Honda does extremely well – the engineers
clearly think about the details.
To a large degree the civility of the 450L
belies the fact that it’s a large-ish four-stroke
single. The KR test included some sandy
based trail and MX track work, a few hundred
km’s of tar seal, and a decent amount of
gravel too. It’s fair to say that the 450L
impressed on every surface.
ROAD BIKE
On tarmac and gravel, the dirt-bike riding
position and handling is very evident. You
sit upright on a tall, narrow bike that feels
small and almost beyond nimble for all those
used to larger road bikes. It feels so light,
almost flighty in its agility, that you need to
tone down your inputs if stepping from a
big adventure bike for example. The up-side
is, it’s very confidence-inspiring and I felt as
though I could get away with any possible
drama because it’s so light.
At 131kg wet, some will argue that it’s
50 KIWI RIDER
not that light in comparison to a full-on
dirt bike. Sorry folks, for a machine this
civilised, versatile and accomplished from
road to dirt it is very light. Compared to an
‘adventure’ machine it’s an absolute anorexic
featherweight.
The day we photographed the 450L, Geoff
used my African Twin for transport and the
difference was remarkable when ridden
back-to-back. Totally chalk and cheese, as we
expected it would be – but it was even more
than we expected. The Africa Twin was like a
V8-powered Lazy-boy, while the 450 felt like a
Race Kart by comparison.
DIRT BIKE
Off road the inherent quality of the CRF
heritage shows through. This bike steers
and handles beautifully. The chassis balance
and ergonomics are also top notch. The
suspension is of a very high spec, fully
adjustable Showa components straight
from the MX bike. Yes, it is sprung lighter
and has a few less shims in the shock and