WHO SHOULD BUY THE CRF450RL??? (1000 MILE REVIEW)

[@goodcitizen]

62 years young here.Have had my 2021 CRF450RL for 3 weeks. Waiting on my seat concepts comfort XL, Vortex, Yoshi. Going to try a 14 48 This bike is worth the money. Buy 10 oil filters and 5 gallons of oil and have fun.

[@quinnpacker9219]

Those are some necessary upgrades! The seat concepts seat is a must have especially if you’re spending a lot of time on the road!

[@brandon22876]

Just I

[@distilledfreedom1840]

Why is every vid on YT monitized? So sick of comericals. Even those w only a couple K subscribers. Couldn't sit through it.

[@autocrow]

I like the way you go from taking about who it's for to why you should get one! lol. Awesome bike. I could really enjoy one of these and might have to get one myself. I ride the same old bikes forever and seldom buy new ones, but this one is just too cool. I've been waiting a long time for Honda to make something like this. Thanks for sharing.

[@rickeythomas8027]

Bike prices are stupid

[@quinnpacker9219]

i couldnt agree more

[@davidsalo8397]

Not only bikes. Consider the cost of a new pickup or van. I remember when a 1971 Yamaha 125 MX cost just a bit over $500. Now you got exhaust systems that go for twice that.

[@canadianktm569]

I have the 250F and needed something faster. Hummed and hawed at these 450RL’s. My local dealer hadn’t gotten any in for at least 7 months. Walked into a KTM and got a “road legal” two stroke😉 couldn’t be happier. Great review nonetheless.

[@mrsmel269]

we wanted one but there like the ducts . high maintenance stuff. at least more then i wanted to mess with. we grabbed a 21 brp !!! hope the day is going good and your out chasing !!!! #livetoride

[@maxflight777]

You might not need a van to get it where you want to go. But … (I bought a trailer because it’s a pain on the road)

[@JohnnyBoy919]

I have a 2015 yamaha wr250r and I'm looking to upgrade...I don't think the crf300l will be an upgrade. As far as the crf450rl...at 10k you shouldn't have to dump more money into the ecu and exhaust. Does the crf450rl have flameout issues? I heard the earlier models did but they changed the fuel injection settings on the later models.

[@quinnpacker9219]

I rode with the stock ECU for maybe 100 miles or so and didn't personally have any flame out issues and have not since. I know that this issue was addressed for the 2021 model year. That being said, this bike does require some clutch finesse in the tight/slow/technical stuff so I could see how people had this issue. As for the price out the door and the exhaust/ecu... I would say that is more of a personal choice with this bike. I just wanted to experience everything this bike had to give and came from the completely unrestricted CRF450R. Let me know what you think and if you choose to grab one!

[@JohnnyBoy919]

@@quinnpacker9219 thanks for the reply! I'm going to wait it out a bit and see if yamaha has something to replace the wr250r or if they come out with something to compete with the crf450rl.

[@quinnpacker9219]

@@JohnnyBoy919 If Yamaha was smart theyd introduce their own high performance 450 dual sport and I hope they do. I think the dual sport/ light adventure community is slowly growing and I love it! have fun out there!

[@The96civicrider]

I own a 19 crf450l and it flamed out allot when I got it but it's better now after break in but still flames out sometimes if your on the throttle then let off and pull in the clutch..I love the bike overall but it did suck to spend 9 grand on a bike and have to put money into it..I have 2300 miles on the bike now and have gotten use to it.. I've done some upgrades like a seat and levers but a vortex ecu and exhaust is next

[@goodcitizen]

My 2021 had quite a bit of flame out until about 200 miles. All good now.

[@lukefish7562]

I’’m sitting on 946 with mine. Mainly mountain trails here in NC. Some dirt roads. Haven’t swapped out for vortex or new exhaust yet. Guess it’s about time. But I love mine. Thanks for the video. 🙂

[@quinnpacker9219]

Glad to hear! If you feel at all tired of the bike yet, that ecu/exhaust swap will make it feel like a brand new bike all over again!

[@lukefish7562]

@@quinnpacker9219 I don’t doubt it! I think your video has sent me over the edge of being able to wait. Heck 1,000 miles without it, maybe my next 1,000 should be with new the setup! Exciting to think about it ‘waking up’ and being a new bike. Thanks again and have fun!

[@jasonoconnor9446]

I own a ktm 690 enduro r and i still want this bike.. I think the performance with suspension and power r worth it over the other dual sport offerings..

[@quinnpacker9219]

It definitely isnt as road worthy as the 690 but its just so good off road!

[@firstamendmenttshirt4768]

Who are you kidding? Yourself? Ktm 690 enduro R every day.

[@jasonoconnor9446]

@@firstamendmenttshirt4768 dnt get me wrong..i love my ktm and would not choose the honda over it..but would like the honda as a second..

[@davidsalo8397]

I got tired of hauling my KTM exc to the repair shop. Love my 450 RL!

[@maxflight777]

Good comments about the cat and de-smog. Best wishes.

[@glossblack1098]

Well presented video. Unfortunately Honda discontinued them in Australia. Poor sales here in 2018-2020 due to initial high price and some negative media about the fueling issues etc. But as you said, once you get a Vortex and new pipe, the bike is amazing. But after you spend that extra money to fix the issues, the total price is close to a KTM /Husky. My mate got the 450L and loves it. I ended up getting a Husky 501 instead. Cheers

[@quinnpacker9219]

You are totally right about the price being close to ktm/husky once its been uncorked so at that point its essentially brand preference! Its unfortunate that honda had to restrict the bike as much as they did though. Anyways, thanks for watching!

[@robmontes8912]

I ride my 450L on trails and at nice mountains. I don't go too hard out there but I have my moments where I like to be aggressive. On the street though I am pretty conservative. On the highway I go 65mph max. I'm very happy with the bike considering the price.

[@quinnpacker9219]

Yeah I personally prefer this bike off road. Thats just where it wants to be! Im glad you like it!

[@a.kcoleman683]

Hey

[@a.kcoleman683]

Hey man I'm sorry

[@rashman763]

Ride thanks

[@EricBanner571]

DRZ400E owner here in Australia. Very accurate review on the CRF. I have been wanting to upgrade the DRZ but finding something that does not cost twice as much with and long service intervals is a challenge. I don't get the hype over the CRF300 so for for now will hold onto the DRZ which has had a lot of money and work put into it..

[@quinnpacker9219]

Yeah I definitely think the DRZ400E is your best bet for now if you're doing primarily supermoto (judging by your profile pic). Like I said in the video, this bike really shines in locations where "legal" trail riding is hard to come by. As for the 300, I think its going to appeal to an audience with a more relaxed approach to dual sporting. Its at a very fair price as well and the maintenance intervals are like 4x longer than my 450L. But again, I knew what I was getting into when i bought it! Thanks for watching!

[@outbackproduction5720]

I had a 250L and sold that for a DRZ400S. I absolutely love the DRZ. If was going to upgrade from the 250L AND wanted to buy brand new, I would give the 450RL a shot. But already having the DRZ400S, like you said I don't think nearly twice the price is worth fuel injection and a 6th gear.

[@ryanschock5619]

Great video, great set up, i have a 2019crf450l i love it but i need to upgrade for off-road riding as it’s set up for super moto now but i wanna get back into the woods🤟

[@melo5848]

Im buying mine for 18k tomorrow… all prepared tho but still 😂

[@danzilla3223]

18,000?

[@melo5848]

@@danzilla3223 yea

[@jparrott04]

Dayum!! Hope you like it.

[@melo5848]

@@jparrott04 i hope too ☠️☠️

[@givennameidk4515]

@@melo5848 why so much

[@samsungtaco11]

600 miles oil change on this bike?

[@quinnpacker9219]

thats what honda recommends yes. I dont go by miles since I am mostly an off road rider and use hours instead

[@triplethefun]

Don’t be lazy.

[@mikemartin9760]

Just want to know do you have to pull the whole motor apart to replace the starter???

[@Canoneosmiami]

What was really cheap ? Just to give us an idea what it means on a bike like that ,less then 6k ?

[@LichaelMewis]

As far as the oil change interval, I'm not going by the book because I don't push my bike incredibly hard. I'm going every 1000 miles oil change except for the first and I'm going to run 10w-30 Mobil1 Racing 4T Fully Synthetic motorcycle oil. Just got the bike and haven't done my first oil change but that is my plan.

[@quinnpacker9219]

Ive seen quite a few people push out oil changes to around 1000 miles. To be honest, I don't go by the miles, rather the hours using an hour meter. This is because I do 95% of my riding off road and 10 miles of intense off road riding doesn't equate to 10 miles of road riding. From my experience over the past year changing the oil ever 10-12 hours, is about 250 miles. I would suggest grabbing an hour meter for yourself as well. They're only about $20 but they can be extremely helpful.

[@tieoneon1614]

What size Trakmasters did u go with? Iv had the 110, really liked it on a 250 4t. Wondering if it was too thin for the 450?

[@quinnpacker9219]

Ive got the 120 on here right now. I'm partial to wider tires but I absolutely love the Trakmaster. I think they're being discontinued though.....

[@ericstephenson3607]

Wondering if the crf450l would be reasonably capable on the mx practice track.

[@quinnpacker9219]

Definitely. I’ve had no issues with whoops and doubles in my experience.

[@SmokinZen]

How often do you change the oil? Is the maintenance a constant thing? How much are your extra wheels?

[@quinnpacker9219]

I change every 10 hours which usually ends up being around 150-200 miles. This is far more frequent than the manual suggests and it only takes like 15 minutes.

[@jackmorley6044]

hey Quinn what rear sprocket size did you go with for the supermoto setup? i got a 48 tooth you think ill need something smaller?

[@quinnpacker9219]

I also went with the 18 and I found it to work perfectly for my needs. It lengthened out the gears just a little bit while still keeping the torque for acceleration and wheelies. That being said though, you can get sprockets for fairly cheap. It may be worth grabbing a couple of the cheap steel ones of different tooth sizes to see what works best for you!

[@tannerbass2533]

Is your bike wrapped, or are those aftermarket fairings. I like the white/red combo.

[@quinnpacker9219]

all the plastics besides the headlight are aftermarket! i have white fairings with a wonder bread graphics kit

[@165strat]

thanks for the video, what do you have the votex setting at ? I watched your vortex install, are you still at 555 1 ? or did you try other mappings ?

[@quinnpacker9219]

Thanks for watching! Im still riding the 555 1 mapping and am yet to try something else yet to be honest. I mostly ride trails so i havent needed to change anything yet! however, I am planning on making a video reviewing the different mappings and how they feel in the next month. I really want to see how the enduro mapping feels

[@165strat]

@@quinnpacker9219 ok thanks, I ride off road and highway so I will try the 555 4 but will also experiment as well. nice vides points yo relayed here. I also have a DrZ400 and a Africa twin along with the RL, RL is definitely the funnest IMO

[@douglasfrantzen3011]

Hi, trying to figure out why your front number plate is 435 and the side plates are 345. That's going to confuse the course volunteers if you're doing any racing. The Wonder graphics look nice though.

[@quinnpacker9219]

I have two sets of graphics and plastics, one for the events the other for just trail riding etc. The graphics company sent me the wrong numbers and this was filmed within that week or so which had 345 instead of 435. I just ran the 345 to get an idea of what the wonder bread livery would look like. everything is corrected now though to be 435 yet it doesnt matter since I change the plastics/graphics for events

[@douglasfrantzen3011]

@@quinnpacker9219 Ha, I figured they had messed up and sent you the wrong number with your graphics, but it was a little amusing in a way like the guy with the tattoo that says "no regerts". Anyway, nice that you got it sorted and like I said, your bike really looks nice. Thanks for the helpful video. I've been having a hard time choosing between the 450RL or one of the new 300s (Kawasaki or Honda). Worried that I could be bored with the tame 300 or that they just won't pull well in sand, but not sure if I really need the 450, just getting back into dual sport after a couple decades of not riding off road. One week I'm definitely getting the KLX300 and the next thinking that the CRFs just look so good and I like Honda a lot from past experience.

[@quinnpacker9219]

@@douglasfrantzen3011 yeah its definitely a tough choice and my father actually has the CRF300L so I have experience with both the 450 and the 300 classes. I would say the first thing you need to ask yourself is where youre coming from with your riding preference. The 300 is a street bike with off road capabilities, the 450 is a dirt bike with street capabilities. This means the 300 (in my opinion) is far more comfortable for road riding and the maintenance is far more forgiving. So if youre going to be spending 60% or more of your time on the road, the 300 class is definitely the right choice for you and youll save a ton of money. On the road the 450 maintenance intervals can be quite annoying since it is far more performance oriented than the 300. However, off road this bike is just in a whole other class. It has the suspension, power, and handling the 300 doesnt. If you could only have 1 off road motorcycle and you dont have a truck to transport a bike, THIS IS THE BIKE TO HAVE. Keep in mind though is its more expensive than the 450X/R and its pretty much just for the blinkers and license plate. From here youll need to put in about $1500 more in mods to get it where it should be so youre already at probably 13000. The price tag on the 300s is just unbeatable. Sorry for rambling I hope ive been informative!

[@douglasfrantzen3011]

@@quinnpacker9219 No, thanks for rambling. These are some of the questions I should be asking myself. I do already have street motorcycles so I don't need that, I just want to get back into dirt after some time off. I do have a truck for transportation, however, I want a street legal off-road motorcycle so that I can ride fire roads around the county and roads within the Anza Borrego state park. We used to be able to ride non-street legal bikes and three wheelers within Anza Borrego until 1987 and I always loved exploring the area, also really want to ride the Pinion Mtn trail because I've never ridden that one through to Fish Creek wash. I also want to ride in the Superstition OHV area which includes a lot of sand dunes, as well as Ocotillo Wells OHV, McCain Valley OHV and Corral Canyon OHV. It really sounds like I should just get the 450 instead of getting a 300 and wishing I had the 450. Thanks a lot for the help.

[@lman22]

Can you take the indicators off? Looking to get one for enduro only and possibly the street very rarely thanks love the videos!

[@quinnpacker9219]

yes you can. However, if youre looking to use it for off road only, you should look into the 250X/450X and RX's. you could save a tremendous amount of money by starting from this platform since the 450L price is based on it being street legal. the 450L is 10k for a dumbed down version of the 450X and needs a lot of aftermarket add ons (and some which remove parts) to get it to the same level.

[@lman22]

@@quinnpacker9219 I am in Australia can I still get the 450rx or x?

[@quinnpacker9219]

@@lman22 ah okay that changes a few things since Honda cut back on what they offer to the Australian market (including the 450L and 450X). I think your best bet would be to look at the Yamaha WR450/250f or the yz450/250fx. the yz is going to be slightly more "race" oriented than the WR but from what I have seen, these bikes perform phenomenally!

[@lman22]

@@quinnpacker9219 ok thanks Quinn really enjoy your videos!

[@quinnpacker9219]

@@lman22 thanks for watching!

[@christianc3422]

Hey man love the video and I was wondering if I could pick your brain for a sec. I’m a new rider and I really like the 450rl. It seems to have everything I’d want in a bike as I’ve always loved dirt bikes and need a bike that does a mix of street but mostly off-road. Do you think a beginner rider could handle a bike like this based on the power?

[@quinnpacker9219]

Hey Christian, thanks for watching! So heres my opinion, you could probably handle this bike as a beginner, however there are a lot of things about it, besides the power, which may actually deter you from riding rather than get you excited. Let me explain: This bike is extremely uncomfortable to sit on with the seat height a little over 37" and a very narrow seat. The amount of money/time/effort/ to get this bike to a good "rideable" state can also be a deterrent. Im guessing by now you've heard about how infamously bad this bike is from the factory with the twitchy throttle, cut offs etc and all of this is true. I'm not claiming to be an expert rider by any means, but I have been riding consistently since the age of 5 and my first time ever starting out on this bike I stalled.... For this I would say it isnt very "beginner" friendly. Then theres the maintenance. Yes it is a Honda, and therefore it most likely comes with the legendary honda reliability, but that reliability comes at a cost of time AND money. So now I have a few questions for you. How new to riding are you? Are you new to motorcycling in general? Or just new to on-road riding? What kind of riding are you interested in? Do you want a bike you can focus on learning and improving your riding skills? Or a bike thats going to test your mechanical skills as well? I think if I started out my dual-sport/motorcycle journey on this bike I would have been disappointed for many of the reasons I listed above (not to mention the price/cost of ownership). I want you to consider these option for many reasons: the Honda CRF300L/Kawasaki KLX300. My first on-road bike experience was the CRF230L which I still own and I have no complaints about it. Ive owned it for 3 years now and Ive only had to change the oil 3 times (on the 450rl Ive owned for 14 months and have changed the oil I believe 13 times). maintenance wasnt something to worry about, I could just hop on and ride and ride, which is all you wanna do when youre learning. I learned to ride the bike, not just try and hold on. My father is getting back into riding right now and got the 300L and let me tell you, that is 100% the best beginner platform you could ask for in a motorcycle (not to mention its literally half the price). If I were you I would grab one of those for the summer, grow your skills as a rider and then take your next steps from there. Youll understand what kind of riding youre interested in. If you find yourself interested in doing more aggressive off road riding, sell the 300 for what you bought it for and grab the 450. Let me know if this answers your question!

[@christianc3422]

@@quinnpacker9219 Hey man, first off thank you for taking the time to not just respond to my question but also help me figure out if this is for me. I’m new to owning motorcycles but grew up riding friends dirt bikes here and there. I originally just planned on taking msf courses to help learn my way around the bike. The main reason I considered it was because I wanted a dirt bike without having to put it in the back of a trailer every time I wanted to ride it. I hadn’t really considered doing too much road riding and luckily the part of Florida I’m located in has a bunch of trails. Also I’m around 5’11 so I don’t usually have a hard time flat footing bikes.I haven’t really considered the 300l but I’m a fan of Honda bikes so far. How does it perform on trails in your opinion? After your explanation I can see buying the 300l or the Klx would be the better route. Dude thanks again for responding, I have been racking my brain for months and this has helped a bunch.

[@quinnpacker9219]

@@christianc3422 No problem! I know how stressful the process can be trying to figure out where to spend your money. But it sounds like you do have some experience with dirt bikes so the 450 wouldnt be completely foreign to you. I suggest taking a look at the channel @Adventure Daily. He has also owned both the 450RL and 300L and very much favors the 300 over the 450. From his videos you'll be able to see how both bikes perform. The 300L isnt going to be amazing off road but its going to do whatever you need it to. Especially in Florida where the terrain isnt necessarily as rough as it is up here in Connecticut. I definitely see the appeal of a dual sport. I always tell people if you can only have one bike, make it a dual sport because you can literally do anything on it. In the end though, you'll get a bike and ride! thats all that matters

[@LichaelMewis]

@@quinnpacker9219 I'd recommend the KLX300 over the CRF300l. My son has the Klx300 and it's awesome. I have this 450RL and it's a beast. We checked out the 300L and the suspension quite frankly sucks.

[@quinnpacker9219]

@@LichaelMewis I'll agree with you here 100%. I suggested both 300's since at the moment its pretty much get whatever you can get your hands on. Plus I frankly think theyre both amazing platforms, but I only have experience with the 300L so I appreciate your insight!

[@rashman763]

Im 5’8 do u think i can rude that bike

[@quinnpacker9219]

You’ll be on your toes but there are plenty of people who have lowered this bike for their height. Look up crf450l lower links and you’ll find what you’re looking for!

[@jamesgeorgevellavella1961]

Lol I got the 300l yes you will drop it but it won’t bother you. Don’t go slow lol

[@jayoutdoors1534]

You can adjust it down 2 in easy. I had to do that I'm 5 9

[@mikemartin9760]

I think of the CRF’s and forget they’re not like the old bullet proof 4 strokes like Honda use to make! Now I realize I should have probably have bought an XR that would be like old but heavy!!!

[@quinnpacker9219]

They're definitely not unkillable like the olds air cooled xr's! But they also have double the performance. They just require a little more care

[@OlsonAuto]

Hey, so I’m looking to pick up a ‘22 450RL soon (assuming I get approved lol), also from New England (RI), how do you like it around here? Have you ever raced a NETRA with it? I’m planning to pretty much daily it, make it similar to yours where it’s mostly a dirt bike with the bare minimum to be legal, and also doing turkey runs.

[@quinnpacker9219]

The riding is decent. I have a few go to spots in CT that I can ride at and I know that RI has a few as well. I know the Pechaug forest is supposed to be excellent and thats right on the RI/CT border. Googling things like "dirt biking in RI" will give you some trails you can check out as well as using google earth to see some places that have a lot of woods. as for NETRA, I am signed up and registered to race but I just havent had the chance to yet! I think that it could easily handle a harescramble and dominate the dual sport runs. I hope you get your bike!

[@OlsonAuto]

@@quinnpacker9219 glad to hear! I’ve done pachaug on my old drz400s and it was pretty fun for sure. Hopefully buying this is worth the price over the DRZ, but adding an extra gear and fuel injection, it should be

[@danzilla3223]

Did you get approved and if so how are you liking it?

[@OlsonAuto]

@@danzilla3223 I ended up getting a beta 390, and I did Finance it. Been absolutely loving it, amazing bike.

[@djizzah]

This bike is a dud, no one is buying them, too dirt oriented, too expensive too fiddly and high maintenance, for the same price you can buy a European thoroughbred virtual race bike or 2 road trail bikes like DRZ KLX CRF 300L, they're finishing production completely very soon apparently..should have been 20% cheaper and half as maintenance intensive..won't be missed

[@quinnpacker9219]

I talk about all of these points in the video. I bought the 450RL because it is strictly dirt orientated with the ability to go on the road. I chose it over a European brand because I've had really good experiences with Hondas and their CRF450's, plus the parts availability for this bike is amazing since it shares the same platform. The new KLX, and CRF300's will be great bike for what they're designed to do lack the more serious off road capabilities I am looking for. As for maintenance, I agree that this bike is demanding, but thats what you should expect when you buy a performance oriented motorcycle. Thanks for watching!

[@JimJones-gd2jy]

Here in Southern California the crf450rl’s are flying out the doors ! If you see it, buy it or it will be long gone.

[@lukefish7562]

@@JimJones-gd2jy yeah of course they are selling well like every other bike. It was an ignorant statement to say they aren’t. But heck we’re all wrong sometimes.

[@c0ck_l2oach75]

No one is buying them? Lol sales #s say otherwise.