Granted electric start would be nice- I'll be honest, the reason I settled on a Mojave is that it had kickstarting and sometimes I think how nice electric would be. But looking at the 450R, I think the logic was that if, in a long distance race such as Baja 1000 the rider crashes real good and tosses the battery or it gets damaged, how will we start. My peee with all the electric start sport quads out there don't have a kick/ recoil backup should the battery go south- I know it's to make you buy a new one- but c'mon, ya stall at the bottom of a river bed and the battery takes a dump, there ain't no push starting there.
My 3- wheeler had electric with back up pull. Even the Warrior used to have a back up recoil, but they took that off so you'd HAVE to buy a new battery, who cares if ya get stuck at the bottom or a ravine.....

 

doesnt the 450r have a hot start button? Thats for when you crash or something and need to get the engine started quick if its warm.

 

There will be aftermarket companies coming out with electric start for the 450R. There is a guy in Phoenix that puts them on CRF450 desert racers already. Why won't he be able to do the TRX??

I know a guy that has an electric start 350x. He bought the kit from Goki I believe.

 

what is the differance in weight? 15 lbs or there about not really a big deal the honda is just as heavy without the electric start because honda put a heavier frame on the 450r to make it last longer and be more ridgid. they emphizied on quality and speed not just speed like some other manufactures. I dont even ride a honda and I know the quality is there with a honda. if your really worried about weight it should come with the electric and give you the option of kick. As for me ill keep electric and If I need to get a lighter quad I wont eat mcdonalds on the way to the track.

 

Dude, i hope it is the successor. I have a 250R and love it. Im sure the 450R will be a good bike. But you cant tell me that they didnt put it on for the sake of saving weight and making it follow the 250r. Truth is they got in a hurry when the YFZ came out and didnt expect yamaha to do such i good job and include electric start and had to release something to get some of their fan base back. I remember a jillion post on here, perhaps by some of you, that repeatedly slammed honda for not releasing anything and getting "left behind." They were getting left behind and it was smart of them to release something and make the best of it. But in 2005, dont be suprised it E-start doesnt show up on the R. I know this is the Honda forum, but there should be enough respect to acknowledge that Yamaha pulled out all the stops with their bike. They did a good job and should be commended on it.

My question was why didnt they make an effort and stick it on there or have an option for it kinda like the reverse of what yamaha did? yamaha has it, has option to take it off.. Honda doesnt have it but could have a option to have it on.

Like i said im not against this bike or anyone here. I have had one on order for a long time now; but after re-thinking (sometimes people make quick decisions before they know everything) i think i may want something with electric start. Not that im a p____y, but, hey, ive been riding since i was 6 and have been kicking and pulling everything that i had to ride. trust me, it gets old and they dont always start on the first kick no matter how tuned you think you have them. Its an unnecesary task, IMO. I want to give everything i got for the ride/race, not starting a machine that "should" start.

i will wait until it comes in before i jump to the YFZ. the dealer and I have a deal and they will give me back my deposit if i do not want it... They will have no trouble selling the 450R without me buying it. I dont have anything to lose at this point.

 

I beg to differ....

Jees, chill dude. You don't like the kick, buy a YFZ - it's really that simple...

Kicking is not that big a deal - I grew up kicking everything from my 200X, to my 250r, to my 350X, to a CR500 - if what I keep hearing is true about guys kicking the 450R over while sitting, it will kick easier than my 200X did --- and now with me weighing 190 instead of 135 (like I did when I got my 350X) - I think I'll make due just fine.

Now you're just being ridiculous... an electric start system on a quad that weighs 350lbs has a much larger effect than it does on a vehicle that weighs 3000 lbs - not to mention that "kick starting" or "cranking" a 5.7L engine is simply not even an option.

Hmm.... You know - I've thought the exact opposite on at least 5 occasions when my electric start quad failed to start during a race and even more times when practicing... It can go both ways... Sure there were other times when the e-start was nice, but it sure does suck getting beaten off the line by a kick start quad as well & anyone that races dead engine start events knows that a properly tuned 250R kick start quad is DIFFICULT to beat off the line with any e-start quad. There's also been numerous times I've wished my 400EX was lighter & that battery & e-start system sure do look like a good place to start on a diet.

You're making assumptsions here. You're assuming that both published weights are accurate. Published weights are generally far from the truth. My guess is Honda's is much closer to 350lbs than Yamaha's. In fact, I've heard from a couple racers that have weighed their YFZ's in at over 380lbs. Also take into consideration that Yamaha has a long history of lightening the quad where it should not be lightened. Make note of the number of broken and twisted swingarms YFZ owners are already suffering (visit YFZ Central) - and the quads are not even 6 months old yet. From what I see from studying the YFZ chassis, I think this will only be the tip of the iceburg - time will tell.

I guess my mindset here is if you've resigned yourself into compromises that you'll accept 20+ extra lbs for the convenience of an e-starter (versus what is being called a VERY easy starting kick start machine) - why not just throw reverse in there too, heck, add a CVT tranny - pulling that clutch in really sucks at times & sometimes it can get you in trouble in technical situations.... Maybe you just don't "need" the latest, greatest, high performance option out there. Maybe your type of riding is more suited to an LTZ400, a Raptor, or a vForce.

As I said before - if the lack of the magic button is really that bad to you, buy a YFZ - they're available today & you will likely be happy with it... Just don't put on a kickstart kit and expect to run the cooling fan [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]


From TRX440
That dang Goki weighs more than the whole 350X & looks like something out of the WWII era. I hope the guy from phoenix has a cleaner setup [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

wow. you forgot the vasoline.. i havent been that picked apart in a while.. i feel violated, man!

the reverse and CVT tranny was a bit much..why not get a electric golf cart, huh.

you make some respective points. however, i still think by the time you reach down, pull the kickstart lever out of its notch and turn it so you can kick it, will never be faster than just easing your thumb over that little button.

look, ive been kicking things for years too. Ive been riding since I was 6, and may just want to not do that anymore....it may be true that i have resigned to the yfz, but i'll check out the 450r when it comes in. I have had one on order since august and the dealer says if i want it, fine, if not i get my deposit back. i have nothing to lose and they will have no trouble selling it if i do not buy it.

 

Exactly!!

All kidding aside, you're right, after stalling on the trail, the fastest way to get going again is the magic button --- I was just making the point that the magic button is awfully nice when it works - but the kick is old dependable. On at least 5 occasions, I've had mine fail for one reason or another during an endurance or XC event after stalling the quad (once a blown fuse, once a broken ground, once a broken solenoid trigger wire, once a broken positive, etc)- pretty frustrating....

I also wanted to make the point that to some of us that losing that extra 20lbs is welcome.. I know, I know - just go on a diet. Heck, I'd love to be back down to 170lbs - however, 20lbs of body weight is much different than 20lbs of machine weight. 20lbs of body weight helps you muscle the machine around - lose that 20lbs and put it on the quad (same total rider/quad weight) & you've got a much different scenario unless you're strictly drag racing.

Like you, I've been kickstarting my bikes, 3-wheelers, etc. since I was six. My two 400EX's and my Cannondale have been my only e-start rides. I'm quickly approaching 30 now & am still up to kicking my ride to life - and am actually looking forward to it (as sadistic as that may sound).... Maybe in a couple years the story may be different, but when that time comes - the YFZ or something better with the magic button will be awaiting, I'm sure.. (Yamaha Rhino?) [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] - that's the great thing about the sport right now --- choices. Just think of the choices we had 5 years ago when complaining about today's rides....

 

"Im sure the 450R will be a good bike. But you cant tell me that they didnt put it on for the sake of saving weight and making it follow the 250r. Truth is they got in a hurry when the YFZ came out and didnt expect yamaha to do such i good job and include electric start and had to release something to get some of their fan base back."

Going to have to disagree on this. Honda is going to build the motor to fit in the chassis. Its not the other way around. The motor was built without a kickstarter to help in the weight department. The general mindset is to save weight where weight isnt needed and help strengthen the bike. You wont see aluminum a-arms on the 450r like the yfz to save weight where structural integrity shouldnt be sacrificed. I dont think you realize what type of re-engineering would have had to have taken place to take off a kickstarter from a motor. Your talking redesigning an entire motor to remove the starter.

 

Let's keep this in perspective that we're talking about an all out competition quad here- not you're recreational/ sport unit, I think that might be why we don't see reverse on this bike, to save weitght!!