2016 CRF450R: FIRST RIDE

Transmoto’s David Pingree threw a leg over Honda’s 2016-model CRF450R at last week’s media launch in the USA. Here’s what did the long-time Honda fan thought of the refined 2016 machine…

“The changes to the 2016 CRF450R are pretty minimal this year. Honda’s designers focused on balancing the chassis by adding 5mm to the fork length and adding longer link arms in the rising-rate linkage to squat the rear-end more. In 2015, most riders were running 105mm to 110mm of sag to get the balance right, which puts you so deep into the stroke that you often got a harsh feel on acceleration chop and small bumps. Sag numbers this year are around 103mm, which keeps you up in the plusher part of the shock valving in those sections.

“On the track, the Honda feels more balanced right out of the box. The diving in the front-end is gone, and while faster or larger rider may want to add some compression via the clickers, the standard set-up is pretty good. Personally, I went in two clicks on the fork’s compression to help with big landings and G-out sections where I got too deep in the stroke. The shock worked great in stock trim; I never touched it all day!

“If you liked last year’s CRF450R, the 2016 is a better-balanced version of that. I find the Honda one of the easiest 450s to ride and the most comfortable. The 2016 is no different.”– David Pingree

“There are three different map settings for the engine: standard, soft and aggressive. The soft setting might be a good choice on hard, dry slick terrain where traction is minimal. Otherwise, it just makes the bike feel slow. The aggressive setting adds a little over-rev and makes the bike snap out of the turns a bit harder. I went through each of the settings and found the standard setting to be the best. While I liked the way the aggressive setting felt, I found myself making more mistakes and inadvertently lifting the front wheel exiting turns.

“The bottom line is that I could ride more laps on this 2016 bike without getting as tired, and I made fewer mistakes with the standard engine setting. Everything else on the bike is of Honda’s traditional high quality and unchanged from 2015. If you liked last year’s CRF450R, this is a better-balanced version of that. I find the Honda one of the easiest 450s to ride and the most comfortable of all bikes as soon as I hop on. And the 2016 was no different.”

For a top-line snapshot of the upgrades made to all four Japanese brands’ MX models for 2016, check out this summary.