Honda CRF450X vs Yamaha WR450F

We test every bike in the sort of conditions and on the sort of trails that you would find in your local area and where our HQ is we are fortunate enough to have access to pretty much every type of track and terrain you could imagine.

We don’t often get a chance to race test bikes, but this month we were really keen to give the CRF a race run to see how it faired in a more pressured situation. We thought we’d also catch up with our friend Evan Rose to see how he found the experience of racing his first WR450F, after stepping off his WR300F.  

Even with the stock pipe and the bung fitted, the CRF-X is extremely strong off the bottom and into the midrange. This worked brilliantly on the tight stadium style track where the 450 literally launched from corner to corner with an incredibly tractable surge.

The Honda was also exceptional at accelerating hard through sweeping corners without having to worry about the rear end breaking loose or giving you that pogo feel. This was due to the combination of the tractable engine and the excellent rear end which seemed to stay firmly planted no matter how chopped out the ground became. Although the track was basically flat, with only one table top and a small ski jump, the suspension worked extremely well.

The front end tracked well and showed no tendency to tuck under in the tight corners. It also resisted blowing through the initial part of the stroke when being dumped hard into 90 degree ruts. Once the front wheel was put where you waned it, the rear would follow like on rails. The flat cockpit and new slimmer ergos also contributed to getting well forward over the front wheel, making cornering a breeze.

On the jumps the Honda CRF-X was very predictable, with no scary moments or unexpected bottoming issues. Overall I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to race the CRF450X in standard trim. It has a strong yet smooth motor coupled with a very predictable handling package that makes going fast easier than it should be.

– Mark Hargrave

I eventually went with the Yamaha because I’ve been riding WRs for so long that they felt perfectly familiar. I started racing local club enduro and sprint rounds and then moved onto state and national rounds. I also did the four day this year.

I raced the WR450F in stock trim just the once. It was obvious to me that the suspension was more suited to trailriding than racing but that was the only real gripe I had with it. The rest of the bike was fantastic. The engine has plenty of power and I still run the standard exhaust to this day. I have changed the levers to better quality units and recently added mouse tubes, but aside from the suspension tuning, the bike is pretty much standard and has been raced plenty of hours as such.

I haven’t done anything to the engine or the gearing at all. Basically the WRF is more than competitive once you’ve sorted the suspension to your own needs.

– Evan Rose

For details on either of these bikes and where to buy, check out our New Bike Showroom.