BEST MOTOCROSS BIKE - Honda CRF450R
Welcome to another Honda dynasty. For seven years, the CRF450R has been stealing the moto-show, unheard of in such a competitive, ever-changing class. But Honda’s constant development has kept the 450R at the head of the field, a job made easier by the fact that it kept starting at the head of the field! Of the 2008 model, we declared, “On track, the CRF can be ridden the hardest, pulls out of corners the strongest, and its suspension is ready for anything Ma Earth can throw in its way.” That makes it all the more amazing that Honda pretty much re-did everything on the 2009 version!
CONTENDERS: Honda’s upgrade of the CRF450R is a good thing, because Kawasaki’s new KX450F now has fuel-injection and a radically revised frame that together result in more power and easier turning. For KTM, meanwhile, changes to the 450 SX have been small, but it nonetheless has been impressing all testers.