbox and filter setup and it’s not accessible from the outside like all previous X generations enjoyed. You have to use tools to take the air filter out. That’s going backwards to me. Similarly, this bike has a halogen bulb headlight where the 450L has a sweet LED dual-beam awesome-looking headlight. Why doesn’t the X get some LED love up front?
Tighter trails aren’t the CRF450X’s favorite, but thanks to a grunty motor, it pulls through them just fine
Finally, we have to mention the overall weight. The media kit says the 2019 CRF450X weighs 275 pounds full of fuel. In our experience and compared to our scale, that’s a generous claim. Even so, that’s over 10 pounds heavier than a KTM 500 EXC and it’s reportedly around six pounds heavier than the previous CRF450X. This bike is carrying a lot of regulation on it, not to mention fuel pumps and the like for the injection system. Sound-deadening engine covers, evaporative emissions capturing canisters and more adorn the X. All of that makes it Green Sticker legal but also makes it heavy. I’m guessing this bike will be passing emissions tests for a decade while other European manufacturers will continue to develop on a more frequent schedule, thus they are able to skirt the edge of weight savings more than the conservative Honda program. The bottom line on weight is the CRF450X is fighting up a weight class in the new standards of 450-class dual-sport bikes. I’m sure it won’t race up there, but that’s what consumers get when they buy one.
Let’s take the CRF450X Racing!
How soon will the aftermarket have exhaust systems, ECU’s, suspension settings, larger fuel tanks, rally kits and the like for the next generation of 450X racing? I’m sure it’s already in the works. We’re hoping to get our hands on a longer-term test bike to get it on our scales and see if we can get into the future of X a little deeper.
Until then, we’re going to remember chasing Johnny Campbell towards a few desert horizons.
*not Johnny Campbell 😉
