First Ride: Honda TRX450R

ATV Rider editor Billy Bartels had a contest for our test pilots to see who would accompany him to Texas to ride the new Honda 450R. The magazine's test pilots are no different from the rest of you; we all wanted to ride it immediately. At a recent performance comparison, Bartels dropped the bomb: Only one of us would be able to go. Bartels may seem like a nice guy, but he's really a sadistic punk.

He offered a competition: The test rider who could jump the Kasea Skyhawk 250 (a machine with virtually no working suspension) the farthest would get to go. I, being the oldest, rode last. My effort cannot be attributed to skill. Steve Beilman, one of the faster, younger (younger? He's almost 40! -Ed.) test riders, crashed on his attempt, leaving me with a stuck throttle and a winning jump.

Preconceived Notions
When you ride something you know very little about, it's normal to have some preconceived ideas as to what you're going to experience. I had heard some rumors that the 450R was a 400EX with a few upgraded parts, such as brakes and shocks. I also knew Honda engineers had reworked the motor from the CRF motorcycle configuration, changing bore and stroke. I figured this was a detuning method. Having already lowered my expectations, I was unprepared for the bomb that was about to be dropped on me.

The Facts
There are virtually no 400EX components on this quad. It was designed from the ground up to be a performance ATV. The Honda staff gave us an orientation at the WB Ranch (home to the Lake Whitney, Texas, motocross facility), and they had a machine on display along with most of the components it takes to build the quad, such as a frame, an engine (a cutaway model that enabled us to see the internal components), brakes, A-arms and the like. Once I had an opportunity to see the parts and quiz the engineers about design specifics, I knew this would be a serious rival for Yamaha's YFZ. It still left me wondering about the missing button (no electric starter).

The Motor
One kick on the starter was all it took to alleviate my doubts. It kicks easily, usually starting the first kick; my mom could start this thing. I held the hot start button on every kick to ensure that it went off the first time. It's not race bike fast. Of course, neither is the stock Yamaha. I tested the Yamaha on my dyno (Knowles is the owner of CT Racing -Ed.), and it has 37 rear-wheel horsepower. My guess is the Honda is 1 HP more or less than that. It has a very good power delivery with more bottom than the YFZ.

Honda also had an HRC-equipped quad for us to ride. The HRC kit comprises a cam, a special airbox lid, a freer-flowing pipe insert and jetting. This certainly increased the horsepower, widened the power curve and gave it the little extra you need to get around the track successfully. I don't think it kicks up the HP as much as on the YFZ with a CT Racing Sonic pipe kit (blatant plug by Knowles, most pipes will similarly wake up a YFZ -Ed.). We have unleashed around 47 HP with that. It will be interesting to see how the TRX responds to a complete pipe and not just an insert. Historically, Honda does not detune the motor as much with the stock pipe as some other brands.

The Ride
The first couple of laps, I was bottoming out through the rhythm whoops. It was OK on the big stuff but pounding the small stuff. I had the Honda crew increase the low-speed compression. The knobs actually worked; on many shocks (including the original 250R's stock rear shock), the adjustment provided by the stock adjusters is fairly minor. Having the available range of shock adjustment the 450R has is great. That and some additional rear tire pressure, and it was good to go.

The quad has the overall ride characteristics of many past Hondas, including the later-model '88-'89 250Rs and 400EX. That gives it a light front end you can launch into the air at will, yet it's not so light you can't bury the throttle to get off the corners. I found no real flaws in the handling on my first day of testing. For a full MX race quad, you may want to go wider and add some travel. The woods course laid out for us for testing was not good enough to really determine how the quad will fare in GNCCs. I'm sure that is one place it will be better than the Yamaha (despite tall stock gearing), as I personally don't really like the YFZ in the woods in stock trim.

The brakes are fantastic. The front units don't feel spongy, as many others do. Very little pull on the lever brings you big stopping power. The fronts are dual-piston with the same solid line system off of the CRF, while the rear is only a single piston but with an oversized rotor that provides great stopping power. Clutch pull is extremely light. The ergonomics are a little more spread out as compared with the Yamaha, so a large rider would be more comfortable.

The bottom line is the Honda is a great quad. I can't wait to test it and the Yamaha side by side.

Editor's note:
Knowles was along with us at the TRX Intro to photo model and give us some of his insightful feedback. While we were busy putting the finishing touches on the magazine story he took time out of his preparation for the Baja 1000 to write his first impressions of the 'R. Look for a full review of the 450R in the February ATV Rider, and a shootout between the TRX450R and the Yamaha YFZ 450 in the April ATV Rider.

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