Got myself a practice bike

[Philip]

A couple of years ago, a local pro rider in Lake Havasu City let me ride his 2017 CRF450, while he was testing out my 2017 Alta MX. His Pro Circuit tuned engine sucked, but the suspension that was done by a factory Showa tuner was amazing, out of this world! After two years I still could not forget it.

This summer I called him and asked if that bike was for sale. It was! Unfortunately, he went to a different tuner since then and revalved the suspension 6 more times.

I ended up buying the bike anyway. I will be sending it back to the guy who did his suspension two years ago.

I rode this bike last weekend, and then again today. OMG! The engine is like a slow and heavy tractor, and his latest off-road pro suspension does not work for my riding very well. But it was still a good workout, I felt like I was wearing a weighted vest and ankle weights, LOL!

I jumped back on my Alta after that. I immediately felt like an A-rider, light on the bike, charging hard, and standing all the time. I cranked the power up to Map 4 because it felt underpowered in any other map compared to the 450. The Alta felt light years ahead of that CRF450!

But I am going to revalve that Honda and try it again. I am chasing the feeling of the suspension from two years ago. My recently (again) revalved Alta suspension is pretty awesome, but I thought that CRF suspension from two years ago was on another level. Hopefully it works out.

 

[bluefxstc]

My recently (again) revalved Alta suspension is pretty awesome

Who did your most recent suspension work? Thanks

 

[snydes]

Was this the bike you were telling me about Philip? And the guy botched the suspension!
That's a bummer!

 

[Philip]

Who did your most recent suspension work? Thanks

Here is my latest and greatest suspension story: My quest for a perfect Alta Redshift motocross suspension (Part2)

Was this the bike you were telling me about Philip? And the guy botched the suspension!
That's a bummer!

Yep, that's the one. I have been talking non-stop about that bike. The one that got away! I should have bought it two years ago, but it probably would have been too expensive at that time. Plus, I was too busy tweaking the Alta suspension, and I also didn't have the health to ride a 450 often. I am better now. Still, after test-riding it last weekend, my upper back was full of muscle knots that just wouldn't go away! I have been foam rolling them for days! The muscle knots got better after today's practice, but I had to take a 3-hour daytime nap. I can't wait for retirement, so that I can do this every day, LOL! My Alta feels like a featherlight e-bicycle in comparison to the CRF450! I hope I can revalve the CRF suspension back to the way I remember it.

 

[Philip]

The suspension is out, ready to go back to the mothership.

Removing the rear shock is lot of work on these newer bikes, I even had to watch a 10-minute long YouTube video! On my Alta the rear shock would have been out and already back in in less time than that.

I must say that the quality of parts on these new Hondas is a step below that of the Altas or KTMs. Lots of rough-looking cast parts, and the castings are pretty roughly machined. Very loose tolerances on all machined holes. No wonder race teams replace as many of these parts as they can with CNC billet pieces. Our Altas are a work of art in comparison (if you do not strip the little brass inserts, haha)!

 

[Silent But Dirty]

How close of a fit do you think the Honda front fender and plate would be on the Alta?

 

[Philip]

How close of a fit do you think the Honda front fender and plate would be on the Alta?

I measured as many dimensions as I could, and it appears to be an exact fit. I thought someone already recently confirmed this in the Plastic thread.

The rear end on the Honda is good two inches wider than on the Alta. The Alta's side numbers do not have to clear the dual mufflers, only the rear sprocket and brake caliper.

I like the Honda seat though. It is wider in the middle and narrower in the rear. But fitting it would require a lot more than just adapting a donor subframe. It would be easier to design an entire new rear subframe from scratch.

 

[Brent421]

A couple of years ago, a local pro rider in Lake Havasu City let me ride his 2017 CRF450, while he was testing out my 2017 Alta MX. His Pro Circuit tuned engine sucked, but the suspension that was done by a factory Showa tuner was amazing, out of this world! After two years I still could not forget it.

This summer I called him and asked if that bike was for sale. It was! Unfortunately, he went to a different tuner since then and revalved the suspension 6 more times.

I ended up buying the bike anyway. I will be sending it back to the guy who did his suspension two years ago.

I rode this bike last weekend, and then again today. OMG! The engine is like a slow and heavy tractor, and his latest off-road pro suspension does not work for my riding very well. But it was still a good workout, I felt like I was wearing a weighted vest and ankle weights, LOL!

I jumped back on my Alta after that. I immediately felt like an A-rider, light on the bike, charging hard, and standing all the time. I cranked the power up to Map 4 because it felt underpowered in any other map compared to the 450. The Alta felt light years ahead of that CRF450!

But I am going to revalve that Honda and try it again. I am chasing the feeling of the suspension from two years ago. My recently (again) revalved Alta suspension is pretty awesome, but I thought that CRF suspension from two years ago was on another level. Hopefully it works out.

View attachment 4254

That’s exactly how I always describe my 2018.5 KTM Factory Edition 450, when comparing it to the Alta. A 450 feels like a slow heavy tractor compared to our Alta’s.

 

[TCMB371]

I've been riding my 2015 KX450f a lot more lately, to get more seat time while the MXR is recharging on the generator. I just recently installed the Pro Circuit coil spring conversion kit in the Showa TAC forks with fresh SKF oil seals and WOW the forks are amazing now... almost A-KIT like. I had them working really well with the air spring, but struggled with traction because the first inch or so of travel was stiff due to seal stiction... even with SKF "glide kit" and SKF oil/dust seals. Didn't have to change the valving as the 1.0kg/mm coil spring is perfect for my weight. Now the forks are so plush initially but soak up anything i throw at it. I was purposely overjumping stuff and the forks were just taking it like a champ. Makes me want to consider converting the AER48's on the MXR over to coil spring, but i have to give credit to WP as the AER48's don't have nearly as much stiction as the Showa TAC forks had with the air spring configuration.

What am i faster on? I think it depends on the track. On higher speed tracks i think i'm faster on the 450. Everywhere else i think i'm faster on the MXR. The MXR is just so easy to hop on and go fast on.

 

[Brent421]

I've been riding my 2015 KX450f a lot more lately, to get more seat time while the MXR is recharging on the generator. I just recently installed the Pro Circuit coil spring conversion kit in the Showa TAC forks with fresh SKF oil seals and WOW the forks are amazing now... almost A-KIT like. I had them working really well with the air spring, but struggled with traction because the first inch or so of travel was stiff due to seal stiction... even with SKF "glide kit" and SKF oil/dust seals. Didn't have to change the valving as the 1.0kg/mm coil spring is perfect for my weight. Now the forks are so plush initially but soak up anything i throw at it. I was purposely overjumping stuff and the forks were just taking it like a champ. Makes me want to consider converting the AER48's on the MXR over to coil spring, but i have to give credit to WP as the AER48's don't have nearly as much stiction as the Showa TAC forks had with the air spring configuration.

What am i faster on? I think it depends on the track. On higher speed tracks i think i'm faster on the 450. Everywhere else i think i'm faster on the MXR. The MXR is just so easy to hop on and go fast on.

I agree, I was faster on my 450 on bigger tracks with longer straights, but on medium sized and smaller tracks with lots of turns I’m way faster on the Alta. No arm pump on the Alta either! Since I jumped up to a 13 tooth on the front sprocket I’ve been able to outrun most of the 450’s even on the bigger tracks with long straights now.

 

[Philip]

Well... I got my CRF450 Showa suspension back from the tuner. Went to a far away track today, which is a bit choppy and tacky. I took the Honda and my two Altas with me. Started the day with the Honda because I was anxious to once again experience the hopefully still awesome suspension that I missed so much. The suspension didn't feel that great, just okay. I need to go back to the local track and try to make various adjustments and make the bike fit me better. Right now something is slightly off.

Unfortunately, starting the day with the Honda screwed up my today's experience with the Alta. The left lever is now not the clutch but the brake, and so everything works differently. And I do not like using the Alta's rear brake, it is too touchy. And so I was suffering all day today with the confusion about where the rear brake was on various bikes, LOL. This is not the first time I am switching from an electric bike to gas and back to electric, but today it confused me for some unknown reason.

I need to first try to get this suspension back to where I liked it. Then, depending on the outcome, either buy a Rekluse auto clutch and install a LHRB to make the bikes' controls more similar, or sell the Honda and cut the losses.

BTW, I am really disappointed with the Honda's fit and finish. All the bolt holes are too large for the bolts and lots of crudely cast pieces instead of machined ones. Honda is really lagging in this department behind the KTM/Husky and Yamaha.