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Honda unveils its road-legal CRF450L

Posted

25 May 2018

Ross Mowbray

Building on the successes of Honda’s CRF450R moto-crosser and its iconic CRF250L dual-sport, Honda has just unveiled its all new road-legal CRF450L.

It is unmistakably a race-bred CRF – but it comes with all the necessary modifications to make it both road legal and supremely useable in a trail environment. As such, the CRF450L is a complete package, as happy roosting trails as it is linking them up on-road. And with Honda engineering and build quality at its core, it’s sure to do so for years to come…

So, essentially it’s a CRF450R; just one that’s slightly quieter, and less aggressive. Both fuelling and ignition maps are now managed by 02 lambda sensor; compression ratio has been lowered and crank mass increased for improved drivability. The gearbox is a 6-speed – for longer legs on the road – and a cush drive has been added to the 18-inch rear wheel. The plastics are lifted directly from the CRF450R too – and all lighting is LED, with the front headlight in particular throwing out a penetrating beam. Increased volume for the titanium fuel tank adds range and all the items that make the CRF450L ready to purchase as a licensed, road going machine – such as speedometer and horn – are present as standard.

Mr M. Uchiyama, Large Project Leader for the CRF450L said: “The CRF450L is about having maximum fun out on the dirt. It looks like a CRF450R because, really, it is – just a trail-friendly, road-legal version. That’s what the ‘L’ stands for – ‘legal’. It’s been engineered to deliver excellent handling feel, with linear engine torque that helps the rider make the most of the available grip in all conditions. AND, it contains its HRC-derived CRF technology within a real-world service schedule.”

No news yet on when it’ll be making it across to the UK – all we know is, we can’t wait to ride one.