Can a CRF450 Survive The Trans America Trail??

We do an overview of the Honda CRF450RL and CRF450L after surviving 6000 miles of off road riding on the Trans America Trail.

[@jpaulusberg6454]

What an amazing trip ! I have been using the RAM quick grip phone mount and it has been very secure. I did approximately 5000 Km (3000 miles) of the Trans Canada Adventure Trail (TCAT) with no issues. Amazing that you two, father and son are able to do such a trip together. Great bonding that you both will never forget. You two might enjoy the TCAT. Its only 15000 km (9300 miles) long. They say one needs approx 10 weeks to complete it. Iv done some of Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia and it was breath taking. Great videos and I look fwd to your next big ADV ride !!

[@BillyTyo]

I was surprised that we both lost phones using the RAM mount, because for 99% of the time it seemed like a good solution. Both of us lost phones on the roughest sections of trail, so I think that is where it is an issue, maybe we hit it with a helmet or lost it when laying the bike down or something. The TCAT looks amazing, not sure if I can talk Jake into 9300 miles though!

[@Indiana_Caver]

Great videos. I think those hand guards served their purpose.. I could only imagine the damage without them.

[@BillyTyo]

Ha, yes, very glad that we had the wrap around handguards

[@DirtObseXXion]

Just watched your whole TAT series, really enjoyed how you put it together! Bucket list trip for sure, thanks for taking us along for the ride!

[@BillyTyo]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching. It really was the trip of a lifetime.

[@bradmootz2196]

Great to see the factory skid plates held up after all those tough miles.

[@BillyTyo]

It did well, I debated about buying an aftermarket one, but the factory one worked fine

[@michiganmoto7687]

Get a QuadLock mount with anti-vibration and phone case. Love mine and it’s never came off under any conditions.

[@russclewley6945]

Loved the whole series!

[@BillyTyo]

Thanks!

[@ericrusch8258]

Thanks for sharing the trip and information

[@airhunter4140]

I’ve also had engine cut with the Vortex ecu. 2019 CRF450L with Vortex and Yosi pipe added six months ago, motor has cut four times in a 1000 miles at roughly 30 - 40 mph with a steady throttle. Always restart with a pop once the ignition has been turn off then on again. Doesn’t appear to be getting any more regular though. Great TAT series !

[@BillyTyo]

Interesting. Mine only did it twice in 8000 miles. Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it.

[@bunnywolf7507]

I can confirm I've seen the engine cut out issue too. I have a '21 CRF450RL with Vortex ECU (stock pipes and the mapping for it). Only once while accelerating hard at about 60-65MPH (I was passing a friend) the engine just died. I pulled over, turned the bike off/on and then restarted with no issue. I've ridden harder and faster so don't know why it cut out at that point but has been bullet proof aside from that.

[@BillyTyo]

That is pretty much how it happened on mine, both times I was riding around 60-65 mph on the freeway, with the throttle steady, and it just cut off. Both times I coasted to the side of the road, turned the ignition off and back on, and it started right up. Very strange.

[@tirolfoffroad1304]

Hello, incredible offroad trip, may be a lot of maxi trails cant take the diiferent tracks in Utah, too technical, only for dirt enduro bike. Needs a very good level drive. Thanks agin from France...

[@BillyTyo]

Thanks for watching!

[@csingstad]

Great video. Cant wait to watch the rest. I have a 21 crf450rl with many of those mods and really pleased. The ecu made it so much safer at low rpm in the technical stuff. Rode parts of the NM and CO BDR as well as Big Bend in west TX this summer. Great riding. A Texan now but growing up In MD we spent a lot of time at a friends farm in Terra Alta WV and rode all over. Where are you guys from?

[@BillyTyo]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! We are in central West Virginia

[@elgringoec]

Great report!

[@petebusch9069]

Honda should have named these bikes XL instead of CRF

[@ricdaunis7284]

Your series was very real. Thank you for one of the best I have watched .

[@BillyTyo]

Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it.

[@MrMountaincycle]

You might have covered this, if not Honda states that the CRF450L has an oil change interval of 600 miles and a valve check interval of 1,800 miles. Did you and your son stop to complete both the 600 mile oil change and 1800 mile valve adjustment? - thank for the awesome videos.

[@BillyTyo]

We checked the valves before we left and changed the oil about every 800 miles while on the trip. Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it.

[@cannabiscatnip5677]

Guess you boys should’ve watched “Itchy Boots” on KZbin. She has ridden thousands of miles on a CRF Rally 300 up mountains, thru valleys, sand, dirt, rocks, or anything you all could imagine🏍. And She’s by herself! So get a grip!

[@jamespolucha6911]

Nice ride I’ve been trying to do that ride all my life and can’t get anyone to do it with me , I live in Maryland and old now I think I’m running out of time, I did get to ride in Moab Utah last spring and had a blast

[@BillyTyo]

Go for it!

[@spillmana]

Can't believe you blew past that guy stopped on the trail. He may have been broken down or lost

[@BillyTyo]

Yes, that is a fair point, you should always stop and check on a stopped rider. In my defense, this was right at the start of the trail and it was in a campground, so there were lots of people around and it was a short downhill coast to the campground, that is why I didn't stop. Thanks for watching, hope you enjoyed the video.

[@BarberRidez]

I had the same issue with it just dying on the NVBDR. Same thing pulled over turned it off , back on , started right up. I too have the pipe and vortex. I’m changed the mapping on the vortex but haven’t ridden it long enough yet to see if it does it again. Just local rides with no issues.

[@BillyTyo]

Strange

[@BarberRidez]

@@BillyTyo how often did you change the oil and filter on the tat? That’s my only issues with this bike for long rides.

[@BillyTyo]

@@BarberRidez we changed the oil about every 800 miles. We carried the tools with us and stopped at motorcycle shops or auto parts stores to get the oil, then changed it in the parking lot

[@BarberRidez]

@@BillyTyo you guys changed the filter every time ?

[@BillyTyo]

@@BarberRidez every other time

[@Z28DaveX]

I'm interested to see what your valve clearances look like. I have a 19CRF450L, love the bike! How did your chains and sprockets hold up?

[@BillyTyo]

We checked the valve clearances before we left for the TAT and they were in spec, need to check them again now that we are done. We put new chains on before we left and they held up fine.

[@mauricelowery9711]

I’m sure your lower Seat Concepts seat helped with getting your feet to the ground easier but it also lowers your leg bend when feet are on the pegs, did that take away from road riding comfort any at all. I’m a short rider at 5,6 and was thinking of the lower seat for my new Rally 300 but I also like having more stretch in legs while riding with feet on the pegs, guess that will be a trade off I’ll have to choose.

[@BillyTyo]

It didn’t bother me at all. I am 5’ 7” and I didn’t notice any issues with leg bend while riding on the road.

[@SPENJERE]

Great video, how did you deal with the maintenance intervals? I've been trying to acquire a T7 forever , ( very scarce in SW Florida ). Now I am seriously looking into a 450 RL.

[@BillyTyo]

We took tools with us and changed the oil about once per week. Usually just stopped at a motorcycle shop or car parts store and did it in the parking lot

[@buythetickettaketheride9080]

What about oil changes?

[@BillyTyo]

We stopped at auto parts stores and motorcycle shops about once per week and changed it

[@odkeky]

so 6000 miles of off road riding gave your bike some new mods? You just dropped the bike and oops, yoshi exhaust.... skidded out in the mud, boom! Seat concepts seat. Cool trip tho!

[@zetterberg]

Engine cutout could have been a sip of bad gas versus the ecu

[@zetterberg]

Great trip by the way. What a cool dad

[@BillyTyo]

True, I hadn’t thought of that

[@MrBenfru]

Great review! what size of Wolfman Bags you have mounted on the Bike. It looks very stabile. I am thinking to change my Mosko 80 to smaller and more stabile luggage system.

[@BillyTyo]

We used the large bags. We have one complete set for sale, three bags and the mount

[@MrBenfru]

@@BillyTyo Thanks! So you had on your Trip 3x20l Rolie Bags on a E Base? How badly is your set used? Look like you use your material quit hard😳. Would you send to Switzerland? How much do you ask for?

[@BMGProjects]

I would love to do the ride. How did you manage to pause your life: work, family, etc?

[@BillyTyo]

That was really difficult, it was a huge sacrifice, but in the end it was worth it.

[@bradmoody5067]

What heat shield do y’all recommend on the Yoshi? Lookin at em for mine. Really enjoyed the series. Worked on my bike all day today. I am having an intermittent starter problem. I do have a warranty on the bike form PO so I should be fine. Thanks for letting me know about the shield if you get a moment. Thank you sir.

[@BillyTyo]

We just used the heat shield that came with the yoshi (mounted it at the number plate)

[@BillyTyo]

You may want to check the starter reduction gear, it has a clip that comes loose and causes intermittent problems. If you catch it early you just have to re-seat the clip, if you wait too long the clip will break off

[@bradmoody5067]

@@BillyTyo ok, I bought bike used and it didn’t have one. I will search for one thanks.

[@keshmo12]

If you hit the starter and it spins for 1/2 second and stops, it's probably the starter reduction gear. Had it go bad on mine because I start it in gear with the rekluse. It's a 2 piece press fit gear and it will spin before it breaks the cases. I fixed it with green bearing retaining loctite. Also got a spare one.

[@bradmoody5067]

@@keshmo12 is there a better part to install that has been redesigned or will it be a recurring problem? How big a job to tear into it? I do have a 5 year warranty from PO so I figure I would just let the dealer muck with it. Thoughts? Thanks

[@mhilde7744]

Hey what'd to guys do for navigation? Problems? Comments?

[@BillyTyo]

We used a cell phone with no service (GPS still works). We used GAIA software and GPX files from both Sam and Kevin. The phone worked fine for navigation, but we both lost ours off of the handlebar mount, so watch out for that

[@themosaito]

Thanks for the video. Did you enjoy the trip? Would you do it on a KTM 690?

[@BillyTyo]

It was a great trip. I think a 690 would be a great bike for it.

[@themosaito]

@@BillyTyo Thanks, man. Some of the trails you did were a bit gnarly. Not sure I fancy them on the 690. I did the continental divide on my own and stuck to the intermediate routes.

[@nwilk6407]

Do you guys wish you would have had windscreens? Would it have made any type of discernible difference?

[@BillyTyo]

It would have been nice when we were on the highway, but we really weren’t on the highway enough to have made it worth it

[@nwilk6407]

@@BillyTyo thanks for the reply. Haven’t done a big trip yet but planning for a partial TAT. OK to Moab.

[@SigmaSheepdog]

I haven't watched all of your videos as of yet, but did you have the valves adjusted at any point? If not, have you checked the adjustment after the ride?

[@BillyTyo]

We checked them before we left for the TAT and they were in spec. We didn’t check them on the trip but I’m sure they probably need adjusted now.

[@dirtbike250xx]

How frequently did you change the oil?

[@BillyTyo]

About every 1000 miles

[@johnscott9829]

How is the bike on the freeway? Is the vibration unbearable.?

[@BillyTyo]

It does really good up to about 60 or 65mph, anything over that and the vibration is pretty bad

[@johnscott9829]

@@BillyTyo thanks for the reply. That is a little disappointing, I was hopeful it was a bike you could ride 300 miles +/- on the freeway at 75 without to much trouble.

[@BillyTyo]

As long as you stay around 65mph it’s not too bad. We rode several 300+ mile days on pavement.

[@dougrobertson8336]

Are your fuel tanks 2 or 3 gallon sir?

[@BillyTyo]

3 gallon, made by IMS

[@Dirtymcgurty]

Fork seal on the l

[@BillyTyo]

Yep, I forgot to mention that, had a lot of trouble with that fork seal

[@remyboy4415]

Lolol

[@bryansuperduke1290r]

On a trip that long, you could have run a spare clutch cable tie wrapped along the one on the bike, quick and easy to just switch it if it brakes.

[@JeffStoess]

Great video series! Takes me back to when I ran the TAT in 07. Now if you want a much more challenging ride look into the Tour of Idaho T1, 2100 miles in 10 days of trails like the Rainbow Trail. It's the most challenging and exhausting thing that I've ever done in 35 years of riding and racing!

[@robtob5150]

Why would you go on a cross-country trip on a bike that requires you to change the oil every 500 miles?

[@BillyTyo]

It really wasn’t too bad. We carried a few tools and stopped at auto parts stores or motorcycle shops and changed it in the parking lot. Only had to do it about once per week. For me, having the high reving engine was worth it.

[@chiptaxfree]

Thanks for all the great info. And I'm glad the Tusk bags worked out for both of us!

[@BillyTyo]

Glad you were able to get some use out of the Tusk bags, let me know what you think of them.

[@justinpotoczny9423]

About what was the total cost for fuel and food

[@BillyTyo]

I really don’t know, I didn’t keep track

[@harleyultra1500]

Try the Tech Mount Biker Gripper cell phone holder, no more lost phones!!! Great video and thanks for sharing.

[@freenational]

I heard you mentioned 250 in the other video? Anything heavier than that is not recommended for the trail.

[@TWTourist]

Enjoyed watching your TAT video. Is for the phone issue, I dropped my phone a few times. I’m a big ram mount fan but for the phone I’ve Ben using a quad lock with no issues. Looking forward to your next trip.

[@BillyTyo]

I need to try the quad lock

[@thepoastman209]

what video do talk about how many oil changes and tires you went through

[@BillyTyo]

I think it is this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnOtmIGrna6NfZo

[@komakaiokane372]

Thanks for making all the effort to share such a large experience. I'm curious how many oil changes you guys had to do during this ride.

[@BillyTyo]

We changed the oil about once per week

[@dcryder9736]

How much were they able to lower the suspension?

[@BillyTyo]

About 2”

[@andrewg367]

How did you guys get your bikes back east?

[@BillyTyo]

We shipped them with Federal Motorcycle Shippers. They have a warehouse in Portland that you can drop your bike at.

[@jg5529]

I am experiencing a starting problem with my 2019. With the vortex the starter won't prime. When I switch to the stock there are no issues.

[@BillyTyo]

Wow, I hadn’t heard of that happening before. Have you contacted Vortex?

[@jg5529]

@@BillyTyo Yes, I'm going to send it to them to check it out. I have 1,500 miles on it and they said ECU typically don't just happen and they believe its something with the bike. But I took it to a mechanic and they said the bike passes all the tests and said they believe the Vortex is the problem.

[@bottomlinebassin2001]

Alrighty next year y'all need to do it on Groms

[@BillyTyo]

That would be interesting….

[@mikeschlup5279]

What did you do with the pipe heat guard on the rear?

[@BillyTyo]

Still have it

[@dentonracquetball7665]

Great videos, would you send the part numbers for the Dunlop tires you put on the 450rl please. There are so many choices I want to make sure I get the right ones.

[@BillyTyo]

We used the Dunlop D606 130/90x18. 120 works fine also, just not quite as wide.

[@dentonracquetball7665]

@@BillyTyo thanks for the information. I thought it was one of them, I just wasn’t sure. How much was it to lower the bike, if you don’t mind me asking?

[@BillyTyo]

@@dentonracquetball7665 it was about $800 to lower the suspension. I had it done by Pro Cycles in Albany NY.

[@DansADV]

Great Review.

[@BillyTyo]

Thanks!