cr 450

[lms6201]

  i,d like opinions on the cr 450 , or comparasons with the yz 465 or kx 420 , any takers , don,t hold back either

[cyclegod]

Read VMX mag issue No.24 it features CR450

[lms6201]

is it available on line or how do i obtain ?

[090]

ebay , search under vmx

[VMX Andrew]

i remember firko wrote a page for adb a few years back about the worst motocross bikes in the history of the sport.i cant remember who got first but im pretty sure it was a toss up between the cr450 81model and the yz490j 82model.he wrote something along the lines that went like this about the honda (the gearboxes shitemselves after about ten hours and after 20 the shock went south)something like that.....  

[Hoony]

yeah i think i read somewhere Magoo had the season from hell on his 1981 CR450RB, i have a mate who until late last year did a full VIPER season on his and it never had a problem. the gearboxs are known to be weak though.

[Maico31]

The CR450 was a Heap of shit, i had one brand new. The power hit like a light switch, the clutch slipped bad and the rear end was a pogo stick. I sold it halfway through the year and bought a RM250x full floater... much better bike.

[lms6201]

great stuff people , perhaps i,d better stick with trying to get an ignition system for the kx 420  , now bring on the comments about that , or should i move to kawa headquarters , do tell

[Maico31]

The only thing i remember about the KX420 is Peter Ploen breaking the steering head off one at Tivoli. Probably not good news...Ha

[DJRacing]

This is Peter Ploen's KX420 but it is now owned by another vmxer and was raced last weekend

[Maico31]

Hey DJ, Peter Ploen raced here in Qld in '79 and '80 for Brisk Sales the Qld Kawasaki distributers. Do you think that would be the same 420 he rode here? He also had a pretty trick '79 KX250a5 that he fitted a '76 400 motor to and grafted a reed block to it. He rode it in a couple of rounds of MR Motocross in 1979.

[DJRacing]

Maico31 I would think that it is the same bike(unless one was surplied). He only just sold it last year and it is in original condition as raced by Peter (hence the #7). I dont know about the KX250A5/400 as Peter usually rides an RH250 and a RM370. He is one of the coolest riders to watch with his style of dragging his inside foot while sliding around corners.
Peter in action on his RH250


Sorry didnt mean to interrupt the thread so I will say this about the CR450.
In a shootout test I have here between the CR450 and the YZ465, the writer stated the the YZ looked old and that the CR is the best looking open classer with its smooth ride(linkage) but he did say the YZ was faster and the YZ also cornered better. The CR didnt like cornering at all and when it really came down to it the YZ465 was still the best open class bike.

[magoo]

Funny 'bout that Maico31. At Connondale this year I told you, before practice, about how I reckoned the 450 was hard done by. After practice all the horrible memories came flooding back to me, Maico31 was right, I was wrong, a very unpleasant motorcycle to say the least. And that was after I'd fixed the original problems.

[Maico31]

Aaah Magoo.. I was wondering if you would step in for comment after our conversation at Conondale. As much of a shitbox as they are i still like them to look at and i am restoring one to keep cos it was Hondas first big bore motocrosser.

[Maico31]

DJ thats a good shot of Ploen on the RH. I've got a couple of pics of him somewhere on that KX250/400a5 at the Mr Motocross grand final at Amaroo Park in '79 when Gunter thrashed everyone on the RN400 works bike. That was awesome...