2019 Honda CRF450L Dual Sport

[Nice Goat]

The same guy that made the 351 kit in my KLX250s ...

Does that 351 kit work in the new fuel-injected KLX?

[norton73]

Does that 351 kit work in the new fuel-injected KLX?

There's a thread over on AdvRider on the new gen bikes;

https://advrider.com/f/threads/klx-250-2018-next-gen.1266838/page-46

mechanically it's the same, but the FI is different than the bikes sold in other markets.

Apparently there are people experimenting, but i haven't seen anything definitive yet.

[Nice Goat]

Reviews are now popping up all over the place.

From Jimmy Lewis:

This is not a bad motorcycle. In fact it is very good. But instead of having to read between the lines and guess what others are trying to tell you, here is the plain straight up fact. This CRF450L is not going to replace your KTM 500 EXC. It isn't in that category though many hoped it would be. The CRF450L is a modern day XR650L and here is why...

https://dirtbiketest.com/fresh-dirt/2019-honda-crf450l-first-riding-impression/#QpsL1oAFUdbPCFwQ.97

[Nice Goat]

Review from ADV Pulse:

http://www.advpulse.com/adv-bikes/2019-honda-crf450l-review/

[Nice Goat]

Revzilla's review:

https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/2019-honda-crf450l-first-ride-motorcycle-review

[springer]

 Interesting /\. Wanna drop weight, add some power? Sounds like it is a familiar way is there to take. Drop the stock exhaust for a lighter, free flowing aftermarket one, free up the intake, then add a programmable ecu.  ;)

[gulfcoaster]

Interesting /\. Wanna drop weight, add some power? Sounds like it is a familiar way is there to take. Drop the stock exhaust for a lighter, free flowing aftermarket one, free up the intake, then add a programmable ecu.  ;)

But since it's going for the $$ that an Austrian bike goes for, and the service intervals are about the same...you can actually save money by getting a KTM/Husky!!!  I'm sure will many will buy it for Honda reliability, but I don't see it being as successful as they were hoping for.  I get that they have to deal with more emission standards, but I think they kind of missed the mark a bit.  The increased weight, and detuned power(compared to KTM) would be acceptable to me if it had longer service intervals.  Or if the price was lower, it could steal all of the DRZ business.  But it doesn't fit any of those niches.  This is just my opinion of course.

[Nice Goat]

A lot of people don't need or want KTM power.  If you ride this bike like a dual sport and not like a race bike, you'll probably never need the valves changed.

[gulfcoaster]

True, but this is just me...if I was going to be paying over $10k I would hope it would edge out the Austrians in at least one category.  I guess a perceived value thing.  If I'm not wanting the KTM power it'd be hard not to go with a DRZ, farkle the hell out of it, and still save $$.  If Honda had come in around the $8k mark, I'd say they hit a homerun.

[Mulley]

The reviews are all positive. Almost no negative comments from what I've seen. That's good.

The biggest negative is the price. Even with all of the good I personally believe it should be selling for $1,000 less OTD compared to a KTM 500EXC-F and it still might after the new wears off and Honda starts doing some dealer incentives.

A few things must be confirmed before I would consider buying one.

• A 4 gallon tank must be available. IMS is currently working a 3 gallon
• A way to modify the ECU be it piggy back, replacement or jailbreak it must be available
• Seat Concepts must be available.

If just those 3 things happen I predict that it will do well in spite of the short oil change and valve adjustment intervals. Mainly because people will do some testing and realize that those numbers are for race use and can be extended for average dualsport use. One of the ride leaders during the event stated that he currently owns a 2016 KTM 500 and the 450L feels lighter on the trail. That's a huge endorsement. Granted the 500 doesn't feel very light compared to a modern 2-stroke but it's what this bike will be compared to in almost every category. It will win every category against the KTM 500 that involves comfort and ADV use, maybe not by much but it will beat it. The categories that it loses to KTM 500 will only be about outright performance but that too will not be by much. That is why I think it will succeed. Once it's out on the market and people realize that it's a quality comfortable bike that can handle long distance multi-day dualsport touring. It will be fully accepted as the dirtiest of the street-ish bikes.

If I'm not careful I'm going to talk myself into buying one. Oh wait, it's $10,729 plus tax, tag, title and dealer market adjustment. So never mind, I'll be waiting for them to come to their senses and then buy on the used market.

[Mulley]

True, but this is just me...if I was going to be paying over $10k I would hope it would edge out the Austrians in at least one category.  I guess a perceived value thing.  If I'm not wanting the KTM power it'd be hard not to go with a DRZ, farkle the hell out of it, and still save $$.  If Honda had come in around the $8k mark, I'd say they hit a homerun.

The Honda has the best and only 180 degree bendable blinkers on the market.

[gulfcoaster]

If I'm not careful I'm going to talk myself into buying one. Oh wait, it's $10,729 plus tax, tag, title and dealer market adjustment. So never mind, I'll be waiting for them to come to their senses and then buy on the used market.

Yep.  In 2-3 years when people are saying they're going closer to 1k before needing an oil change, and the valves are good for longer, I will be hunting a used one for hopefully $7500.  By then there will be more accessories and I can easily turn it into the lightweight ADV bike that I want, or think I need.  Of course by then, what I want will probably have changed at least 5 times.

[catang5oh]

I have the inside price! I might could be persuaded if the reviews stay strong.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jwwr]

From the Revzilla article:

"One final thing that is going to set this bike apart from the competition is the fact that it comes standard with a one-year factory warranty and the option of adding five years on top of that for a total of six years of protection... unlimited miles... on a dirt bike. And what does the warranty cover? Well, it's easier to tell you what it excludes: tires, batteries, accessories and expendable maintenance items, such as spark plugs, filters, and lubricants."

Maybe this is a hint as to how reliable it will be.

[kylepeterson]

So the ajp pr7 just got more desirable ?

Is that on your list Glenn?