2018 Honda CRF450R First Ride Review

When Honda introduced the all-new CRF450R last year, it was met with rave reviews. Praised for improved handling, stronger power, and comfortable ergonomics, the new CRF was arguably the most improved bike from Honda in the last five years. For 2018, however, Honda managed to improve upon the already impressive package with only a few minor tweaks to the suspension, engine, and chassis.

With the addition of the new Showa spring fork in 2017—among other chassis enhancements—the strongest attribute to the CRF in ‘17 was handling. Simple put, the incredible handling and ergonomics made the bike a joy to ride. For ’18, however, Honda has gone to stiffer spring rates in both the front and rear in order to help the suspension stand up to hard hits and big jumps, while also holding up on rough braking bumps and chop.

In addition, the upper engine brackets are new, and designed to help improve chassis feel and rider comfort. In the power department, Honda updated the first of the three selectable ignition maps, to allow the power to be more rider friendly with better roll-on throttle response and an easier to manage power curve.

Lastly, but certainly the most significant upgrade, is the addition of the electric starter. The new push-button starter eliminates the kickstart lever, adding a lightweight lithium-ion battery, starter, start switch, and clutch sensor. All together, Honda claims the entire setup adds a total of eight pounds. Firing up the CRF with the new electric starter is easy, and once we took to the track, the small updates were noticeable when compared back-to-back with the 2017 model. The changes to the first of three ignition maps—standard, soft, and aggressive—gives the bike a broader power delivery. The power rolls on strong and pulls smoothly into the top-end.

Of the three, though, we did find that the aggressive map was a lot of fun to ride, allowing us to power quickly out of corners, especially when the track was loamy and deep early in the morning. In spite of being five pounds heavier than the ’17 model, thanks to the electric starter and its accompanying hardware, the ’18 CRF’s handling and overall feel is much improved. Last year, the bike had a slightly light-on-its-feet feel down rough high-speed straights. It wasn’t necessarily a horrible attribute, but the bike just didn’t have a solid, planted feel to it. Thanks to the added weight, stiffer suspension, and new engine brackets, the ’18 CRF tracks straighter and inspires more rider confidence at speed. Sometimes a little extra weight does a motorcycle good. Even though the suspension is stiffer, though, we still found that it bottomed out on big jumps and hard g-out hits, sometimes causing the bike to get kicked or unsettled.

To remedy this, we went in three clicks on the fork compression and one click on rebound. The changes allowed the fork to stay up higher in the stroke and rebound quicker. On big, harsh jump landings, the fork exhibited better bottoming resistance and the entire bike tracked straighter through whoops. Finally, the amazing turning prowess of the CRF remains for ’18. Ruts, loamy berms, and flat corners are all easily navigated, as the bike doesn’t knife or push, but remains planted and positive all the way through. And the comfortable ergonomics make it easy to move around in the rider compartment.

As a complete package, Honda has done a remarkable job at refining a bike that arguably didn’t need a ton of refining in the first place. The new suspension spring rate, engine brackets, mapping changes, and of course electric start fixed any complaints that we had about the 2017 machine. The ’18 CRF450R is a refined package that offers excellent handling, usable power, and extremely comfortable ergonomics.

HITS:

MISSES:

Helmet: Bell Moto 9 Carbon Flex
Jersey: Fasthouse OG Jersey
Pants: Fasthouse Grindhouse Pants Electric Blue
Gloves: Fasthouse Bad Company Gloves
Goggles: Von Zipper Beefy Goggles
Boots: Alpinestars Tech-10