CRF450L /RL Mega Thread

[DJ_MI]

I know any aftermarket ECU will be an improvement over stock but I’m thinking of ordering the AiM. John T. Young recently put out a video showing the difference between them in slow speed stuff right off idle. From that video it appears that the AiM has the characteristics that would be most important to me. On the Taco Moto website, they market it with five different maps, with maps four and five for stock exhaust. I plan on keeping the stock exhaust because I like it’s relative silence and I’m not looking for ultimate performance at the moment, just easier ride ability.

My thought is to get the switch for two maps. Map four is the high speed racing map for stock exhaust and map five is the enduro/single track map for stock exhaust. I’m thinking I could switch to map four for street riding and forest roads and general dual sport use and map five for tight single track. In the future, if I choose to chase outright performance, I could get the switch with all the maps and I suppose I’d have to get the ECU set up for that at the time. I suppose I could go ahead and get that now and have it available for the future if some day I want it and do end up getting an aftermarket exhaust, but the only reason I could see for me to get the exhaust would be weight savings. I really do like the silence of the stock exhaust. I don’t know if the weight savings would be worth the extra cost in money and noise.

I’ve had the mind to just keep the stock ECU but the John T. Young video was pretty convincing and I do have the funds available at the moment (which will quickly vanish to other things if I don’t hurry up and spend them). I’m giving myself about twelve hours to have my mind changed. If there’s any fault in my logic, let me know. My decision, right now, is the AiM and the two map switch for stock exhaust.

Seems like a solid plan and I’d figure that you’re probably going to keep this bike for a while. It’s easy for me to say though since it’s your money.

I’ve read a little about the RX exhaust fitting to save some weight without too much noise.

Have you had any stalling issues in the low speed stuff?

 

[jwaller]

Seems like a solid plan and I’d figure that you’re probably going to keep this bike for a while. It’s easy for me to say though since it’s your money.

I’ve read a little about the RX exhaust fitting to save some weight without too much noise.

Have you had any stalling issues in the low speed stuff?

Yeah, I have had some stalling. Not just in the low speed stuff. I've stalled out on the street whenever coming to stop signs and stop lights. It usually starts right back up. The only time it didn't start right back up was the first time I rode it off road. I was riding a little slalom course for time at a competition. I rode out, turned around, was on my way back in and stalled. I tried to re-start it and it didn't re-start until I lost my momentum and had to put my foot down, giving me a one-second penalty. Murphy's Law; the only time it didn't start right back up is the only time it really mattered. Not like my time would have been competitive anyway, but still.

My CRF250RX has stock exhaust and it's considerably louder than the 450L. But then my RX is the older, dual exhaust version. Whenever I ride my RX, I can't hear anything else. And neither can anyone riding with me, for that matter.

 

[jwaller]

I ordered the AiM ECU this morning. That should be it for a while, I hope so at least.


I may order a different exhaust in the future, I may not. Whenever I do, I'll have to get the multi-mode switch. But that may never be an issue as I don't really feel that changing the exhaust is a necessity right now. I've got the CRF250RX as my light weight woods ripper and my CRF450L will be more of a Light ADV/Dual Sport bike.

Now I want to invest money on adventures and experiences. I've got the rest of this week off and another three weeks coming up in December/January. Then Spring Break in March and then a couple months in the summer. There's an 1800 mile dual sport loop around Texas that I'd like to knock out over the Christmas break, weather permitting. Big Bend is calling my name for Spring Break. And I'd like to haul the wife, myself, and my bikes up north to Wisconsin this summer to escape the hell that is a Texas summer.

 

[Simmons1]

Sounds like a great plan!

 

[MVI]

I ordered the AiM ECU this morning. That should be it for a while, I hope so at least.


I may order a different exhaust in the future, I may not. Whenever I do, I'll have to get the multi-mode switch. But that may never be an issue as I don't really feel that changing the exhaust is a necessity right now. I've got the CRF250RX as my light weight woods ripper and my CRF450L will be more of a Light ADV/Dual Sport bike.

Now I want to invest money on adventures and experiences. I've got the rest of this week off and another three weeks coming up in December/January. Then Spring Break in March and then a couple months in the summer. There's an 1800 mile dual sport loop around Texas that I'd like to knock out over the Christmas break, weather permitting. Big Bend is calling my name for Spring Break. And I'd like to haul the wife, myself, and my bikes up north to Wisconsin this summer to escape the hell that is a Texas summer.

Tell us more about the TX loop.

 

[Simmons1]

Tell us more about the TX loop.

It is posted somewhere on TWT.

 

[jwaller]

Tell us more about the TX loop.

My bad, it’s a 2180 mile loop. Follow the link to the thread in Two Wheeled Texans.

https://www.twtex.com/forums/threads/lone-star-loop-2-180-ds-loop.100156/

I’ve rode the portion of the loop from Camp Wood to halfway between Bastrop and Navasota. It’s a dual sport loop, about 50-50 pavement to dirt, or at least it was where I rode. But I know some of that’s been paved in the last couple years.

It’s got nothing on a real BDR, but would that even be possible in Texas with so little public land? Some might call it the Texas Backyard Discovery Route. What it does have is geographic diversity. Scrub of south Texas, hills of the hill country, loose sandy roads in the forest in east Texas. I’ve been wanting to do this for years.

 

[DJ_MI]

I ordered the AiM ECU this morning. That should be it for a while, I hope so at least.


I may order a different exhaust in the future, I may not. Whenever I do, I'll have to get the multi-mode switch. But that may never be an issue as I don't really feel that changing the exhaust is a necessity right now. I've got the CRF250RX as my light weight woods ripper and my CRF450L will be more of a Light ADV/Dual Sport bike.

Now I want to invest money on adventures and experiences. I've got the rest of this week off and another three weeks coming up in December/January. Then Spring Break in March and then a couple months in the summer. There's an 1800 mile dual sport loop around Texas that I'd like to knock out over the Christmas break, weather permitting. Big Bend is calling my name for Spring Break. And I'd like to haul the wife, myself, and my bikes up north to Wisconsin this summer to escape the hell that is a Texas summer.

Congrats! It'll be interesting to hear what you think of the AiM.

I was just checking out that loop on TWT. It looks like a really fun adventure. 2,200 miles is a long way on a dual sport. How long do you think it'll take? What do you plan on doing for sleeping?

I've put a little work into planning a ride from the eastern U.P. to the Montreal river which is the western most point of MI. If you do wind up in WI over the summer, and the times worked out, maybe we could link up over that way.

 

[jwaller]

Congrats! It'll be interesting to hear what you think of the AiM.

I was just checking out that loop on TWT. It looks like a really fun adventure. 2,200 miles is a long way on a dual sport. How long do you think it'll take? What do you plan on doing for sleeping?

I've put a little work into planning a ride from the eastern U.P. to the Montreal river which is the western most point of MI. If you do wind up in WI over the summer, and the times worked out, maybe we could link up over that way.

When/if I do the loop, for sleeping I'll take a tent. I'd probably stay at the cheapest hotels I can find every three days or so, just to take a shower and clean up. That's what makes this almost impossible in the summer. It's too hot to tent camp in Texas in the summer; I've tried and it just sucks too bad to make it something I'd choose to do for fun. I was a grunt back in my younger days and last time I tent camped in the summer I thought, "How stupid is this? I used to have to do this but at least got paid to do it." But staying in a hotel every night is too expensive for me.

I don't know for sure which bike I'd take. I have a Versys X300 which would probably do this loop with no problem and I wouldn't need to worry about service along the way. If I take the CRF450L, I'd do an oil change and check the valves right before setting out and then probably stretch the oil change out to the half way point and then, of course, do a complete service upon completing the ride.

I'd try to do the loop in one week, if possible. I have a tendency to sort of push it when I go for longer rides and 800-1000 mile days are nothing new to me, at least with pavement. I once went from Rapid City to Spearfish, SD and then headed east to Hartford, WI non-stop on a freaking Ural. I suppose it all depends on the difficulty of the dirt. But the dirt portions I have ridden I can do comfortably at around 50 mph, for the most part. It's the loose, sandy stuff in East Texas that would most likely slow me down. That loose, sandy stuff is what gives me a bit of pause with taking the Versys X300.

 

[Bitingdog]

When/if I do the loop, for sleeping I'll take a tent. I'd probably stay at the cheapest hotels I can find every three days or so, just to take a shower and clean up. That's what makes this almost impossible in the summer. It's too hot to tent camp in Texas in the summer; I've tried and it just sucks too bad to make it something I'd choose to do for fun. I was a grunt back in my younger days and last time I tent camped in the summer I thought, "How stupid is this? I used to have to do this but at least got paid to do it." But staying in a hotel every night is too expensive for me.

I don't know for sure which bike I'd take. I have a Versys X300 which would probably do this loop with no problem and I wouldn't need to worry about service along the way. If I take the CRF450L, I'd do an oil change and check the valves right before setting out and then probably stretch the oil change out to the half way point and then, of course, do a complete service upon completing the ride.

I'd try to do the loop in one week, if possible. I have a tendency to sort of push it when I go for longer rides and 800-1000 mile days are nothing new to me, at least with pavement. I once went from Rapid City to Spearfish, SD and then headed east to Hartford, WI non-stop on a freaking Ural. I suppose it all depends on the difficulty of the dirt. But the dirt portions I have ridden I can do comfortably at around 50 mph, for the most part. It's the loose, sandy stuff in East Texas that would most likely slow me down. That loose, sandy stuff is what gives me a bit of pause with taking the Versys X300.

I'd take the 450, but skip the valve checks. I don't recall hearing about a single 450L that has actually needed a valve adjustment.

Just ride brougham 😅

 

[DJ_MI]

When/if I do the loop, for sleeping I'll take a tent. I'd probably stay at the cheapest hotels I can find every three days or so, just to take a shower and clean up. That's what makes this almost impossible in the summer. It's too hot to tent camp in Texas in the summer; I've tried and it just sucks too bad to make it something I'd choose to do for fun. I was a grunt back in my younger days and last time I tent camped in the summer I thought, "How stupid is this? I used to have to do this but at least got paid to do it." But staying in a hotel every night is too expensive for me.

I don't know for sure which bike I'd take. I have a Versys X300 which would probably do this loop with no problem and I wouldn't need to worry about service along the way. If I take the CRF450L, I'd do an oil change and check the valves right before setting out and then probably stretch the oil change out to the half way point and then, of course, do a complete service upon completing the ride.

I'd try to do the loop in one week, if possible. I have a tendency to sort of push it when I go for longer rides and 800-1000 mile days are nothing new to me, at least with pavement. I once went from Rapid City to Spearfish, SD and then headed east to Hartford, WI non-stop on a freaking Ural. I suppose it all depends on the difficulty of the dirt. But the dirt portions I have ridden I can do comfortably at around 50 mph, for the most part. It's the loose, sandy stuff in East Texas that would most likely slow me down. That loose, sandy stuff is what gives me a bit of pause with taking the Versys X300.

That sounds like a good plan.

That sounds like quite the adventure on the Ural.

I’ve only been on one real trip where I had to take camping gear. I saw the gear as a necessary inconvenience knowing that I might not be able to find cheap places (or even any place) to stay. After the fact I came to realize how much I actually enjoyed the self sufficiency of having the gear with me provided. I’m excited for more overnighters next year.

 

[jwaller]

That sounds like quite the adventure on the Ural.

Yeah, I suppose, if a misadventure can be classified as an adventure!

I finally got to ride the two CRFs back to back. I also got to check out how the MX216s feel on the 450L. I'd say they're good enough for me and street legal.

The video was shot with some single track followed by just riding on the service roads. Unfortunately my wife called while I was riding the single track on the 450L and I didn't want that in the footage. So, it's all 2-track service road. I didn't have time to re-shoot the single track. The service roads are supposed to be ridden at 5 mph (which I pretty much ignored) and all the trails which intersect have the right-of-way, so no going crazy.

First half is the CRF450L and then the CRF250RX starts at about 3:51.

 

[Bitingdog]

Yeah, I suppose, if a misadventure can be classified as an adventure!

I finally got to ride the two CRFs back to back. I also got to check out how the MX216s feel on the 450L. I'd say they're good enough for me and street legal.

The video was shot with some single track followed by just riding on the service roads. Unfortunately my wife called while I was riding the single track on the 450L and I didn't want that in the footage. So, it's all 2-track service road. I didn't have time to re-shoot the single track. The service roads are supposed to be ridden at 5 mph (which I pretty much ignored) and all the trails which intersect have the right-of-way, so no going crazy.

Yeah, I suppose, if a misadventure can be classified as an adventure!

I finally got to ride the two CRFs back to back. I also got to check out how the MX216s feel on the 450L. I'd say they're good enough for me and street legal.

The video was shot with some single track followed by just riding on the service roads. Unfortunately my wife called while I was riding the single track on the 450L and I didn't want that in the footage. So, it's all 2-track service road. I didn't have time to re-shoot the single track. The service roads are supposed to be ridden at 5 mph (which I pretty much ignored) and all the trails which intersect have the right-of-way, so no going crazy.

First half is the CRF450L and then the CRF250RX starts at about 3:51.

First half is the CRF450L and then the CRF250RX starts at about 3:51.

You sure seem awfully confident and comfortable on your 250RX. The 450L will get there, and it'll help if you add a JD Tuner or aftermarket ecu. The sound actually became more mellow on my 450 (with stock exhaust) with the JD Tuner. And the throttle response became smooth and linear.

I ran into a couple of guys in the gnarly trails of Blue Mountain McNutt on matching 250RX's. Awesome bike!

These guys only complaint was the clutch effort. I recommended the Magura Hymec hydraulic clutch conversion. You might like it too.

Great video btw, beautiful place 😍

 

[Bitingdog]

Link to your Squarespace storefront?

I don't ambASSador anything. That's the other Canuckistani dude


Friends do call me "The Moto Oracle" though

 

[jwaller]

You sure seem awfully confident and comfortable on your 250RX. The 450L will get there, and it'll help if you add a JD Tuner or aftermarket ecu. The sound actually became more mellow on my 450 (with stock exhaust) with the JD Tuner. And the throttle response became smooth and linear.

I ran into a couple of guys in the gnarly trails of Blue Mountain McNutt on matching 250RX's. Awesome bike!

These guys only complaint was the clutch effort. I recommended the Magura Hymec hydraulic clutch conversion. You might like it too.

Great video btw, beautiful place 😍

I am more confident on the 250RX but I'm coming around on the 450L and getting more comfortable. I edited the videos to have them start at the same part of the trail I was riding and the times are almost identical. While I felt like I was pushing more on the 250RX, I think I was going the same speed while feeling I was holding back more on the 450L. At equal speeds the revs and noise are higher on the 250RX, giving more of a feeling of speed, while the 450L is quiet and low in the revs. I think if I pushed the 450L like I do the 250RX, that thing is going to be a rocket ship. I ordered the AiM ECU, just don't know how long it's going to take to receive it, but I'm looking forward to it.

I have the Magura hydraulic clutch on my 250RX. I don't know if it's any less clutch effort than the 450L's cable, but it is indeed smoother, if that makes any sense. That may be a future purchase, but I've spent enough for a while now. I'll give it a few months to decide on Magura or Rekluse, whether I'm 106 years old or not!

 

[Bitingdog]

Wouldn't that six-speed transmission be nice on the 250 RX?

 

[jwaller]

Wouldn't that six-speed transmission be nice on the 250 RX?

Yeah.

Day before yesterday I got a questionnaire about my CRF250RX. That was my one and only recommendation that they either make a six speed or at least give wider ratios between the gears with a five speed. I’m sure Honda knows what they’re doing and that the bike is just as it should be as a cross country race bike, but if they made a model with six speeds or at least a wide ratio five speed but keep everything else as is, they’d have a killer trail bike. Market it as the CRF250X. It would be cool if they fleshed out the 250 lineup to match the 450 lineup.

 

[Bitingdog]

It's a motocross engine and transmission. Usually adequate for XC racing, but KTM and Yamaha have better (6-speed) transmission ratios for their cross-country race bikes: the 250XCF and YZ250FX.

I suspect it's a cost saving measure from Honda. Still, I really love the Honda's "feel", and that is often more important than gear ratios.

a shame that Honda hasn't given us a modernized CRF250x type of woods/enduro bike

 

[MVI]

a shame that Honda hasn't given us a modernized CRF250x type of woods/enduro bike

I bet they will , soon

 

[jwaller]

Had a bit of a CRF shootout today. A buddy with a CRF300L and CRF250F met me today. He left the CRF250F at home and only brought out his CRF300L.

It rained Sunday evening through to this morning out at the ranch after months of drought. It was a real sloppy mess. I’ve never rode in such mud in my life.

We started out on a single track that is usually pretty sandy. I rode the CRF450L and my buddy rode his CRF300L. We then went and rode on a sand Moto track. I took the 250RX for that. We swapped with my buddy on my RX and I on his 300L. His 300L has about $3000 worth of aftermarket improvements, to include fully adjustable suspension. But still, the 300L is not, and never will be, with all the money in the world thrown at it, a real competitor to a real dirt bike. Before long we just parked the 300L and swapped back and forth between the 250RX and 450L. We did Moto tracks, single track, and since my 250RX is street legal, we took a few miles of pavement.

We found both the RX and 450L to wipe the floor with the 300L, in every category. It might be just a tad more comfortable on pavement, but both the dirt bikes outperform it on pavement too. Even the CRF250F outperforms the 300L off pavement, so I have zero interest in that bike. And my buddy, the bike’s owner, is too. He really liked the 450L, but since he doesn’t need a street legal bike, he’s really wanting a CRF250RX now.

The calm before the storm, before the carnage!

And after.

I already purchased the AiM ECU, but I’m really starting to become comfortable on the 450L as is. Today as I was riding and doing well, I began to wonder whether I wasted my money with a new aftermarket ECU. I think that perhaps it was an unnecessary expense, but that once I install it in the bike, that I’ll “get it” and feel like it was a worthy investment. Because just about every video or blog about the 450L/RL goes on about how the bike is unrideable stock. And maybe that seemed true the first few times I threw my leg over the bike, but with time, it’s no longer the case.