As a cross-country race
engine it’s super effective
had to offer. And, it’s fair to say it hauls arse.
The power delivery is very responsive, but
perhaps a little too inclined to stall at truly
low rpm for my liking – your clutch lever is
your friend here. Remember though, it was
brand new and this aspect may reduce with a
few hours on the clock. Otherwise, the power
is very linear, it strongly snowballs over a
wide rev range to a fast top-end. This power
delivery is easy to apply too. As a cross-
country race engine it’s super effective and a
lot of fun.
for big hits and as bike speed increased…
so I’m left thinking those smart valves are
actually quite smart.
After a little riding time I started to realise
how well all the other products gelled into
making the Honda a very complete package.
The grippy seat held me nicely in place under
full power, while the Zeta levers and Renthal
bars just polish the ergonomics that little bit
more to make life nicer over a race distance,
not to mention less fatiguing and less to
crash damage. There is no doubt that each
The upgraded suspension is excellent. It
and everyone of these products improves the
gives the feeling of having a lot of travel, is
bike. Whether its for performance, reliability,
very smooth through the stroke and was
comfort or looks – they are all very effective.
spike free on the test terrain. It was also quite As for the 450X? This is going to be a cracking
progressive through the stroke, manning up
cross-country bike.
72 KIWI RIDER