The 2017 – 2019 Honda CRF450R is a bike that has often been credited with some of the best handling characteristics in the class. The chassis is well built making it stable yet predictable in just about every scenario possible. Our testers over the years have always spoken of the CR’s handling in a positive manor.
The engine has never been called the quickest but it is by no means the slowest. The single overhead cam engine produces a good broad range of power while being easy to manage. Honda has done a great job at building a well-rounded bike that is easy to ride and confidence inspiring.
Over the years Honda played around with the air forks but like most brands decided to go away from them. A well-tuned air fork can work well but the biggest problem with them was the addition of big rubber seals in the fork that seal the air but added friction and caused stiction. This caused the fork to feel harsh at lower speeds or on smaller bumps. If you dropped the air pressure to help counteract this then the fork would dive or blow through on bigger jumps or braking into fast turns so generally the industry gave up on them and we see Honda return to the way of the Showa twin chamber inverted spring fork.
A second hand 2017 – 2019 Honda CRF450R is a good bike but be sure to quiz the previous owner on their maintenance schedule. If the bike has 150 hours on it but has never been apart for a rebuild then it’s likely you’ll be the one rebuilding it soon. Make sure they have been cleaning their air filter and oiling it correctly after each ride and even take a good look in the air box for any signs of dust getting past the air filter.
Unfortunately valves don’t like dust very much and if the bike has been breathing dirt then it’s likely the valves aren’t in very good condition. The CRF air filter is also tricky to fit as the air box is compact and there isn’t much room to fiddle around in there.
Check that the seller has been changing the oil every five hours along with an oil filter. It is important to keep up to date with the oil changes on the CRF as it has two separate oil compartments. One is for the engine and the other for the gearbox.
This is good that the clutch and gearbox material can’t contaminate the engine oil but the engine only holds a small capacity so this oil can go bad quickly. It’s also important to fill both sides of the engine up correctly or you will run the engine dry of oil and seize the engine.
Lastly take the bike for a ride and make sure the clutch works correctly and the engine selects all gears as any gearbox repairs can be rather costly.
New
2017 $12,198
2018 $12,198
2019 $12,498
Second Hand
2017 $5,300 – $6,300
2018 $6,100 – $7,250
2019 $9,950 – $8,250
Market Equivalent
17 – 19 Kawasaki KX450F
$5,150 – $6,750
17 – 19 Suzuki RMZ450
$5,350 – $6,950
17 – 19 Yamaha YZ450F
$5,200 – $7,700
17 – 19 KTM 450SXF
$5,550 – $7,950
