This is the best CRF450L review I have seen.

Greetings, As an owner of the 450RL, I agree 100% with everything you said. This bike is indeed a dark horse! I'm currently wrapping up my mods and build. Stay tuned for a video of all my updates. Cheers!

Great video and one of the best explanations about this bike I have ever seen!

Great review! I own a 2019 CRF 450L and have done all the modifications that you described. It is absolutely a different motorcycle after all the modifications and in my mind is the unicorn that many people are searching for.

I loved your summary ! Very good clarity This is one of the best videos I’ve seen on you tube this year ! (And I’ve watched a lot !)

Great video, spot on mate! I like how you showed the history, love my 2022 CRF450RL!

100% agree. I own a 2021 450rl. I’m at 5,000 miles after 2 riding seasons. A fantastic machine for sure.

Awesome review mate, ace to hear how enthusiastic you are about the bike! 🙂

Enjoying the videos mate, keep up the good work 👍

Love my CRF450L its everything I want and need from a adventure bike, the beast slays everything in Canada too!

Great review mate. Thanks for your insights and content. Helped me review potential ownership with some great context for how I would want to use the bike.

Also own a Honda CRF 450L. Did similar modifications to it and I am really looking forward to getting out on it this summer. Bought it with an eye towards rallying. It's a bucket list thing for this old man. I've subscribed and hit the like button. Cheers!

Great review. It’s nice to hear from someone with some real seat time.

Awesome video. I completely agree. I own this bike with similar mods and have over 17,000 trouble free miles on mine and absolutely love it. Keep up the good work.

Enjoyed your review, thanks. When the bike first came out in Australia it was hammered with criticism and it put me off. Wish I'd bought one now but thanks for clearing up what was previously an enigma to me. 👍🏿

Nice video. I have one on order. Congratulations on your stellar race results!

Jumped on one the other week - fantastic feeling machine. I have a 300 Rally, and the 450L is a beast by comparison - but...the service intervals would kill it for many as a light adventures bike. Husky 701 still seems to be the front runner. Great review and edit mate - cheers! 😎👍

Excellent review mate. We are getting the RL here ( Oz ) soon and all going well this will be my next bike👍

I’m in Portugal, with a CRF450RX. When it comes stock, it has an intake and exhaust restriction. Swap those out and you have a massive 55HP ! (I use the “soft “ mode most of the time !) My bike still has a horn, stand, lights and indicators. Massive fun. Just 107kg !!

Yes! Best bike I have ever owned! I love it as well. One additional note, the suspension is incredible!

Just happened upon your channel after getting the OS map app. Fate or coincidence? The gpx routes are just what a newbie like me needed. Thanks for adding these.

I love my bike too. Great video bud.

Super cool video. So pleasant to just listen someone happy.

Great review Mike, there’s always been such an amount of negativity here towards the bike mainly due to initial price coupled with the add ons to make it competitive as you point out but boy when you’ve done it you’ve got a very capable weapon there that can do so much. You will always get some brand snobbery but you can’t knock the reliability and build quality of this little Honda and I also love my big KTM but for other reasons, so I’m not just coming at it from a Red only point of view. 👊

Great Review and excellent bike! I live in Canada and have been looking at this bike since it came out in 2019. I will get a new 450 RL once I get some money together.

Great review ! I almost went for crf450rl when I sold my 690, two of my friends have them and they are very happy with them, but I ended up with a very good deal on a heavily modified 300l that I just couldn't pass, but who knows I may be getting it, but I think the reason why I didn't go for the 450rl was the mph ,I was getting 58mpg combine on the 690 with 74 hp while my friends were getting 40-45 on the 450 s with the vortex ECU, but I think that's about average on any of the other brands as well Cheers 🏍️

Great review! I have '23 coming in April and can't wait. It's a shame there are so little hitting the dealerships as the lists are long. But, I'll get mine :D

Great review Mike. Enjoyed it. Thanks

I totally agree with you on all points about this bike, I purchased my 450l as a progression from a 250l. I was very disappointed in it initially, then on went vortex and a yoshi, night and day modification. I love it Thanks for a great video.

A sensible and considered review, thanks. I can see you’re a ‘fan’ but not silly about it. Such a bike is way beyond my price and my ability but I enjoyed this review. Les in UK

Ive watched some bike reviews and this is up there with the best ! Fantastic 👊

Good review and your passion for the bike shines through. My main concern is the service intervals, so good info re: the reality of that.

Fantastic review with passion and enthusiasm. . I have only just discovered this bike tbh and what i have seen so far is really positive. Like you say in the comments you dont have to be spending a fortune on ecu etc look for secondhand. What an amazing bike. How many bikes could you ride to a event do the event then ride home , absolute class.

Great review. I'm going to check out your channel for some rally videos.

By far my dream bike.

This may push me over the edge to get another dual sport. I have an 890 Rally and ride it like a 500 exc-f. It’s a beast but I do miss the lite bikes I’ve had in my past. The fact the aftermarket has fixed these flame out issues is great. My old 350 exc-f was the same with flame outs stock. Subscribed and looking forward to watching you race. I did the same with my dual sport a few years back. Beeping the horn at spectators is fun. 😂

Excellent video, I’ve been toying with the idea of changing bikes next year, and heading down the route of a lighter adventure bike. But that said I love my T7 Food for thought though. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience of owning the CRF450L

Great story telling - from an Aussie owner of an adventurised DRZ400. Much better understood I think.

Awesome video mate!!

Excellent review. If I could only own ONE off road - adventure bike it would be very similar to your modded 450l other than the pipe. I would have to retain the stock exhaust because I hate loud bikes for on road riding. Luckily for me I have two off road capable bikes. A bone stock 22 Yamaha WR 250F and a heavily modded DR 650. For longer adventure type rides the DR is magic. All day road comfort and it will absolutely destroy mega dollar heavy adventure bikes off road. If Honda made a rally version of the 450l like they do for the 300l I would be very tempted to buy that…

Noticed a few very spaced out byways there! That tiny railway bridge up by Thetford and then the water crossing down in Surrey! Hahah. Great lanes!

Great review 👍🏻

Great review.. Now I want one.

Your built looks really good. Although the windscreen doesn't do much for me aesthetically but I understand for practical reasons. I was thinking of getting this but the lack of kickstarter is a bummer. Too bad there is basically no community of dirt bike in my country.

11:00 that’s an excellent point nt about the key ignition and steering lock !

This seals it , the CRF450RL will be my ultra light ADV along side my light ADV, the mighty DR650.

I had a 450L (am based in the UK) and I did every mod / upgrade you did plus a few more. I spent A LOT on the bike to get it to the sweet spot. I agree with everything you said about it and it being so capable, in fact I probably didn't push it as hard as I could have. I green laned it and did a couple of longer trips on the TET; it took everything in it's stride. But I did have some issues, firstly lack of stuff! If you want to buy any parts or upgrades, forget buying them in the UK. The bike sold so few here that any stockists of parts have given up on it, so you need to look to the USA for anything and that costs £££ to import e.g. a Zeta Case Saver... $20 odd but in reality £50 with shipping and taxes, and as you mentioned things like plastics are crazy expensive. I also got a bit fed up with servicing intervals... I stuck to the 600 miles and in hindshight probably didn't need to. I had anxiety over the clutch at points (using it a lot made me panic, but again no need!), the forks... all stuff I could service myself but lacked confidence and ironically I didn't trust a Honda main dealer to do the "right thing" (as you say this isn't a CRF 250L, it is an MX weapon!). I sold mine last year due to a combination of factors, and wafter watching this, maybe I have a little regret! Perhaps I was a little silly to sell given how much I'd invested in it but reality is I am very happy with my current setup. This is a great video for anyone looking at getting one, it really is a great bike... once you get that Vortex on it!

Cracking video, thanks.

Me encanto el vídeo felicitaciones desde chile saludos 👏👏👏👏👏🙋🏻‍♂️🇨🇱

Subbed ! Great review mate. I’ve been going around in circles trying to decide on what bike to get . Something as a good all rounder . And this ticks a lot of boxes. Did you say they are not available though from now on in the uk?

A really good video. Thanks. It’s hard to believe that Honda sell it with so little power, I wonder what that was all about.

Love my 450rl as well. I’ve only added the flywheel weight and it has completely changed the bike. I haven’t found the need for ecu yet. I’ve done some pretty tight single tracks in the mountains here in Colorado and I have no more stalling issues.

12:10 that's been my bigges question (which heretofore nobody had answered) Thanks!

Thanks for the perspective! I've really been waffling on whether to buy one of these, as you see a lot of criticism of this model for a Honda...mostly that it requires at least $1000 in mods to make it "good" out of the box. But the reality is that statement is true of almost any modern high-performance bike. Honda has to appease the regulators before they can even try to please the customer. People buy T7's knowing the suspension is cheese and they need to invest $3-5k to make it good. People buy 890's knowing the reliability is a crapshoot (yes, some of them run like tops-but others struggle to run at all). Neither of those are a concern with this bike, so you're still coming out ahead in my book. For a bike that most reviewers (including many long-term owners) tend to crap on for one reason or another, I'm having a tough time finding one used for a decent price. When I do find them, they're usually insanely low-mileage (for instance, a 2019 with

Cool review 😎

What an amazing review.

nice review ! Thx jss

Surprised I’ve never bumped into you. I’m a fellow 450L owner and lots of your footage is around my neck of the woods

Well son of a nutcracker, just what I was hoping for! Else, the 290 vs 270 wet-lb really a putoff for enduro folks? Well done

Awesome video

Good stuff, been flowing your channel for a while, best uk dualsport channel going, I have the same bike but have been making due with standard ecu, not as experienced as you but my question is is it as simple as changing the ecu and I assume the pipe? or is there anything else I need to do? I have a total standard 2019 with new tyres, hand gaurds, mirrors and engine gaurd. It is a great bike and a pleasure to see one of the very few videos o this bike in the uk, if you could advise on the above it would be appreciated, keep up the good work.

Excellent bike!

Are you by any chance also Ricky Gervais? He seriously must have grown up just next village... Love listening to you, love watching your great videos!

I rode off road once in about 1984 or 5 on a cr250 i think. Scared the stuff out of me. Road only ever since. This was a great watch and has made me wonder what i've missed.

Great review! I have one and love it too. Only thing I've found is, I also fitted the Adventure Spec mini fairing, and since I've doing so, I have a vibration rattle in the head stock area. Bloody annoying. I'll try a few things to see if I can mitigate it, but other than this little niggle, I totally love the bike.

Great review of your very capable bike, I agree with your opinion on the poor marketing strategy of Honda with this model. I think a lot of people considered it an expensive L model specially with the limited horsepower here in the UK. I did consider this bike when looking to purchase an "all-rounder" for want of a better word but the list price and the purchase of the kit needed to make it the bike the American market gets as standard just ruled it out for me, which was such a pity

Athena get ecu. X headpipe with o2sensor welded in. large intakeboot stock tail pipe keeps it clean and quiet.

Idk why all the emissions are so annoying on motorcycles. Motorcycles don’t even pollute. They are clean burning machines.

Good review

do you happen to have a list of all the mods installed? I'm currently building one and would love to see a full list if possible

Fantastic review, well done! Have you any comments on its ability to do a bit of motorway miles, and faster A roads? Cheers

I have mine kitted out just about the exact same way haha. I went with a Yoshi exhaust but otherwise about identical!

I have a 2019 with 10,500 hard miles. I have it loaded down like a pack mule. Only thing I have issues with are chains, sprockets and the chain guides/ sliders. I go through them like hot cakes. I think it’s because I have it so loaded down. Self induced. Bullet proof bike otherwise.

Happy owner of a 2019 450L (did about 5000 km on it). Totally agree with your review. I love this bike. The only downside I think is the availability of aftermarket parts (e.g. chain slider, plastics) and the fact that OEM parts are really really expensive. I was wondering if you only fitted the FMF slip-on? Did you have to change anything to the header pipe?

I've got a 2004 crf450r and only rode it 100 miles and the motor seized. And to my shock since I own Hondas car 600 xr200 xr600r cb900 that the connecting rod was installed backwards. So it sits other than that 100 miles everything is brand new like it just came off the production line. Oh it did break three teeth off the drive sprocket and I had to have my left scapula reattached to my body. I just wish I could ride again but can't afford the build kit. Someday I'll have a way to get it fixed. It will be donated to the scrappers.

Great video, very informative. Great photography too. Would have liked to know some prices though, starting with the cost of the bike, but also that all-important ECU upgrade and the other bits and bobs such as tank and bashplate.

Love the bike, my only issue is the services ... even 1.2k is not enough for what I do and I'm not willing to go around with oil on my back.

Great review and a fellow TRF member. I have a 2020 CRF450L. I have the upgraded power ECU power upgrade kit. I changed the exhaust end can to an Arrow. But still had stalling at low speed. A booster plug was purchased and transformed this bike. Do I really need to change the ECU? Costly as a booster plug cost me £130.

Great review, thank you. I’m always curious as the total modification costs to transform the bike & sort out the apparent flaws…aa we know all bikes have a short list of essential mods!

Great review thanks. So is the UK L the equivalent of the RL in the US?

Great video. Thanks. Can I ask. How much were all the upgrades?

Hey man just a question, I’m new in the UK from NZ, I’ve only been in London for the time I’ve been here but am desperate to buy a moto over here and hit the trails. Your enduro races and trail days looked sooo good, can I ask you where all of that is? I can’t stand London and need to move away from here, where you were riding looked like my kind of scene!

Just sold my 2023 KLR 650 adventure. Too heavy for sugar sand here in Florida.

I have a 450RL and run it in the dirt as well as with SuperMoto wheels and tires. I enjoy it in both modes. I put an AIM ECU on it and deleted all the smog items and it is pretty good on power.

🙏 Amen brother

VEry nice

I wanted something coming up from a KLX300 and found a 2019 CRF450L with only 750 miles on it, not even fully broken in. I'm in the USA, so my bike wasn't as choked up as the Euro model but still had poor on/off throttle issues and stalled a lot. I put in the AIM ECU with the full power and enduro modes and if it's stalled since, it's because of my poor throttle/clutch control, not because the bike has a defect. I've ridden a KTM 500 and I prefer the CRF. The KTM seems harsh compared to the Honda. With the AIM ECU in my CRF, if the KTM has more power, that's okay because the CRF has enough for me. The ECU and a new seat were must haves and now I also want to save up for the IMS tank. I think I'll ride the wheels of my CRF450L. When it's time for replacement, I doubt I'll be looking at KTM/Husqvarna, but I might consider the BETA 500. I know a guy who just got one and while I've not ridden it, I did sit on it and move it around and it is a LOT lighter than the CRF450L. I have a CRF250RX and that BETA 500 even feels lighter than it. But hopefully Honda will keep the CRF450RL in the USA for a while or maybe even update it moving forward. If so, I'll be looking at getting one of those when/if it comes time to replace the one I have already.

Got the Vortex ECU and throttle tamer and fly wheel weight. It's still stalls like crazy at low speed when compared to WR250R.

Nice review !! i m so close to buy one !! Does the bike has a steering lock key ? to park the bike safely ? thanks a lot

Awesome video dude....take it easy....

The good news is, you can get cheap used units from folks upgrading from the 250 or 300 and simply cant ride it with the flame out issue. I found just increasing the idle speed and finishing the break in made it so much better. At 1000 miles its a much better bike than when i first got it 300 miles second hand.

Seems kind of tall! What do you think? What is your inseam? Did you lower it any?

Almost bought one recently. Went for a KTM 350excf instead. But may change my mind and keep looking for a 450l that’s had most of what yours has had done to it. (Let me know if you sell yours. I’m in UK in West Country.)

Did MotoBob do the narration on this, or do you just sound 100% like him?

I appreciate the review, especially the maintenenace interval bit. However I wonder if the engine rebuild is as common as the MX version of the bike? I understand that its a detuned version of it but still let's say you do chance the oil every 1500mi and you're just trail riding not racing. When can we expect to do an engine rebuild?

Sounds like a newer DRZ400, that's three times the price with less horsepower/torque; and worse standard equipment such as a smaller fuel tank and has stalling issues if you don't change the ecu.. I guess they're some reasons why it wasn't a big hit in the UK. Still looks great, and you did a great review bud! Nice one! 🤘🤘🤘

Great video! I was thinking about getting a 450L for a while, but ended up finding a 650R in great condition. Can’t say I’m disappointed haha. Question tho. How much are rally’s, generally? I’ve been wanting to try and get into it but after looking at some prices, it really made me second guess the idea..

Looked at this bike as an adventure bike, but the service intervals put me off. About to do a 6000 mile trip to Morocco - 4 to 10 oil and filter changes? I now have a CRF250L Rally with a 8000 mile service interval.

Flame out is the only reason this bike is failing. You have addressed that with the ecu. Why should I pay 10k (us) for honda reliability when I need to fix it (hopefully get the right parts)? It has many of the features/performance that would satisfy trail/enduro/dual sport riders. Honda made compromises to make it emissions compliant. It's in the electrical, not mechanical. If they would have made a detuned version with an off road map, many more ppl would be riding the 450L.

I simply refuse to buy an $800 ecu to make a brand new $10K bike run right..