The Honda CRF series have followed the Honda XR motorcycle series. From looks to tenacity, this line of dirt bikes literally has all those features that an avid racer can revise before putting on his helmet. These dual-support motor bikes having single cylinder and liquid-cooled engines range from 149cc to 649cc.

The engines are built in a technology supporting Formula One mileage resulting in higher speeds and lessened reciprocating mass. The engine has an over-square design where the piston stroke is smaller than the cylinder diameter.

The piston skirt is that component that comes in contact with the wall of the cylinder. This part also helps to maintain the piston stability. The shorter the piston skirt, the greater the decline in reciprocating mass.

The introduction of the piston skirts in the Honda CRF bikes also help to maintain the interval level for the piston rings, cylinder wall and the piston. Moreover, it also controls the piston’s slightest unwanted rotation around the wrist pin axis. This remarkable technology has highlighted the performance quotient of the dirt bike series to a great extent.

CRF450X has all the features that the CRF series is famous for. It benefits from the excellent build quality and the excellent engineering that Honda is famous for. This four stroke bike is equipped with a liquid cooled four stroke single cylinder engine.

All bikes in the CRF series above 230cc are liquid cooled. Air cooling simply won’t suffice for the high capacity and high rpms of the 450 cc engine. These bikes have to be light and fast and hence have very high rpm.

The added load of the water cooling system does make the bike heavier, but then the increase in performance due to efficient cooling makes up for this. But an air-cooled version of the 650 is also available.

The CRF450X was in fact the first bike in the now iconic CRF series. The 250 cc version was released a couple years later. The engines of all CRF series bikes including the CRF450X are all 4 stroke and are high-tech engines that use Formula One derivative technology. They use an over-square piston.

This means, that the bore or diameter of the piston is bigger than the length of the stroke or the distance the piston travels up and down. This results in a wide-faced piston that travels rapidly up and down. This technology is the secret behind the shattering performance of another iconic bike – the Ducati 999. But then again the CRF450X is like the Ducati 999 of dirt bikes.

And the short stroke has also enabled engineers to reduce the length of the stroke significantly and this has enabled the CRF450X engine to have a very lightweight piston. However, this means reduced lateral stability, that is the piston has a tendency to move sideways and this wears out the cylinder walls.

This is a trade-off for increased performance. But then again, every engineered item is a trade-off – you can’t have all. The engine of a dirt bike doesn’t need to last long anyway, it has to live and shine in the moment.

CRF450X has increased power compared to the previous version as the design continues to be refined further to create a more powerful and efficient engine. With constant improvements year after year, looks like the 450 will be the top dirt bike for some time to come.

In a macro sense, this Honda CRF 450 series wonder has smooth and strong power delivery. Once dialed in, the CRF 450 is a super bike that’s ready to zoom through the nastiest braking bumps or roar down the choppy slopes. Infinite power, smooth rides, light weight and comfy ergonomics – Honda is eve ready to take on its raging rivals Yamaha and Kawasaki. Let’s all say, “We’re proud to live in the Honda times!”