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Honda announces CRF450L

Really, this is good news for my bank account. It makes my number 1 dual sport option the more affordable WR250R. Can find a done up version with low mileage for 6-7k most days of the week.
 
That maintenance interval seems comparable to other similar-specced bikes like the Beta 430, right? Those have 30-hour maintenance intervals.

The way I ride I could probably have this bike, change the oil and filters annually, and get 50000 miles out of the motor.
 
Thanks for updates Surj. According to the interview on the second page of the article I linked earlier, the short oil change interval was recommended to ensure folks are actually checking their oil. Especially after a few hours of high rpm highway riding. Not because the oil will have broken down or need to be changed for those that are savvy. Those who own and dualsport XR's already know its foolish not to be on top of oil level if used on the highway for long periods of time.

It also holds as much oil as any of the KTMs, 690 Enduro included. I'd want to be on top their levels in the same way.

Honda and their modern valves always make me pause after the early CRF250X debacle.

Surj, a European announcement claimed nearly 20k miles before recommended internal engine maintenance (assume top ends). Is this true?

I'm holding out hope that Honda is just being overly conservative with their valve adjustment interval like they are with oil. If not, Honda will have missed their mark and end up competing with a lighter and more powerful competitor. Not the DRZ, KLX250, CRF250L or WR250r.
 
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OaklandF4i said:
Honda and their modern valves always make me pause after the early CRF250X debacle.

I'm holding out hope that Honda is just being overly conservative with their valve adjustment interval like they are with oil.
Click to expand...

If you're asking about the new 450L they are titanium.
Taken from Honda's website:

Titanium Intake Valves
Lightweight titanium intake valves
permit use of smaller valve springs,
reducing overall engine height.
Click to expand...

... be interesting to know by how
much the use of titanium valves and
smaller valve springs reduced the
height of the engine ... :dunno

... single-overhead cam is fun ... :party

... think I read the CRF450L's recommended
tear-down is 30,000 km which
is like 18,000 miles ...

... interesting to think about ... suspect
I struggle to have a realistic view of how
long a four-stroke single should last ...
being honest with myself, a KLR engine
that lasts 40,000 miles before top end work
or having the bottom end develop major issues
makes me very happy ... so 18K miles on
a high compression engine that makes twice
the HP in a chassis that is over 100 lbs lighter
seems a pretty reasonable trade off ...

... really, the only people who actually
rack up miles are people who commute every day ...
think I've put 15k miles on my bike in four or five years ...
 
OaklandF4i said:
Thanks for updates Surj. According to the interview on the second page of the article I linked earlier, the short oil change interval was recommended to ensure folks are actually checking their oil.
Click to expand...

I went and found the quote:

"It will be a little more like a street bike actually. One thing we will be recommending on this bike is a more frequent oil change than the X and part of that is because, if someone rides it on the pavement all the time or down the freeway wide open for hours, they would need to check their oil. I think there is 1.8 quarts of oil so if you were to use some oil or it got too hot the maintenance intervals are a little sooner for sure.

What’s interesting is that we’ve been talking about the crossover between the L and adventure bike riding. Because this is adventure bike too, in a lot of ways. It’s just a more aggressive adventure bike. I can already see soft bags and some racks for the back, that the aftermarket will take care of and you’ll see people riding these bikes all over the country.”

I think the statement that a 600 mile oil change interval was spec'ed to make sure people check their oil is a little nonsensical, and there's a big contradiction in saying it'll be "like a street bike" and people will ride it "all over the country" with short of an oil change interval. A combined dirt / street adventure ride would have the oil needing to be changed every three days, and that's way too often. What are we supposed to do? Stuff a bunch of filters in our backpack and get oil along the way? And what do we do with the used oil? Yes, I know on-the-road oil changes can be done, but every three days?

For me, and for many in this thread and elsewhere, the hope was that this would be a very capable 450 not quite at the bleeding edge of a KTM or whatever, but with more real world maintenance and reliability. 600 miles is way too short for real world dual-sport use.

OaklandF4i said:
Surj, a European announcement claimed nearly 20k miles before recommended internal engine maintenance (assume top ends). Is this true?
Click to expand...

I believe so. I thought I saw something similar in the documents I have, but can't find it right now.
 
Surj said:
I believe so. I thought I saw something similar in the documents I have, but can't find it right now.
Click to expand...

MCNews.com is reporting 32,000 km "rebuild intervals"
which is 19,883 miles, I guess ... :dunno
... or 19 BARF Baja trips ... :party

http://www.mcnews.com.au/2019-honda-crf450l-enduro-specifications/

... went and looked and I got my KLR in 2015 and
put 15K miles on it since then ... with a 40hr/wk job
and three other bikes ... so I'd be pretty happy to
ride 15k dual-sport miles by 2021 ... :laughing
 
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Surj said:
For me, and for many in this thread and elsewhere, the hope was that this would be a very capable 450 not quite at the bleeding edge of a KTM or whatever, but with more real world maintenance and reliability. 600 miles is way too short for real world dual-sport use.
Click to expand...

I completely agree. It's a silly, unrealistic, and arbitrary parameter. There is really no reason for such a short interval and if using synthetic couldn't go as long as WR250R. Unless Honda found in testing it was using enough oil in that that period of time..... Something they definitely will have to address.
 
Low maintenance should equal performance.

But this bike seems to be, on paper, higher maintenance and not on the blistering edge of performance.

I'd scoop a KTM 350 EXC over this if I was in the market for brand new.
 
If it's actually 600mi oil change intervals then this bike is worthless. That's more frequent than on a Grom (which uses 1qt of oil). What a buzzkill!
 
The sub 300 pound, fast 450 single ADV bike with great suspension, comfort and low maintenance is a unicorn. I'm not brave enough to go read the thread on the 450L thread on ADVrider but I can imagine whats happening there; endless complaints the seat, windscreen, horsepower/torque, maintenance schedule, lack of an eight gallon tank, the subframe not being strong enough to hold two adults and 200 pounds of gear and the stator output lacking since it can't power a ham radio or a small town in Nevada.
 
Why do people complain about seats they never sit on? Everybody replaces the seat on the 250L with after-market before they even take delivery of the bike ... but I've done 500-mile days on that stock seat and I think it's fine. People just read things on the web and then can't get it out of their head.
 
Its got blinkers and a license plate so you're not likely to be standing for that 15 mile highway ride to your favorite offraod riding spot.
 
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So it seems like there is no one here to buy this bike

The performance guys will go with a ktm

Too high maint for everyone else
 
banshee01 said:
So it seems like there is no one here to buy this bike

The performance guys will go with a ktm

Too high maint for everyone else
Click to expand...

Luckily for Honda the entirety of the motorcycle buying public isn't represented here on BARF.

I'm sure they will sell them by the truck load to casual riders who have been avoiding European dual sports because they perceive them as too exotic, too hard to get parts for, and unreliable.
 
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