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Description
2024 CRF450R
CHOICE OF CHAMPIONS
Motorcycle racing is one of the most demanding sports in the world, and when the gate drops you better be totally dialed in—your fitness, your skills, and your equipment. And that’s why the best riders in the world roll up to the start line on a Honda CFR450R. Look at Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton, who clinched the 2023 AMA Supercross championship. Or Jett Lawrence on his CRF450R in the motocross nationals. When Honda introduced the first CR250M Elsinore fifty years ago, we changed motocross forever. For 2024, our CRF450R continues the legacy of winning, combining handling, power, suspension and refinement like nothing else on the track. And if you’re looking for the absolute best of the best, check out our CRF450RWE Works Edition. It adds special touches like an exclusive Yoshimura exhaust, Twin Air filter, Throttle Jockey seat cover, Hinson clutch basket and cover, premium DID DirtStar LT-X rims, Kashima and titanium oxide-coated fork, a red cylinder head cover, and hands-on touches like special cylinder-head porting.
HANDLING
LIGHT NARROW FRAME
Great handling starts with a superior frame, and that’s one place where the CRF450R chassis puts you out front. First, it’s light—over a pound and a half lighter than the previous generation’s. By making the frame’s main spars narrow, we save weight, but more importantly we make the chassis more responsive by fine-tuning the lateral rigidity. The result is a bike that gets into, around, and out of corners faster.
NARROW SWINGARM
Designed in conjunction with the frame, by using narrower main members (just like the frame uses narrower main spars), we’ve matched the swingarm’s lateral rigidity to the rest of the chassis. What you get is a balanced, fully integrated approach to frame stiffness, letting you get around corners faster and with better feel.
LIGHTWEIGHT SUBFRAME
The CRF450R subframe is nearly three-quarters of a pound lighter than the last generation’s part. We’ve simplified its construction too.
SEALED BATTERY BOX
Three key features you should know about: The battery box sits low, for improved center of gravity. Second, it’s also easy to service. And third, it’s water-tight, so there's less to worry about when racing in wet conditions.
TUNED TRIPLE CLAMPS
The CRF450R is a perfectly matched package. With the frame and swingarm featuring an optimized lateral stiffness, and the fork legs featuring a stiff, solid-feel axle fixture, we joined the two with equally refined upper and lower triple clamps. Working in concert, they help improve and balance total rigidity, responsiveness and turning performance.
REAR SUSPENSION
The CRF450R’s frame design lets us fit a special rear shock. The shock’s valving resets fast for better response. In addition, it features a special steel spring that cuts weight without cutting performance. With the RWE, you get additional special A-Kit shock tuning and valving.
SHOWA SPRING FORK
The 49mm Showa fork features a conventional spring design that helps increase the CRF450R’s front-suspension precision, handling and feel. The spring rate provides better bottoming resistance and improved handling. Plus, on the CRF450RWE, the inner rod has a special Kashima coating, and the outer tubes feature a titanium oxide coating.
SINGLE-PIPE EXHAUST
The CRF450R uses a single-pipe header. It routes close to the center of the bike, and its light overall construction helps improve weight distribution. The single muffler uses a pressed-alloy design that lets us shape the muffler body for better rider ergonomics and lighter weight.
YOSHIMURA EXHAUST
The CRF450RWE’s exhaust is another premium item. It uses a stainless header along with a titanium midpipe and muffler made specially for us by Yoshimura. Super light and super trick, the exhaust tucks away for better ergonomics too. The CRF450R uses a single-pipe header. It routes close to the center of the bike, and its light overall construction helps improve weight distribution. The single muffler uses a pressed-alloy design that lets us shape the muffler body for better rider ergonomics and lighter weight.
ENGINEERING
HYDRAULIC CLUTCH
The CRF450R features the first hydraulically actuated dirtbike clutch we’ve offered outside of our works bikes. Made by Nissin, it’s the same design as in our Grand Prix MX machines, and performs better than third-party conversions. You get a clutch-lever pull that’s ten percent lighter at its peak, even though it’s paired with an eight-plate clutch. Plus, you’ll never have to worry about making a clutch-cable adjustment, even during the longest events.
EXCLUSIVE HINSON CLUTCH BASKET
The CRF450RWE gets a premium clutch basket made by Hinson, and a tasty Hinson clutch cover to top it all off.
EIGHT-PLATE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
While the CRF450R’s hydraulic clutch gets all the attention, make sure you pay attention to the clutch assembly itself. The bike uses an eight-plate design to improve durability and hookup. That means 85 percent less slip at peak horsepower, and 27 percent more total torque transmission through the clutch pack over a seven-plate clutch. Even the spring is super strong for better lockup, but thanks to the hydraulic actuation, clutch-lever pull is lighter.
HRC LAUNCH CONTROL
We’re talking about a special ECU program here: push the button to select the mode, hold the throttle open, release the clutch, and the CRF450R will do the rest, launching you into the first turn with a big advantage. It turns your bike into a holeshot-seeking machine!
Honda SELECTABLE TORQUE CONTROL (HSTC)
The button on the handlebar by the clutch perch activates our Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC). You can choose from one of three settings to perfectly dial your bike in depending on how much traction is available.
ENGINE MODE SELECT BUTTON
This simple handlebar-mounted button lets you dial in engine power delivery character with a push of your thumb. Choose between Standard, Smooth and Aggressive, depending on track conditions.
COMPACT FUEL PUMP
No detail is too small for our engineers—especially if they can make it smaller and lighter. That’s why we even made the CRF450R’s fuel pump super compact and super light. Why carry around any extra weight when you don’t have to.
ONE-PIECE RADIATOR SHROUDS
Using computer-aided Computational Fluid Dynamics, our engineers fine-tuned the CRF450R’s radiator shrouds to increase cooling. You can see that they’re a one-piece design, but more important, they promote better cooling for more consistent power, longer into a race, especially when you’re really on the gas and working the engine hard.
REAR BRAKE PADS
Brakes are for more than just stopping: they help you set up the bike in turns and jumps. Which is why we pay so much attention to detail like brake pads. They’re designed to last longer and give you more stopping power—a real win/win to help you win.
260mm FRONT BRAKE
The CRF450R’s large front-brake disc measures a whopping 260mm. You get great brake feel and a pattern that cuts down on weight. Front and rear brake-disc guards are part of the package too.
TITANIUM FUEL TANK
Grams and performance count, and the CRF450R uses a titanium fuel tank. Light and strong, it maintains the same capacity as our previous plastic unit, while freeing up more space and helping to centralize fuel mass.
CONVENIENCE
SEALED AIRBOX AND FILTER
Along with the special air filter, the airbox shape helps deliver more torque. You can access the airbox through the left number plate. And because the CRF450R’s filter has no rubber gasket where it interfaces with the intake boot, cleaning and servicing the filter is faster and less messy.
ELECTRIC STARTER
By ditching the kickstarter entirely, our engineers can make the CRF450R lighter. Electric starters and lithium-ion batteries are so light now and so good that putting them on a bike like this is a win/win combination. And winning is what a CRF450R is all about.
SWITCH ASSEMBLY
Check out the controls on the CRF450R. We’ve made them light and intuitive. Controls used to be your bike’s shifter, clutch, and brakes. Now you have things like launch assist, selectable power modes, and more. We believe they should be easy to use, especially when you’re concentrating on winning.
PERFORMANCE
EXCLUSIVE WORKS EDITION
Simply stated, the best of the best. The CRF450RWE Works Edition includes all the standard CRF450R features, but also gets a special hand-ported cylinder head; Hinson clutch basket and cover; Twin Air filter, Throttle Jockey graphics and seat cover; upgraded DID DirtStar LT-X rims; an exclusive Yoshimura exhaust system including a titanium midpipe and muffler; Kashima and titanium oxide-coated lower fork legs; revalved suspension; an RK gold chain; special ECU settings; and black triple clamps. Available in extremely limited numbers.
450cc UNICAM ENGINE
Honda Unicam cylinder heads combine the best of single- and double-overhead-cam designs. The configuration contributes to a compact engine that saves weight over a comparable dual-overhead-camshaft motor and also permits a narrow included valve angle. This flattens the combustion chamber to facilitate ignition flame propagation, allowing a high compression ratio. Since less space is taken up in the cylinder head, the camshaft sits lower in the head for a more compact engine and a lower center of gravity.
AUTOMATIC DECOMPRESSION SYSTEM
You can’t see this unless you take the engine apart, but you’ll notice it on the track. Last year our engineers redesigned the auto decompression hardware, and also moved it from the right side of the cam to the left. The result is less stalling at extreme low RPM (think deep into a turn without downshifting) as well as better rideability.
CENTRAL-PORT CYLINDER HEAD
The 2024 CRF450R features a special cylinder head. Its biggest feature: an oval-shaped centralized exhaust port. Together with the single-muffler exhaust, it boosts power from 5000 rpm up, and increases exhaust efficiency. Plus, the CRF450RWE gets some exclusive porting touches and engraving. The cylinder head cover is red too, so it really stands out.
TITANIUM INTAKE VALVES
Lightweight titanium intake valves cut down on reciprocating mass and permit the use of smaller valve springs, reducing overall engine height.
FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
By installing the CRF450R’s fuel injector at a 60-degree angle, the injector sprays fuel all the way back to the throttle butterfly. The engine gets a cooler, denser fuel charge for more power and better torque. It’s little details like this that put the CRF450R up front.
DOWNDRAFT FUEL INJECTION
The CRF450R features a downdraft intake tract and FI body to help increase both power and fuel-metering precision. It’s part of the reason the CRF450R offers such explosive power and massive torque, especially out of the starting gate and in the critical first 100 feet of the race to the first turn.
DOUBLE-SPRAY INJECTOR SETTINGS
The CRF450R’s fuel-injection system sprays twice per intake cycle. That helps increase fuel atomization without adding the weight or complexity of a second injector. The better fuel atomization means more power in the midrange and on overrev—you’ll feel it the first time you race.
DUNLOP MX33 TIRES
These are the tires of choice for serious MX racers right now, so naturally, we fit the best to the 2024 CRF450R. The Dunlops hook up in a wide variety of conditions, and help you put the CRF450R’s improved cornering performance to the ground.
CYLINDER HEAD LAYOUT
The CRF450R uses our latest finger-follower rocker design. The Unicam cylinder head remains one of the most efficient in the MX world, giving you the design and performance of a double-overhead-cam layout but the compactness of a single-overhead-cam design.
13.5:1 COMPRESSION RATIO
Honda engineering at its best: The CRF450R’s cylinder head features a highly refined combustion-chamber shape and generous squish area, allowing an impressive 13.5:1 compression ratio for superior efficiency and power.
SKID PLATE
A factory skid plate is light and offers the engine and lower-frame protection that a racer demands.
COMFORT
SLIM BODYWORK
The CRF450R’s extra-slim bodywork makes it a lot easier to move around on the bike, and that maximizes your riding freedom. When we reduced the total number of fasteners needed to remove the body panels, maintenance off the bike got easier too.
FRESH STYLING
The 2024 CRF450R gets graphics that take their styling cues right off our HRC works bikes. Plus, to keep them looking good, our “in mold” graphics are more durable, especially after repeated track sessions and cleaning. And the CRF450RWE goes one step further, with an exclusive graphics package by Throttle Jockey.
RENTHAL "FATBAR"
The aluminum Renthal Fatbar features a bend that’s even better than the legendary Honda “CR” bar. It’s the new standard of excellence—you’re gonna love it! In addition, the CRF450RWE gets special Renthal grips.
EASY-ACCESS SEAT
Sometimes you need to think out of the box—that’s what we did with the CRF450R’s seat. Compared to earlier designs, we’ve moved the attaching bolts from the rear to the front, and the tongue from the front to the rear. When it’s time for service, removing and installing your CRF450R’s seat is easier than ever. Plus, on the RWE, you get an exclusive Throttle Jockey seat cover.
DETAILED CABLE ROUTING
You may not notice it at first, but routing the CRF450R’s throttle cables and hydraulic clutch line let our engineers shave almost half a pound off the bike. Light is always right!