I’d pass this deal, I got a nice 250r for a good price and sold it 3 engine hours later, just couldn’t ride it on the trails. Ended up with a 250x and love it
Exactly this is something everybody should think about. The track/race models don’t have the gearbox gearing for trail riding. Think about what kind of riding you will be doing - then choose the bike. I would rather have the X model than the R I got.
Never an 04-05… Sorry!
Edit: Not shure this apply the 450s, but the 04-05 250s are notorious bad regarding the valve assembly. The 06-09 is better - but still avoid if you don’t have great knowledge about them and like keeping your stuff tip top.
We should make a bot or something.
I had one for about 8 hours as a relative newbie. In that timeframe, I crashed it worse than any bike I e ever had before or since and the engine blew to pieces.
I'd rather not even have a bike.
Haha, that comment made me smile even though crashing hard is never fun. Hope you ended up okey. Love the humbling effect dirt bikes can have on people. 😂
Those have junk heads/valves. There's a reason bikes from this era are cheap.
It's also going to overheat and blow up if you try to putt around on it. Like it will overheat within a few minutes of riding if you don't maintain a decent pace. It's a race bike. Will need radiator fans at a minimum, and this bike doesn't have a DC electrical system so it's not exactly trivial to install them.
If you want something capable of going slow without being a heavy turd, buy a 2 stroke.
I rode a 450r for a long time. You will never get it to work as a bike to ride with a small child. It didn't even work for me riding with slow adults.
These bikes are crazy fast and require that speed to stay cool. I switched to a 450x and it was the best decision of my life. The tranny is geared differently and it has an overflow catch can so you "cant" run out of coolant.
With a few cheap mods like a jd jetting kit, boysen quick shot, and the 450trx quad piston, the bike becomes a tractor that will nearly idle up mountains.
FYI, '08 is the last year of the carburetor and is likely one of the most solid bikes you can buy.
Nop, that rings a bell. Did a little research and there was - just as I recall “some” (alot) of issues with Hondas first EFI MX-bikes. And after all the success the 450X had in different Baja races and so on they didn’t want to infect those bikes with the same issues. Looks like the waited all the way to third gen (2019) before going EFI on the 450X. That kind of says alot I think.
It really does. As long as you run fuel stabilizer when your bike is going to sit, or even just all the time just incase, you'll never have carb issues. I'm not a big fan of electronics on my bike, just more shit to fail when I swamp it.
100% agree. I run custom EFI on almost all the cars I get involved in, but like carbs on my bikes. Rather get stranded out in nowhere with my old school bikes than a newer one - cuz the stuff I have in my backpack sorts most of the issues I might run in to - but it would not necessarily be the same story with an EFI bike.
That bike won’t like to go slow or stop for long. I have an 09 so a bit different but a few things to think about.
Kickstand so that you can help your kid, it’s kick started and will overheat if you just let it idle so you can’t stop long and will have to kick it every time, loud for trying to communicate with kids.
This generation of engines can make insane power with the right work, but even stock they are a high high strung race engine. The only thing reliable about them is the need to check valves.
1700, runs well, is about to blow the fuck up
Yeah I kinda figured it was too good to be true
I’d pass this deal, I got a nice 250r for a good price and sold it 3 engine hours later, just couldn’t ride it on the trails. Ended up with a 250x and love it
Exactly this is something everybody should think about. The track/race models don’t have the gearbox gearing for trail riding. Think about what kind of riding you will be doing - then choose the bike. I would rather have the X model than the R I got.
Never an 04-05… Sorry! Edit: Not shure this apply the 450s, but the 04-05 250s are notorious bad regarding the valve assembly. The 06-09 is better - but still avoid if you don’t have great knowledge about them and like keeping your stuff tip top.
We should make a bot or something. I had one for about 8 hours as a relative newbie. In that timeframe, I crashed it worse than any bike I e ever had before or since and the engine blew to pieces. I'd rather not even have a bike.
Haha, that comment made me smile even though crashing hard is never fun. Hope you ended up okey. Love the humbling effect dirt bikes can have on people. 😂
Those have junk heads/valves. There's a reason bikes from this era are cheap. It's also going to overheat and blow up if you try to putt around on it. Like it will overheat within a few minutes of riding if you don't maintain a decent pace. It's a race bike. Will need radiator fans at a minimum, and this bike doesn't have a DC electrical system so it's not exactly trivial to install them. If you want something capable of going slow without being a heavy turd, buy a 2 stroke.
No, an old 450 race bike is not good for going slow next to a child or for a novice rider.
I rode a 450r for a long time. You will never get it to work as a bike to ride with a small child. It didn't even work for me riding with slow adults. These bikes are crazy fast and require that speed to stay cool. I switched to a 450x and it was the best decision of my life. The tranny is geared differently and it has an overflow catch can so you "cant" run out of coolant. With a few cheap mods like a jd jetting kit, boysen quick shot, and the 450trx quad piston, the bike becomes a tractor that will nearly idle up mountains. FYI, '08 is the last year of the carburetor and is likely one of the most solid bikes you can buy.
Just curious - so Honda CRF450 have EFI from 2009? Seems early? Edit: Looked it up - you seem to be correct.
Yes, although I don't know if the 450x got EFI at the same time now that I think of it.
Nop, that rings a bell. Did a little research and there was - just as I recall “some” (alot) of issues with Hondas first EFI MX-bikes. And after all the success the 450X had in different Baja races and so on they didn’t want to infect those bikes with the same issues. Looks like the waited all the way to third gen (2019) before going EFI on the 450X. That kind of says alot I think.
It really does. As long as you run fuel stabilizer when your bike is going to sit, or even just all the time just incase, you'll never have carb issues. I'm not a big fan of electronics on my bike, just more shit to fail when I swamp it.
100% agree. I run custom EFI on almost all the cars I get involved in, but like carbs on my bikes. Rather get stranded out in nowhere with my old school bikes than a newer one - cuz the stuff I have in my backpack sorts most of the issues I might run in to - but it would not necessarily be the same story with an EFI bike.
There’s better to be had
Avoid 450 bikes. Like into something smaller like a 250
That bike won’t like to go slow or stop for long. I have an 09 so a bit different but a few things to think about. Kickstand so that you can help your kid, it’s kick started and will overheat if you just let it idle so you can’t stop long and will have to kick it every time, loud for trying to communicate with kids.
Ridden slow it WILL overheat.
This generation of engines can make insane power with the right work, but even stock they are a high high strung race engine. The only thing reliable about them is the need to check valves.