[Weybar]

What's up guys I'm new to the forum. From Syracuse Ny. I recently purchased a used 2014 CRF 450. Was looking for a cheap bike to ride with my little guy. A local mx racer had a few bikes laying around and offered it to me at a great price I couldn't refuse. More than I'll ever need but for the cost I had to buy it. I've ridden for several years but just looking for some pointers towards the 14' model. It has factory connection suspension and forks. Basically all stock from there. Appreciate any feedback and love the forum you guys have all made. Very informational.

[Back2-2]

Welcome to the site. Read up on jetting changes to get the bike running great and you should be good to go. Any other items that come to mind as you ride will certainly have the info. here. When the day comes to have the head rebuilt - Talk to ken the owner of the site. Expert service and top quality work.

Have fun & safe riding.

[Weybar]

Appreciate it! Thanks.

[JimDirt]

Welcome to the site !!

The only thing Neil missed was 2014 450 , which is injected , so no Jet Kit

Aside from that , if the suspension is done , if your going to do any serious track riding with it , make sure the spring rates are for your weight , if its too stiff you can adjust the clicker to a point , but you may need to get the valving softened up a bit for your riding ability , as faster guys have stiffer valving , so it can beat a slower rider (not saying your slow , just saying a "fast" rider that races , uses much stiffer suspension valving than a casual rider) , you can (depending on your budget) get a EFI Tuner , so if your riding trails and whatnot with your son , you can mellow the bike out some , and depending on what type of riding your doing (trail or track) maybe a flywheel weight to help with any real slow stuff , basically any changes you make beside setting the suspension for your skill/weight , is personal needs for the type of riding you will be doing , track and trail have different requirements , so need more specifics to give you much for suggestions

[Weybar]

Ya so the factory connection suspension and forks are set for 180lb rider. I'm 5'10" 190. Sits a little high for me but it will do. My riding will be very limited to trail riding and not any track time for a while. Pretty much just wanted any input you guys could offer towards that year and model 14' 450R. Very cool site overall! All I'm looking to get is a graphics kit to make it look stock again. Thanks for all the replies and welcomes! Appreciate it

[Weybar]

Didn't really explain much about my experience working on dirt bikes. I have just about 0 knowledge on maintenance to these bikes. I do my own street glide but never really messed with a bigger dirt bike. I plan on changing oil filter and oil every ride including the air filter. Seen a little excessive or necessary? Also how often should gear oil be changed? I tested my coolant and that read prefect for freezing points. Thanks for an replies!

[JimDirt]

What i would suggest is to buy a Factory Honda Service Manual , you can get one here https://www.crfsonly.com/catalog/produc ... ts_id/3226 , or order one from your local Honda Dealer , it will show you everything you need to know about maintenance , and adjustments , and oil changes , suspension tuning and suspension service

On the suspension , if the guy was a fast rider , then the springs should be ok for your weight , as faster riders run stiffer springs generally , but i would reset the clickers out (counter clockwise) , what i would do is click them in till it just seats (clockwise) counting the clicks as you go (it will be at like 12 or so from all the way in most likely when you start) , then turn it out counting clicks till it stops (24 or so total) , then go right in the middle setting , and start with that (compression clickers only) , if it feels too stiff still , then click out 2 clicks at a time till you notice it getting softer , then keep going , riding each time over the same terrain , till it starts feeling stiff again , where it started to feel good and started to feel bad , is where you will most likely be comfortable , as you get faster or track ride , then you will stiffen accordingly , set your rider sag to between 100-110mm , depending on what feels best , if you think the bike is too tall then the 110 would be a good start

Now with all that said the forks are Air Forks , so you need to also check your air pressure before every ride , every day you ride , you need the special pump made for Air Forks https://www.crfsonly.com/catalog/produc ... ts_id/4777 , you will want to be around 38-40 psi , maybe a few lbs lower , to make it more forgiving on the hits , the air pressure along with getting the clickers dialed should give you the ride your wanting , but remember , its a MX bike ,not a tral bike , so the suspension is going to be stiff , there is no way around it without getting it revalved

As far as frequency of oil/filter changes , if your using Petroleum oils , every 3-5 rides is good ,if your using Synthetic oil , then every 5-10 rides is fine , if the conditions are not dusty at all , you can go longer with synthetic , i usually change mine about every 10 rides with Amsoil or Maxima Synthetic , if i was using petroleum it would be every 3 rides oil and filter

Air filter check every ride , if it looks dirty (if its got brown on it , its dirty) then change/clean it , i would not go more than 2 rides on a filter without changing/cleaning no matter what the conditions unless it was pavement , its not worth the damage that can be done to the valves , I change mine every day i ride , each day a fresh filter , i use No-Toil Oil and Extreme filters , it ain't cheap , but after losing intake valves on 2 bikes i learned that the air filter is the life blood of your bike , don't keep it clean , and your engine wont be clean , and it will die young

[Weybar]

Appreciate it! Funny you mentioned Amsoil. I don't throw that word out much because it starts a war but I'm a firm believer in it and use it in every engine I use. I use the Napa gold filters(wix). For air filters he gave me 10 pre oiled twin airs so I'll use them up as I go and I'll try the brand you gave me. Thanks again!

[JimDirt]

Yea , I have switched thru the brands , and always end up back at Amsoil , i noticed the shifting is physically easier , and the clutch seems to not get overheated like with some of the other brands , where its noticeably harder to shift , and it seems the clutch acts weird , so I am back to Amsoil at least in my 450R , in my 450X i just run Rotella (full synthetic) or Maxima , as i don't ride it anywhere near as hard as my R , which my R is ridden pretty much every weekend on a MX track

I just got back from a 2 day trip to Silver Lake , Oregon (275 miles each way) to ride a new track that just opened up this January (it was sweet by the way , total sand track groomed and watered to perfection) , just changed the oil before i left , and the bike worked flawlessly all weekend , and its a 02 , so that right there , is good enough data for me , i never missed a shift , and the clutch never faded or did anything but hook up , I am a older guy (just turned 59) , but i can still make my way around a track , and push my bike , I don't abuse it , but I don't putt it around by any means

[Weybar]

That's awesome man! Nice to find a good forum with descent people. There's too much information on here for me to even start but nice to see all the posts and replies with knowledgeable answers. I'll be close to the pits for a while as my son turns 4 sept 21st and I bought him a new CRF50 that he hasn't seen yet until his bday. Just a fun sport and something I wanted to get back into and enjoy the old days with the new. Not looking forward to the pain again but it should even itself out haha. Again thanks for the replies I really do appreciate it all. Plan on opening the heads this winter and gauging the valves. It's got 7 hours of racing on it and has never been molested so I'm interested in how she looks on the inside. Runs and rides great so far.

[JimDirt]

That is what this place is about , and what i like about this site , riders helping riders , and sharing their experiences and knowledge and questions with each other ... a lot of good people here without any of the drama that some sites have .....
......

[jackfrank]

Hello everyone, my name Jack Frank from SC. I am a newbie here and glad to be a part of this forum.

[JimDirt]

Welcome to the site , Jack !!

Though you could have gone ahead and made your own post , so it would be directed towards you rather than others thinking it is a post from 2018 , as the original topic was started back then ......... But it's ok .......


Anyway , plenty of info and good people here ...... If you have questions or need to know anything , just ask (you can start your own post for it ) , and there is never a "stupid" question , only stupid mistakes from not asking questions .....

In other words , if you want to know something , or have a concern or issue with your bike , just ask , and someone will try to get you the help you need , or at least try ..... we are all dirt bike enthusiasts here , so most likely one or more of us has run across the same issue you may have and might be able to help you resolve it .... Or , If you have knowledge or info , then feel free to share it or to help others , as that is what this place is about !!!

[jackfrank]

Welcome to the site , Jack !!

Though you could have gone ahead and made your own post , so it would be directed towards you rather than others thinking it is a post from 2018 , as the original topic was started back then ......... But it's ok .......


Anyway , plenty of info and good people here ...... If you have questions or need to know anything , just ask (you can start your own post for it ) , and there is never a "stupid" question , only stupid mistakes from not asking questions .....

In other words , if you want to know something , or have a concern or issue with your bike , just ask , and someone will try to get you the help you need , or at least try ..... we are all dirt bike enthusiasts here , so most likely one or more of us has run across the same issue you may have and might be able to help you resolve it .... Or , If you have knowledge or info , then feel free to share it or to help others , as that is what this place is about !!!

Thanks for your great response. I love your thoughts and goodwills. I am riding a motorcycle for ten years, and now I am facing a problem with my ears. After riding some miles, my ears sounds itself usually, and then I feel worse. I don't know what happened with, but someone tells me that it may be the loud sounds of the motorcycle or sounds of the noise hit us the ear the time of riding. So my question is that have anyone has any noise canceling idea so that it doesn't become a big problem for me?
Thanks.

[JimDirt]

Welcome to the site , Jack !!

Though you could have gone ahead and made your own post , so it would be directed towards you rather than others thinking it is a post from 2018 , as the original topic was started back then ......... But it's ok .......


Anyway , plenty of info and good people here ...... If you have questions or need to know anything , just ask (you can start your own post for it ) , and there is never a "stupid" question , only stupid mistakes from not asking questions .....

In other words , if you want to know something , or have a concern or issue with your bike , just ask , and someone will try to get you the help you need , or at least try ..... we are all dirt bike enthusiasts here , so most likely one or more of us has run across the same issue you may have and might be able to help you resolve it .... Or , If you have knowledge or info , then feel free to share it or to help others , as that is what this place is about !!!

Thanks for your great response. I love your thoughts and goodwills. I am riding a motorcycle for ten years, and now I am facing a problem with my ears. After riding some miles, my ears sounds itself usually, and then I feel worse. I don't know what happened with, but someone tells me that it may be the loud sounds of the motorcycle or sounds of the noise hit us the ear the time of riding. So my question is that have anyone has any noise canceling idea so that it doesn't become a big problem for me?
Thanks.

Have you considered using Ear Plugs ??? , they would offer protection (just like they would if you went to a loud concert) . and still allow you to hear , though not as clearly , but you would be able to talk and listen to someone while wearing them , That , along with your helmet should give you enough ear protection to stop any worry about hearing damage , that is what most of the Pro Racers use , is some form of ear plugs

Like these , they are made specifically for wind noise , but still allow you to hear ..
https://www.alpinehearingprotection.com ... /motosafe/