First Look Crf450r
FIRST LOOK CRF450R
HONDA’S CRF450R is a go, and we’ve got the inside line! Big Red’s long-awaited four-stroke motocrosser will hit dealer showrooms in October and cost $6299. Boasting all kinds of techotrickery, including a tiny gear-driven counterbalancer, the 65-pound, wet-sump powerplant reportedly puts out 55 horsepower at 9000 rpm and 36 footpounds of torque at 7000 rpm. Claimed dry weight is 225 pounds, 12 more than the 2002 CR250R.
The high-tech cylinder head utilizes Honda’s new “Unicam,” in which a single, threelobe camshaft actuates two 36mm titanium intake valves and a pair of 31mm steel exhausts via a forked roller rocker arm. The 96mm piston is a 261-gram, short-skirt design operating through a 62.1mm stroke. Compression is 11.5:1, and the claimed rev ceiling is a lofty
11,200 rpm. Engine oil and transmission fluid are separate, cutting down on frictional losses and eliminating potential cross-contamination.
As for the chassis, Honda’s thirdgeneration twin-spar aluminum frame features larger swingarm/footpeg castings that now incorporate the shock tower. The result is a narrower rider compartment and altered rigidity. The $4999 CR125R and $5899 CR250 (the latter now featuring case-reed induction and electronically controlled
powervalve) use the same basic frame design. As a result, twostroke fans should have their fill of thrills, too. Jimmy Lewis
