First Ride: 2021 Honda CRF450R - Michael Lindsay Testing 

Let us know the engine durability when ever you can, if you can. Mainly Clutch life ( last few years clutch was junk)

Best oil in your opinion for these bikes?! Currently running the Honda G4 10W40. Scared to switch over but could be missing something better?? Love the vid as well man! Ride Red!

Awesome review man. Do you know when you'll do a 2021 450 shootout

@@robbietucker7815 Motul! 300V 10w40. A good chunk of factory teams use Motul products...

@@MichaelLindsay Great info man! I'm going to try it! I feel a lot better about trying a new product now. Thanks

Kris Keefer

@@dicktrickler Keefer does an excellent job, for sure.

Mucho gracias! Personally, I think Pat Foster (swapmoto) and Kris Keefer (Racer X and Keefer Inc) kill it as well. Make sure you give a listen to their thoughts on the new bikes this year too.

I NEED IT!

KINGDOM MT I have been told since this that a reliable source has said they are going to reflash all the ECU to fix the fuel mapping issue before the ship them out which was my only concern

So how'd it turn out for you I'm thinking of getting one

@@tcmx712 after 30min of riding it fouled a spark plug and everyone I have talked to has had the same issue, after that I haven’t had any issues with mine, the bike is great with the the exception of the suspension being the worst I’ve ever had, but I always go through and have my suspension reset for my weight with new valves and springs so not a big deal for me

@@coreydamron4799 cheers for the reply mate. Is it worth upgrading from the last model or should i just wait till next year

@@tcmx712 I have a 17 and it was worth it for me but if ur good with what you have already I would just wait till 2022, it will just be a more polished version of what I have

Okay, a bike may change your life if you don't currently have one ha!

Also a good tip if you want to buy a KTM! 😂😂

True. That first aluminum frame 1997 CR250 was a pogo stick.

Kris Keefer

Been doing well this year bro keep it up!!

Alex Norton I left. They wanted me to stay, I just had some different things I wanted to do with my time in the industry and thought it was time to move on. I really enjoyed my time there.

​@@MichaelLindsay I'm glad you moved on to do what you wanted to do! Hats off to you.

Nope, I stayed away from really digging into other opinions until I rode the bike myself. I'm also hard headed, so I don;'t usually care what others say on a motorcycle, I'll always go with what I feel haha!

Kris Keefer

DOWNEY770 it’s small and not always as noticeable, but KTm and Husky aren’t the most well mapped in my opinion as well.

@@MichaelLindsay just from past injuries due to a bike coughing I get really nervous hearing about that. Guess I'd have to.ride one to determine if its not for me. So many things factor in to a riders bike preference its hard to say I if I'd even notice or if I'd think its worse than what you say. I love the brutally honest no marketing agenda reviews though man. I like your no bullshit say what mean, mean what you say attitude.

Marty D I think there’s a chance they could do some sort of update or re-flash. We will see in the coming weeks!

I really appreciate that. These videos mean a lot to me and the goal is to always improve.

Chris Zacharias Keefer and I talked a bit more about the bike on the Pulp show last night 👍🏻

Michael Lindsay awesome I’m in aus, it’s morning here I’m about to listen👌🏽

Chris Zacharias morning mate!

Michael Lindsay morning legend, listening now! You bring such a good vibe to the pulp mx show!

Mucho gracias

@@MichaelLindsay Is your team getting this bike?

FrankCRaymerDDS I have one or two coming. Coty may race one at the final outdoor national. But our primary focus is the 250 class next year.

evo the base package is defientely a step forward and I love the character changes to the bike, just needs a tuning 🤘🏻😁

Ktm 450 FE

The old saying of “Yamaha can’t turn” is simply bull shit at this point and I’d be willing to put money on the people still saying that have not ridden a newer 18+ Yamaha. Give one a ride and see for yourself. Best suspension and motor period. I can corner the the hell out of my 19 yz450

@@shanemoto97 Thank you for your input. I definitely will. The last YZ450F I was on was probably a 16 model. I live near Reynard Raceway and Robert Reynard has always been a big supporter of the YZ450F for durability and reliability. I just need to find a newer model to try! 👍

If you’re looking for something a little kinder on the power delivery side of things, I’d highly recommend trying a KTM or Husky 350 if you can snag the chance to try one for a couple laps. I think you’d be pretty impressed.

@@MichaelLindsay Thank you!

Tommy Battelle yup when Honda calls I’ll be all over it!

Not entirely sure. I'd have to listen to Swap's, but I could've sworn he said three was best, Keefer thinks so too. I spoke with Kris a bit after my test...I think there could be a bit of variance in these units. Mine was very noticeable. But I also rode at a different elevation then the others, at least 2000 feet higher.

Every one said 3 was the cleanest and 1 was dirty off the bottom.

Honda took a bike that already was known to be sketchy and hard to set up, and made the front end STEEPER? You don't just tune out that, although Michael's company Works Chassis Lab may find a new niche selling adjustable steering head bearing races.

John Depperschmidt But he said the frame and chassis changes are an improvement over last year’s bike.

64maxpower 🤣🤣🤣🤣

@@billymcculloch-hardenduro2755 thank you for your support Billy. I will be sure to thank you on the podium at A1

Same with the ride engineering guys on that chassis

LoudOrNothing teams and suspension shops do it all the time. The bike comes stock with 50nm springs, and you can optionally go to 52nm, 54nm, or say 48nm, 46nm etc. with the springs going in +/- 2 increments, if you only change one side, you’re basically getting a “half rate”. So if I take the right side 50nm spring out and change it for a 52, but leave the stock 50 in the left side...I now have spring rate and pressure on the front end relative to 51nm.

@@MichaelLindsay Ok well that is interesting. Personally it just seems like it could cause some uneven torquing and friction in the forks. But I'm new to suspension so I'll take your word for it. Thanks for responding.

John Rolko technically you could but you’d have to buy the engine case, all the hydraulic clutch parts and probably the clutch components itself. I’m gonna guess it would cost around $800-1000 in parts plus splitting the cases on your current engine to swap it.

Would it be cheaper to put a Magura unit on it?

Ben Fairhall much cheaper and easier.

It requires a different inner hub and pressure plate. At that point it’s easier and better to just go to the Hinson 8 plate aftermarket clutch or go to a Rekluse Torq Drive clutch.

YZ, more reliable best suspension

@chris beerad Wrong again

Both are great, YZ has more engine, but KX is lighter and puts power to the ground better.

@chris beerad Its a known fact

Considering the Yamaha didn’t change this year and the Kawi only had minor tweaks...I’d say watch my Shootout video from 2020 models on those two bikes, listen to the characteristics of each I describe and pick which one sounds like it’ll suit you. I think they’re both good choices but for different reasons.

Ben Fairhall seemed to be better! Warm out but I didn’t exactly pound out the motos and grind if you know what I mean 😅

Michael Lindsay yeah you weren’t exactly doing 2 National length motos with the heat as well. Time will tell!

Ben Fairhall the main filing session requires a lot of turning around, slow riding and sitting with the bike on to find a gap for the shot. We did that for over two hours with no break and it never kicked coolant. But straight up 30 min Moto just slaying it...not in my wheelhouse right now 😂😂😂

Michael Lindsay hey I thought you looked ready for 2x30s any day of the week!

Ben Fairhall I’m ready for two 30 min motos around Chipotle...

That million dollar question again

Covid issues

Yes, in my opinion.

A little bit, mostly spring rate balance and some ECU love.

Michael Lindsay was really hoping it was going to be more dialed off the showroom floor like the Yamaha. For 9,500+ I expect nothing less at this point from manufactures. I really wanted this bike ugh

A lowering link might help

Steve Stiffler our of the box I think it would make the rear character even worse with a longer link.

Mark Gaudreau Chaparral does some pretty good deals!

A&Taiken i just described the ins and outs of how this bike “feels” on track and I’m not pro by any means. I had two “vet weekend warriors” test it the next day with me and both said about 60-70% of what I said about the bike.

@@MichaelLindsay i didn't know you had to vet riders as well; i guess my point is most test riders, regardless if they are Vet or not are still 90 % better at feeling the bike, feeling the difference between them, etc. where a "Weekend Warrior" knows how tighten the chain and barely now how to mess with "Clickers" Triple Clamps, etc. that Test Riders can do in there sleep. Just would like to see one with actually Vet Weekend Warriors that were never Pro or A/B riders but a Vet B/C or even beginners only can tell you, the throttle response is quick, or the bike sits high, the pocket is slimmer or wider and typical spring clickers info or demonstrations. My point is, most of these videos really only apply to, i don't know, maybe B, A and ex pro riders. Its like letting Vet Pros race in a Vet Class with local racers, completely different skill levels and should not be mixed. Everything is geared more towards bigger jumps, rougher tracks, etc. which weekend warriors don't like, Hell, we spend the most money in the industry but yet nothing is geard to are skill level at all. I know its a lot but i have seen this going on for a while, APPEAL MORE TO tHE OLDER VET 30 + classes and not the amateur and ex pros. In a local race, the A& B classes are never full at the gate, maybe a total of 10 riders out of, i dunno, 700 like in California; the percentages are in our favor. Thank you for reading my rant but i think a lot of people may agree. (I hope)!

A&Taiken I tried all my clicker settings and more options with two vet riders and a local B rider. They were all happy with the direction that I went (except sag as were all a bit different in weight). I have two mind sets for testing. I have a slightly different feel I go for when I do these first rides. I try to go for a balance and performance setup taht multiple people can jump on. If I went down the rabbit hole of tweaking it exactly for myself, I’m going to end up with a bike that’s a bit more choppered out, has a ton of response and a very sharp throttle response, and a very relaxed steering input. I totally get where you’re coming from. I grab a range of testers for my shootout but for the bike intros it’s rare I’m allowed to have a bunch of other riders and to put it bluntly, I’m way better on camera than most when it comes to describing these things. So for these initial videos I do all the talking.

@@MichaelLindsay Hey Michael, thank you for taking the time to respond; I guess what i'm really trying to say is why, for these shootouts, do you have to do anything to them, why not just test as "Stock" in multiple different situations, sand, red clay, and another type of condition that a "Stock" bike react differently? Most of us "Weekend Warriors" do nothing to the bikes and just ride it stock, stock is fast enough; everyone knows that suspension is the only really item we would change but i would hire a proffessional to do that as i did it once and the rea shock broke off mid air and lucky it was a big wide landing; hence why i do not mess with suspension really anything mechanical as i would ruin a $10,000 machine ,. I know i am overthinking this and can't believe you actually responded a couple of times, I'm not knocking your shootout, really the only one i watch. I t was just an suggestion so the novice rider can by the "Stock" bike that is right for them. Anyway i'm done and will nothing it up again, Thank you for the discussion.

@@ataiken8406 Every shootout we do is with the bike in stock off the showroom condition. The only things we change are the suspension clicker settings and sag, which can be done with basic tools such as a hammer and screwdriver. We do not modify the bikes with any aftermarket components at all.

Jason Bartlett the Honda was in the works long before KTM even bought GasGas.

@@MichaelLindsay You got me there man. It may just be me personally. I think it looks Similar to the ktm plastic Weis. Love the videos can't wait to see your review on the 2021 FC 450.