2004 Honda CRF450R

2004 Honda CRF450R - More Power and Refinement for Honda's Early 450

The 2004 Honda CRF450R was an evolutionary development of Honda's increasingly successful four-stroke motocross platform rather than an entirely new generation. By its third model year, Honda had already established the CRF450R as a serious open-class racing machine, and the 2004 model concentrated on refining the engine and chassis package rather than replacing the basic design introduced in 2002.

The liquid-cooled 449.4 cc Unicam single retained its 96.0 x 62.1 mm bore and stroke, but compression was increased to 12.0:1. Fuel continued to be supplied by a Keihin FCR flat-slide carburettor. Correct jetting, accelerator-pump operation and general carburettor condition remain important on surviving examples, and owners repairing the original fuel system can refer to the MXOwners carburettor replacement and reference information.

The 2004 chassis continued with Honda's aluminium twin-tube frame, 47 mm Showa inverted twin-chamber forks and Pro-Link Showa rear suspension. Front axle travel was 281 mm and rear wheel travel 319 mm. Honda specified Pro Honda HP Fork Oil 5W or equivalent, with a standard outer-chamber quantity of 416 cc per fork leg when using the standard 0.47 kgf/mm spring. Owners servicing these forks can also consult the MXOwners fork oil levels and suspension reference.

Like the earlier CRF450R models, the 2004 uses separate engine and transmission oil compartments, an important detail for owners accustomed to motorcycles sharing a single oil supply. The transmission takes approximately 0.59 litre during a normal oil change. With competition motorcycles of this age, regular oil changes, clean air filtration and valve-clearance checks are particularly important. Chassis bearings, suspension linkage and steering-head bearings should also be inspected carefully when restoring a used machine, with the MXOwners motorcycle bearing finder useful when identifying replacement bearings.

The 2004 CRF450R represents the period when Honda was rapidly refining the formula established by the groundbreaking 2002 model. It retained the raw, carburetted and kick-start character of the earliest CRF450Rs while benefiting from several years of racing development. For riders and collectors interested in the beginning of the modern four-stroke motocross era, the 2004 remains an important early-generation CRF450R and a genuinely capable motocross machine.