Honda CRF450 Suspension Information & Upgrades

Super reliable, unchanged for almost a decade. Well, almost unchanged. Is it really that good?

Well, sometimes we wonder how a great project can get so watered-down. Still, it is normally Honda that make us think that, so there’s no real surprise that this bike isn’t what it could be in the ‘X’ version.

A couple of quick tips:

  • If you experience hard starting cold and the valve adjustment is closing up, you will need a new set of inlet valves and the valve seats cut. We have been using Kibblewhite valves for many years with great success, no need to spend a fortune.
  • If it annoys you like it annoys us, strip the ADR wiring harness off the bike so it's the same as the USA bikes, headlight and tail only. Less hassles, less tangles, less weight.

Honda CRF450X Forks


The twin-chamber Showa USD 47mm forks are among the best production fork available, but their spec in this bike is so aggressive that only the WFO experts like them stock. Joe Punter finds these forks harsh and deflective, and Enduro guys cant ride them without a re-valve for their style and conditions.

We've developed our own secret recipe for the Showa Twin Chamber Fork, based on our experiences with our 2006 MX Race Bikes. Once fitted with our revalve specification, this fork is transformed. It soaks up everything, with better high-speed compression damping that will eat up square edged bumps and reduce arm pump and rider fatigue. Snotty hills? Check. Tree roots? Easy. Loose rocky trails? Bring ‘em on.

They use HiCalibre 19-185 Series Fork Springs.

Honda CRF450X Shock


If you’re Todd Smith, riding fast in 3rd gear on Enduro loops, don’t worry, it’s fine. If you’re not, you’ll spend your money very wisely here. We repair, rebuild and revalve your stock Showa shock. And we revalve it exactly to suit your riding and your weight.

Also, the stock Showa shock spring loses free length quickly, and the bike perpetually hangs low in the rear. Throw that spring away; it’s junk, and in testing we also found it was a 5.3, not a 5.5 like the factory documentation tells us... you can use either a HiCalibre 20-115 Series Shock Spring or a Teknik 64_66-258 Series Shock Spring.