Hi guys...

I'm new to the 450R world. I recently purchased a new old stock 05 450R & love it. My plans were only HRC kit & slip on. After reading alot of posts about the HRC kit, i'm a little scared. Seems like if you install the kit, you are going to sacrifice reliability for power. I took my 450R out this weekend & for me, it's fast as hell ( 5'4", about 140 lbs and using a GPS & a vapor computer, my friend & i clocked ourselves between 60-67 miles per hour). I'm SO Not a racer, as I just go to the desert with my friends & tear it up. I dont want to kill reliability for speed, period. I want to keep this quad for a long long time & have fun, not be wrenching it all the time ( minus usual maintenance ). I have a couple different options. I definetley want more sound, so I was just looking at the HMF sport slip. Would probably give me a very slight blip in power, but should retain all the the reliability I want. Also, Alba makes there full system kit with K&N, pipe, silencer etc. Not sure about the reliability, but Alba is right down the street from me, so having them service it up wouldn't be a problem. I'm also worried a little bit about warranty issues, as I have the 4 year extended warranty on my quad. Please let me know what you guys think. I would appreciate it.

Thanx
Chap

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I have an '04 450R
I have put on an Athena 480 kit, ported and polished the head, stage II Hotcam, Rejetted the carb, cut open the airbox lid, Uni filter and a FMF Q2 slip on.

I have not had one bit of trouble with it. I love the difference all the upgrades made.

 

Awesome !!! Thanx so much for getting back. Much appreciated.

Thanx
Chap

 

the thing with building something up is this....with more horsepower, to get it to the wheels it has to go through all the gears and bearings to the rear axle. Higher compression, bigger bores, higher rpms all put more stress on the engine components than what was originally designed. it's simple physics and it WILL cause the machine to wear out sooner than if it was stock.

however, there are some ways to couteract this-

the simplest thing is running a high-quality synthetic oil in the engine and transmission. synthetics have a better film strength than petroleum oils, and dont break down under high temperatures. plus, synthetics reduce friction, generating more horsepower. along with synthetic oil, change it often, sooner than the manufacturer's spec if needed. remember, factory maintenance periods are for the stock engine, more power equals more stress, so change it often as you can afford it. dont buy into the 'extended drain intervals' the synthetic manufacturers advertise, they are just trying to get you to buy their product. the product itself is superior in every way, but lengthy drain intervals can cause moisture build up which causes acids and other nasty things to develop-bad for metal parts.

if needed, upgrade the clutch if parts are available. the clutch has to hold all the extra power back to keep it from slipping, it will keep you from re-clutching all the time.

the most important thing is this-baby the machine if you're not racing. pushing it hard all the time will cause problems for even the most well-built machine. when you're sitting on a lot of power, it's hard...but the less you race it, the longer it will last.

 

well written my friend. i dont race at all, but know I dont want to wrench all the time. i had a blaster & had to do that, nuff said. thanx for writing this. gives me a good basis to make my decisions on.

thanx
chap

 

no problems with mine either... just get a reputable tech to do your werk and you should be fine..

by the way alba pipes sound awesome on the 450rs

 

Bought my 04 with the HRC kit, dealer installed. No problems, and I'm not anticipating any early rebuilds. Two buddies have them also, and these guys ride HARD! No problems there either. All getting up there in hours.

But, if I were 140 pounds and a recreationl rider, I might just skip the HRC and just do the usual basic mods. (Hey, if I were 5'4" and 140 pounds, I might still be riding the Blaster......some of the best times I had when I was a beginner were on that thing.)

There are several oil post running in the Honda forum right now, so check them out. I agree that a synthetic is a good idea for this machine! My preference is Maxima Extra, an ester synthetic in both the engine and trans sides.

 

Thanx guys. I indeed loved my blaster too, but came into a little cash & the deal on the 450r was good ( after trade of the blast, $4120 with 4 year warranty for an 05. not too bad in cali i think, & was having a hell of a time selling the blaster ). Recon... what do you mean by basic mods ?? Pipe/Silencer/Air Filter/Jetting ?? Let me know if you would, & again, thanx for all your help. Again, i'm not a racer, but like to go fast out in Plaster/Ocotillo Wells...

Oh yeah, & i'm an Amsoil guy. Use it in my Honda Element, my Harley Street Bob, & will use it in the 450R as well. Just my thing & has never let me down. Will have the dealer do the first service with the Valve Adjust & stuff like that, but after that it will be Amsoil.

Thanx
Chap

 

I did an FMF header and muffler, ProDesign adapter with foam air filter (I'm not a K&N fan), and EHS Racing airbox lid (with Outerwears cover). That, and the HRC kit.......it goes faster than I usually care to go!

I did gear mine down one tooth in front. I like bottom end grunt, but I lost top end which is nice to have in the open desert.

 

I'm still all up in the air guys. I think i'm just gonna ride stock for awhile & see how that goes. I'm really all about the reliability right now, & for me, this thing is super fast for the riding i do, really. Yeah, maybe more power later, but like i said, i'm sill up in the air. I know I want more sound, that is a gimme, so it's more than likely gonna be a slip on for me, with jetting, & a redo of the airbox lid ( like the HRC, just to get a little more flow ). Was thinking of slip ( HMF I like & have great reviews ), an EHS lid ( or HRC lid, or templating & cutting my own ), & jets. Do you guys think I may keep the reliability, get the sound & want, & pump it up a little ?? let me know & thanx again...

Thanx
Chap