Martin's base jump
By Martin Craven on 6th Dec 13
Martin Craven, TMX's regular motocross/ enduro tester usually has something of his own kicking around for when he gets bored, either a meaty 300cc two-stroke for grinding-out extreme enduros or possibly a loaded 250 for-stroke for ripping off some quick laps of his FatCat track. Recently Martin went all power-mad and almost on a whim ordered-up a stunning 450cc four-stroke Honda Buildbase Replica, loaded with goodies, just because he could...
Says Martin: After testing the majority of next year's bikes, and it almost is next year, it seemed a good time, before it got too late - to put together a test one of one of this year's favourites - but with a few juicy Buildbase-bolt ons!
Now, you would think a standard CRF450 would be capable of hitting the money shot for most mere mortals. But, there's always room for improvement, so how about throwing a fabulous-looking factory Yoshimora twin-pipe exhaust on it, a set of sweet Talon wheels with carbon hubs (granted the wheel set isn't going to knock seconds off your lap time but they look sexy as hell) and Magura hydraulic clutch and a set of machined Xtrig triple clamps.
And to top it all off, the suspension was sorted by slinging the standard springy stuff and adding some awesome shiny Ohlins units, front and rear. Now, we aren't claiming that this is an exact Buildbase rep as used by the really quick team boys but it isn't far off. (TMX's long termer will hopefully have a set of WP cone and tracks suspension on for the next test for a comparison)
On the day of the test here at FatCat the track was actually fairly smooth, so while it probably wasn't going to give the Ohlins the workout they deserve. On the bright side at least I was able to ride for more than 10 minutes without having to take a breather! Straight away the bike felt pretty solid and sharp, I'm a massive fan of having a solid hands- to-feet feel with a good bar bend (Renthal 991 is my fave) and this bike has just that. And fitted with cool Raptor footpegs and Renthal grips on the bars the bike just feels so right.
Not only did it feel right and look right it sounded incredible with the twin Yoshis breaking the sound barrier every third whoop.
Honestly, it is worth riding this bike just to hear it growling and barking away as you fire it out of corners and then power it through the whoops. I only wish I could actually look at those beautiful twin pipes while I'm riding it round!
"Out on the track the 2013 bike feels very different from the 2012 model - and in a positive way. The power from the motor is still soft down low compared to other 450s (KX-F, YZ-F etc), but once in the middle to top end it is very good and the key words to use are useable power.
The 2013 CRF450R is easy to ride because it doesn't hit super hard off the bottom and it doesn't try and tear your arms out of their sockets exiting corners. Yes, I would like to see a little more pulling power down low through second gear but there again, the bike stays easy to handle once fatigue starts to creep in - races tend to be of more than 10 minutes duration and that's when the benefits of softer power really kick-in.
SEE TMX NEWS DECEMBER 6 FOR FULL REPORT AND PICTURES
