Tail Tidy and general advice on my CRF450X

[TheBro72]

Im a rookie to this website (and off roading) and Im looking for some advice and help. I have recently aquired an 07 CRF450X for my first off road bike, not rode it as yet but I hear it's quite a handful (Oh my god, what am I doin!). The bike is ex Honda UK and is road registered but it hasn't been used on the road at all, so at the minute the bike has no number plate. I hate Honda's standard rear fender units. They are way too big and spoil the looks of the bike totally! I intend only to use the bike for green laning and the odd trip to the track, so Im looking for a tail tidy system which is 'barely legal' and has the flexibility to easy remove the number plate when I go to the track. I've seen a tailtidy kit online which seems ideal.

http://www.dualsportamerica.com/dsa-...legal-kit.html

Does anyone know of a company in the UK that make a similar product? I've looked in the FAQ's but I can't find nothing in there that relates to the lights/electrics of the bike. Can anyone shed some light or point me in the right direction???

Also as I have very little knowledge of these bikes is there anything I should be aware of (general mechanical wise) on this model.

Thanks guys

[mattsccm]

An enduro rear light will be available from any decent off road dealer. try something by Acerbis, UFO, Polisport to start with. 25 quid will get a unit. Good mail order from hainesmc.co.uk

Having said that a 450x must be near the top of the list for a unsuitable bike for a beginner. Classic purchase by a road rider who thinks a 450 is small. It will be a pain on the green lanes bearing in mind the voluntary speed limit is 25mph off tarmac ( and that is often anti social) and around country lanes 40 is plenty if you don't want to add to the huge "anti" brigade. even competition riders are going away from something that big. Trade it in for a 250 or even a CRF230 and enjoy your first experiences. The standard pie is way to noisy and after market stuff can be worse so check this please.

[TheBro72]

Hi Mattsccm, thanks for your reply

Just read my post back to myself. Sorry fella, what I should of put is that im a rookie to enduro/green laning, not to off road bikes in general!

The 450X I've bought is the first enduro bike I've ever owned (and yes mate I do have a road bike ha ha!) But it wont be the first off roader I've ever ridden. I've had access to plenty of motocross bikes (mostly 250 2 strokes) over the years so I do have a rough idea on how much of a handful this bike will/can be.

This is why I've been looking on this forum. I want to get as much information as I can on issues like the green lane speed limits you mentioned (never knew that), common problems (if any) to this '07 model, and most importantly the legal road requirements to make sure I can ride my bike on the road to and from the green lanes.

The only reason I bought this 450X was because a friend of a friend works for Honda UK and she knew they were goin at a 'rip arm out of socket price.' I couldnt really say no!

I do hear what ur saying though about the noise, practicality and antisocial behaviour of this bike on green lanes and I will defo bear all this in mind!!! As I've bought it now I'll give it a go. If its all too much of a handful I should easily be able to sell it and get back what I paid for it and then look at something more suitable!

Thanks for the heads up anyway!

[mattsccm]

Join the TRf and find out where lots of stuff is and get decent advice.

[XRDAVE]

the 450 will be a great green laner in as much as it will be less of a pain on the tarmac sections getting to the dirt, of course nobody needs that extra power on the trails but it will be great fun. I'd also experiment with the gearing, i was riding a race-prepped 450 the other weekend which was geared for 170 kph in top and actually felt quite tame, needing 2nd for some big climbs when my 250 was zipping up easily in third. it certainly wasn't an intimidating bike to ride. The bikes are really bulletproof too, just keep on top of the oil changes and keep the filter clean.

[russellt]

Congratulatinos on joining the Honda trail bike owning fraternity . Yes the 450 x is very powerful and has bags more performance than most of us can handle. Having said that I think they are remarkably tractable on Green Lanes which is where I do most of my riding and are happy to bimble along . If you keep the insert in the exhaust the noise is acceptable as well. Having said that I think the 250 is probably a better bike being lighter .
Most off road dealers will sell you a light unit to fit under the rear mudguard. I have a UFO version fitted with a flexible number plate , you need to have a brake light for the mot , however I find that on occasison the rear wheel will connect with the rear number plate ( generally on Rallies) . A friend of mine had fitted a replacement LED which has a brake light incorporated into it and has then fitted a very small LED to act as a rear number plate light enabling him to move the number plate up higher I think the Dirt Bike Store who deal online sell them .
One problem I find is that the rear mudguard is not designed to carry much weight so the lighter you can go the better . I will be changing my set up to that of my friend's.
Enjoy

[Wee Jack]

I have an Acerbis tail unit fitted to my DRZ400 , but it's a bit flimsy so i'm replacing it with a R&G alloy unit - with a LED tail light and number plate illumination. The Acerbis job was about £25 the R&G is about £60. The little LED tail unit fits rather nicely under the tail unit - or at leat thats how it looks in the pics - I'll let you know later this week when it arrives and I get the spanners out.

[TheBro72]

I have an Acerbis tail unit fitted to my DRZ400 , but it's a bit flimsy so i'm replacing it with a R&G alloy unit - with a LED tail light and number plate illumination. The Acerbis job was about £25 the R&G is about £60. The little LED tail unit fits rather nicely under the tail unit - or at leat thats how it looks in the pics - I'll let you know later this week when it arrives and I get the spanners out.

Wee Jack...

Is it possible to send me the link to the website so I can have a look at it??

Ta

[Wee Jack]

There ya go Bro ...................

http://www.rg-racing.com/browseType/...ki/DRZ400.aspx


Thats the Suzuki version that I have ordered.

I'm sure there must be something simmilar for the CRF450 , maybe not from R&G ........ try a google .