Honda did it right with the CRF450X. It isn’t the quickest, smoothest, best braking woods/enduro bike out there. It isn’t the best in any of these categories. Well, what the hell does it do then? It does everything well. This bike was inspired by Honda’s CRF450R in many aspects. The CRF450R’s powerful engine, brakes and great suspension are all tuned to the sound of trails, and desert riding alike.
But where the Honda 450R is usually the lightest bike in the class, the 450X isn’t. It’s not ungodly heavy, but instead of feeling light, it feels a little heavier thanks to the fuel and larger radiators being carried high on the frame and near the steering head area. In 2008 the bike slimmed up and had the suspension refined and bolstered with Honda’s nice little steering damper hidden behind the headlight. Those were welcome changes until we realized the new slimmer, lighter feel goes away at about 40 miles from your truck. After that you are pushing the bike with an empty fuel tank, and they never feel light or fast when they are powered by a human. As a result we installed a slightly larger, but good-for-50-miles 2007 tank and shrouds. Sadly, that negated some of the slim, light feeling the new bike enjoys, but stopped much of the pain after 40 miles. A larger IMS tank can be purchased here.
Before you end up running on empty, this bike moves quite well. In stock form the response is not great off idle, then a little soft before another hit in the mid-range. On top the bike pulls long, but without a lot of excitement. Actually it feels a little flat but… it is plenty fast, just not in a shit-eating-grin fashion 🙂 The off-idle surge is fine when conditions are good, but in questionable traction it is easier to break traction and find your butt planted on the ground instead of the seat!
Suspension and brakes are great. The suspension is more for the go-fast trailrider and could be a little softer for those of us who ride trails. But with a quick tune, you can get it dialed in as you would like. The brakes work great, so no complaints there!
All in all this is a great do-all bike that can be race ready with minimal mods. Would I buy one? Probably. Then again, there are other bikes I would buy too!
See you on the trails!
Only Trail Bikes! 
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