Honda 450R

The Honda went on to become something of a legend in the US, where quad racing is strongest, and would dominate competition in that class in America for more than a decade. Then the whole thing fell in a heap.

For some reason, development of racing ATVs stalled right there, and although Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki introduced their own racing three and four-wheelers, and Honda continued to tweak the 250R until 1989, not a lot happened during the nineties to stir public interest in new equipment, especially from Honda, a proud company that hates the idea of being reamed out by anyone.

By the late nineties Honda was in dire need of an ATV that would revive interest in the brand and remind Hondaphiles all over the world that the company was still in the game. And thankfully they produced it. Today every Japanese manufacturer has competitive four-wheelers, there are more models from Europe every year, and Honda, with an audible sigh of relief from its fans, finally released the horny TRX450R.

This new sports ATV has the hallmarks of intense research and development, and a marketing commitment intended to push Honda to the pointy end of the pack. Everything about it is high tech. It carries adjustable, rebuildable Showa shocks all round, each with a piggy-back reservoir; powerful brakes with new line material to reduce flex and make even panic braking a one-finger deal; and new alloy components, like the kickstarter, gear shifter, steering spindles and cast swingarm, to dramatically reduce weight. Did the anti-flab diet work? You bet. This 450 is only 3kg heavier than the Suzuki 250 Quadsport!

Ergos and everything: The first thing you notice is how compact this Honda is, and how good the ergos are. The bike has a tough, in-ya-face stance, and although it sits a little high at the rear, a trait that racers will correct with an adjustable linkage, it's certainly easy to move around on. There's nothing to snag your riding gear either, although our tester Scott Bentley says you have to adjust the shift lever upwards if you're riding in boots.

All the controls are familiar and work smoothly. The Dunlop A/T radials do a good job in sand with 3psi in the rear and 5psi up front. The bike is also very quiet. There's plenty of power on tap here, about 37hp if figures reported in American ATV mags are accurate, but you'd never accuse the 450R of sacrificing civility for grunt. Like most production four-strokes these days, it's a stealth fighter.

The engine: The four-valve, SOHC engine doesn't have the snappy power of the more motocross-oriented Yamaha YFZ450 but it does have a smooth, progressive delivery that resists stalling and is very easy to handle. Fuel is pumped in through a large 42mm Keihin carb and throttle response is impressive. It's a fast bike but the 450R doesn't flatten your eyeballs with acceleration. It barks, not with nitrous power but with gobs of useable grunt at almost any engine speed. There's torque everywhere and that makes it easy to ride everywhere, which to us seems part of Honda's overall marketing strategy. The gearing feels a little high in first so you need a few more revs to get it moving in sand, but lack of power will never be a complaint Honda has to deal with. As we said in our TRX intro last month, this thing whangs!

 A technical aspect we liked about this engine was the separate oil supplies for the engine and gearbox/clutch. That prevents cross-contamination, although you may have to leave a note on the oil bottle reminding your there are now two oil reservoirs to drain, not one. In our experience the engine was never difficult to start and the

hot-start lever on the left switchblock worked effectively all day. The kickstart lever kicks forward, which feels a bit weird at first, but you soon get used to it and the throw is short anyway. It's just not a problem.

The suspension: What we have here is a conventional layout with double A-arms up front and Showa shocks, adjustable for preload, rebound and compression. Down the back is a cast alloy swingarm controlled by a variable rate linkage and a single Showa shock, again with all the adjustable bells, whistles and base drums. This is as good as it gets on a modern ATV, that is, unless Gas Gas still has the advantage with Ohlins shocks, generally thought to be the industry's best.

The Honda's suspension is set up less aggressively than the YFZ450, but it ain't soft. This is one hell of a fun thing to ride on sand, or any surface for that matter, but doesn't really have the goods in stock trim to take on the Yamaha on a motocross track or on real choppy terrain. Yamaha pitched the YZF squarely at racers but Honda has aimed the 450R at recreational riders, or racers who don't mind spending a bit of money getting their TRXs race ready. The result of that marketing strategy is a plush ride that works fine until pushed hard on race-type terrain

 The 450R is very easy to throw around though, even after half an hour in the saddle. It isn't a flicker like the YFZ450 and doesn't change direction as quickly. It prefers to carve a line through a turn rather than change direction suddenly or "square it off', but it's suspension layout makes for a cushy ride that'll keep you happy all day.

What we really think: The good news about this Honda is that anyone can ride it, and they can ride it as fast as they want. They can dawdle of fang it. There's ample speed for powerhounds, no doubt about that, but the Honda engine has such a broad and friendly spread of power that riders with minimal four-wheeler experience can enjoy themselves without being intimidated.

Feature and photography: Bazz