2019 Honda CRF 450L
- Thread starter Tex68w
- Start date
Tex68w
Beach Bum
I don't know for certain because I stopped weighing what I removed and added a long time back so I'll weigh it again soon. It's somewhere in the 270's.
The 250L Rally is a really cool bike but it weighs 341lbs, that's pretty hefty for a 250. Granted it does have a lot more than the standard 250L and it holds 2.7gal of fuel and at an average of 60mpg or better that puts you with a range north of 160 miles, not too shabby. There's definitely a lot of weight in the factory exhaust but the 250L/Rally are silly heavy bikes for their class regardless.
I have a little time on one, two of my buddies own/owned the standard 250L and they loved them. If you aren't looking for high speed riding and don't plan to get into extremely technical terrain then the 250L/Rally could serve you well. If nothing else it's a very cool looking bike, I wish they'd make a 450L Rally.
shade
Well-known member
Thanks for your opinion.
The more I compare the 250L & Rally, I think the Rally offers enough extra that it's worth a little more. I just started reading a very long thread on the Rally on advrider, and I like what I'm seeing. I was considering Yamaha XT250, but I found a new Rally at about the same price, and the Honda seems like a much more complete bike from the start. If I get a Rally, I'll slowly start peeling the weight off. That seems like a better idea than trying to boost the engine output.
A 450L Rally does look nice.
Honda CRF450L Rally Concept: Yea we figured it would come soon - Dirt Bike Test
As soon as we saw the CRF450L, I was already thinking that Honda might make a Rally version in the near future. Not sure how soon the future is but at the EICMA show in Italy they had a concept … Continued
dirtbiketest.com
With the KTM 390 Adventure getting so much interest, maybe a 2021 450L Rally will come to be. Maybe Honda will decide they don't need to design a plate holder that can support 200 lbs of mud, and they'll keep the weight competitive.
Tex68w
Beach Bum
The Blackstone Labs oil analysis report is back. This interval was from miles 1,060 to 1,798 on the motor with all of the modifications listed below (relatively young motor). This interval included varied riding conditions (spirited to relaxed cruise), temperatures and altitudes with the map switched regularly between #6 Best Power and #7 Enduro.
Overall it looks pretty good and the report shows no concerns other than slightly higher than average fuel in the oil which thinned the viscosity some. It's possible the Vortex is over fueling and we should consider dropping the fuel trims to 4 on the low and mid trim settings?!
I am going to push my current oil to a 1,000 mile interval with Vortex trim settings to remain at 5,5,5 and I will send it off for another analysis before I make any changes to the fuel trim settings. Oil life looks good so I have no concerns stretching the interval further this time.
Bike: 2019 Honda CRF450L
Oil use interval: 738 miles
Oil type: Honda GN4 10W-30
Fuel: 93 octane Super Unleaded pump gas
Mods: Vortex ECU, FMF Q4, FMF Megabomb, SD Powerhouse T-Stat Delete, complete desmog, TwinAir filter (air box lid removed)
Overall it looks pretty good and the report shows no concerns other than slightly higher than average fuel in the oil which thinned the viscosity some. It's possible the Vortex is over fueling and we should consider dropping the fuel trims to 4 on the low and mid trim settings?!
I am going to push my current oil to a 1,000 mile interval with Vortex trim settings to remain at 5,5,5 and I will send it off for another analysis before I make any changes to the fuel trim settings. Oil life looks good so I have no concerns stretching the interval further this time.
Bike: 2019 Honda CRF450L
Oil use interval: 738 miles
Oil type: Honda GN4 10W-30
Fuel: 93 octane Super Unleaded pump gas
Mods: Vortex ECU, FMF Q4, FMF Megabomb, SD Powerhouse T-Stat Delete, complete desmog, TwinAir filter (air box lid removed)
Tex68w
Beach Bum
I am still waiting on my Giant Loop Possibles Pouch to arrive which will take up permanent residence on the Giant Loop Tail Rack when I am not using the Mojavi saddle bags. The Possibles Pouch and Tail Rack are small and lightweight which will work well for my 450X rear fender that lacks a true subframe. I plan to carry a spare tube in the Possibles Pouch for regular and local rides and/or possibly some small tools/parts that I want to keep handy when not wearing my vest with tool roll attached.
Out of boredom I went ahead and installed the rack today and tried it out with the Giant Loop Mojavi saddle bags which is what I will run for the TAT trip. I'll likely mount the Possibles Pouch atop the back of the Mojavis and the rear most portion of the tail rack when running them in tandem.
Install of the rack was a breeze, four holes drilled and she was on. I love the spring loaded wire gates for quickly attaching straps to the rack and the provided spacers give you enough room to run a strap underneath the rack yet securely between the mounting hardware. This rack isn't nearly as large or robust as some of the other racks available for the 450L but it's a great option for those looking for a simple and compact option to assist in mounting small to medium rackless saddle bags or tail bags. Giant Loop recommends their Possibles Pouch and Klamath Tail Rack Pack for this rack along with the Mojavi and Coyote saddle bags.
Out of boredom I went ahead and installed the rack today and tried it out with the Giant Loop Mojavi saddle bags which is what I will run for the TAT trip. I'll likely mount the Possibles Pouch atop the back of the Mojavis and the rear most portion of the tail rack when running them in tandem.
Install of the rack was a breeze, four holes drilled and she was on. I love the spring loaded wire gates for quickly attaching straps to the rack and the provided spacers give you enough room to run a strap underneath the rack yet securely between the mounting hardware. This rack isn't nearly as large or robust as some of the other racks available for the 450L but it's a great option for those looking for a simple and compact option to assist in mounting small to medium rackless saddle bags or tail bags. Giant Loop recommends their Possibles Pouch and Klamath Tail Rack Pack for this rack along with the Mojavi and Coyote saddle bags.
calicamper
Expedition Leader
Honda needs a 400ish with far superior service specs. I was not impressed. My last Honda I put 65,000 miles on with nothing other than brakes, tires and oil changes. These lousy 1600 mile valve adjustments are a deal killer. I’d rather run a old school Yamaha. Sad given when it comes to bikes I like Honda but dang they are missing out.
shade
Well-known member
Not really. Honda shouldn't have made it appear that the CRF250L and CRF450L had much in common by using the same naming convention. The 450L is a dirt bike, with service intervals to match.
7 Things To Know About The All-New Honda CRF450L - ADV Pulse
This has been, without a doubt, a huge year for Honda. They launched a new version of the Africa Twin (CRF1000L2 Adventure Sports) and made a ton of changes to the standard AT as well. We were pretty sure that was all that we would hear from Big Red this year on the adventure bike/dual-sport […]
www.advpulse.com
Tex68w
Beach Bum
Not gonna happen Captain. I too wish that the service intervals were further apart but show me another modern, late model, liquid cooled 450-500cc street legal enduro making 40+ HP that has significantly better service intervals. These modern day bikes are choked up from the factory with so many environmental restrictions that it isn't funny. These aren't your old air or oil cooled dual sports that sputter out 20HP and weigh north of 350 lbs. If you want a bike that only needs its oil changed once every 8,000 miles then pick up a DRZ, 650L, or KLR and enjoy that over weight, horribly sprung and under powered bike. Everything has a trade off and getting a light weight bike that spits out more than double the power of these older mules comes with cost of added maintenance. Take a look over on the KTM enduro forums if you don't believe me.
Valves aren't required to be adjusted every 1,800 miles, merely inspected and myself and many others forgo that as long as the bike starts without issue. There are currently two 450L's with north of 14,000 miles, one of which has over 16,000 and neither has had to touch their valves. I think in time this engine will prove itself to be extremely reliable and those service intervals will be adjusted accordingly by the factory, but it'll never be a DRZ in that regard. I am pushing my oil changes to 1,000 mile intervals and possibly even further should my next oil analysis come back with similar results and I can live with that for this segment of bike.
McCarthy
Is it riding season yet?
Thanks for your opinion.
The more I compare the 250L & Rally, I think the Rally offers enough extra that it's worth a little more. I just started reading a very long thread on the Rally on advrider, and I like what I'm seeing. I was considering Yamaha XT250, but I found a new Rally at about the same price, and the Honda seems like a much more complete bike from the start. If I get a Rally, I'll slowly start peeling the weight off. That seems like a better idea than trying to boost the engine output.
A 450L Rally does look nice.
Honda CRF450L Rally Concept: Yea we figured it would come soon - Dirt Bike Test
As soon as we saw the CRF450L, I was already thinking that Honda might make a Rally version in the near future. Not sure how soon the future is but at the EICMA show in Italy they had a concept … Continued
With the KTM 390 Adventure getting so much interest, maybe a 2021 450L Rally will come to be. Maybe Honda will decide they don't need to design a plate holder that can support 200 lbs of mud, and they'll keep the weight competitive.
Don't buy a 250L, the 450L is a VASTLY superior bike. After being a honda guy forever, I bought an orange bike just before they announced the 450L, to replace the 250L which frankly was a terrible bike. Stupidly heavy (334lbs, my current KTM is fully 100lb's lighter...) extremely underpowered, and atrocious suspension. So bad in every way. Only way it makes any sense to buy is someone who wants to do nothing but oil changes for the next 100,000 miles they need to ride at precisely 50mph (can barely do more than that if there's the smallest hill or headwind...) on groomed dirt roads. Think SE asia...
A good friend of mine bought a 450L and it's a great bike. Better on the street than my KTM, but not as good off road of course. You can't go wrong with it, i'd buy one in a second if I rode slab more, or if I could only own one bike.
shade
Well-known member
That's something I considered. I think a 250L would probably work ok for me, and there's no denying the 450L is a better bike when it comes to performance, but I want much longer service intervals. A 600 mile OCI just won't work for me.
I agree with calicamper about a hole in Honda's line up. Their 450s are great bikes, but where is Honda's 450 dual sport that can go thousands of miles between oil changes? All I see in their offroad 450s are competition oriented bikes. If the omission wasn't apparent before, the KTM 390 Adventure seems poised to exploit that gap. Honda can't be happy to see KTM offering a bike with a 4650 mile oil change interval in that market segment.
Last edited:
Tex68w
Beach Bum
The 390 is a massive disappointment in so many ways, it's more in line with the CB500X than the 450L.
shade
Well-known member
Maybe to some, but it is getting good reviews, and it's 100 lbs lighter than a CB500X, with similar power.
If Honda released something approaching that weight & power, with similar service intervals and a DS suspension, priced like the 450L, do you think it'd sell well?
Tex68w
Beach Bum
Sure, but it'll never happen. The old school air cooled and oil cooled bikes are dying off and Honda surely isn't going to bring one back when they are the largest manufacturer of motorcycles in the world and under the tightest emissions restrictions. If people want 5,000+ mile oil change intervals on a large bore thumper then you're better off doing a restomod build on a DRZ or older XR, but they will never have the power, suspension, or handling of the newer enduro big bores.