450cc ADV bikes

CrossTourer, CrossTourer, CrossTourer

What I noticed on the Honda site for 2013 is that they have turned adventure bike into a marketing slogan for errand runners. There is no way in hell the 700X or 500X are even the slightest bit offroad capable. Unless your definition of offf-road is merely off-pavement and even that is a stretch.

Thank you Honda for trying to convince us that two wheeled Civics are adventure bikes. I don't care that Honda has decided that cheap UJM's are the future and I hope they sell like Happy Meals. After all, we can't have too many people on two wheels. But, for the love of God, please call them what they are: commuter bikes.

Gotta agree, 'Dog. I really like the 700X motor but the rest leaves me cold.

We know Honda has a CRF450L for January's Dakar. Sure hope all that work eventually makes its way into a production machine. Sure, they say it's based on a production bike, but what exactly have they done to make it reliable over the long haul?

At least they finally brought some midsize bikes for beginner riders to buy. The 250-300s are just a tad too small for American freeways, and the 600-650s can be a handful for a noob.
Honda should own the segment for a few years.
Plus a bunch of 500s in the parts bins might bleed over to the ADV segment.
I'm glad they brought the UJM CB1100 here too, I dig that bike's look.

I like that cb too!!!

they should fit the 450 motor in to the crf250 frame so it will have a seat hight of about 33inch so short ass like me could ride one.

Came across a reference to a Brazilian Honda, XRE300. While reading that came across another reference to the Honda Nx 400 Falcon. Never had heard of either of these models. Anyhoo, this thread on Horizons Unlimited has some info, and the note toward the bottom about the India Royal Infield just cracked me up.

Sure wish we could get access to more of these models. The Nx 400 is sold in Costa Rica as well as other South American countries. I can title virtually anything in AZ, wonder if I could get one delivered here in the box?

Came across a reference to a Brazilian Honda, XRE300. While reading that came across another reference to the Honda Nx 400 Falcon. Never had heard of either of these models. Anyhoo, this thread on Horizons Unlimited has some info, and the note toward the bottom about the India Royal Infield just cracked me up.

Sure wish we could get access to more of these models. The Nx 400 is sold in Costa Rica as well as other South American countries.

Came across a reference to a Brazilian Honda, XRE300. While reading that came across another reference to the Honda Nx 400 Falcon. Never had heard of either of these models. Anyhoo, this thread on Horizons Unlimited has some info, and the note toward the bottom about the India Royal Infield just cracked me up.

Sure wish we could get access to more of these models. The Nx 400 is sold in Costa Rica as well as other South American countries.

FWIW, I have a 2001 KTM 640E right now. I would have liked a 400cc bike that's 100lbs lighter, but there was so much prep (re: expense and time) to "adventurize" it. The 640 is MUCH more capable of a bike than I am, and it's clear to me that a more experienced rider would be able to take advantage of it more off road and whip it around like a 400cc.

But, as someone mentioned earlier in the thread, the big bikes are great road/dirt bikes as long as you don't get off into tight singletracks much. I've taken this big bike with limited skills in places it surprised me to be that it got out of.


My next adventure bike is probably going to be a 400EXEC setup with more oil capacity, increased valve reliability and a reinforced subframe, including all the usual suspects like bigger tank, misc luggage things, etc. I would like to take the 400 in places more easily (re: more fun) than the big bike. That's a long ways off though, as I'm really enjoying the 640 and it's capabilities.

I used to own one, the Falcon is just an XR400 with e-start, cushdrive and ugly plastics. They also changed the airfilter so it sucks in shitloads of dust causing your carburettor to malfunction on a regular basis if you ride in dirt. The WR250R/X will do everything the Falcon and also do it much much faster with less service intervals. Also the XRE300 has a shit rep from the Brazilians I've spoken to, full of engineering faults.

The new Hus 450/500 look good, but the plastic subframe seems out of place for my needs. Ugh, someone needs to make us an adventure bike. (Just saw a new FE450 on the trails behind my house the other day, very sharp bike.)

Still waiting for a WR450R.

Why?

I have a closet full of retired Yamaha red and blue gear because I realized that waiting was pointless.

According to my Yamaha dealer that has been in the business 40 years,
It will not be happening.
But the 660 should make it to The USA soon... like 2014.

I heard the same, from Berkeley Yamaha. But they, too, wish there were a 450 version of the WRR.

I'm sure the 660 is lots of fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtFnMYxWQd4

What is a WR450R going to do that isn't available now, or used?

A decent subframe, 3k mile oil changes, 26k mile valve checks, 350 watt stator........

Yup, all dat good stuff, plus fuel-injection and tunable mapping...

Huh...while you're wishing for a Japanese manufacturer to give you a bike like that, those of us who aren't blinded by brand prejudice are already riding bikes like that

Enjoy