My buddy is wanting to get a used honda 450r, and he was wondering if there is any year that he should either look for or try to stay away from? Also should he get the electric start or the kick start?

 

I love the kick start, but you have to know the proper drill or you will always have trouble with it! You have to know the drill for the electric for that matter. Hint...never ever touch the throtle on a hot start.

The 04/05 engines were overbuilt and have an oil cooler. Many desert race teams will only run those years, so you can take that for what it's worth.....

06 and later got a different engine (more like the dirt bike X engine), no oil cooler, and some frame changes (a bit wider, a bit longer swingarm, etc.).

This is a great machine, and he will be happy no mater what year he can find. The high reving engine does not lend itself well to tight trail riding (to much clutch slipping required). This is a machine that likes to to scream in wide open country.

All the 450's (not just Honda's) need frequent oil changes, and it is absolutely essential that the air filter never pass any dirt or your valves are toast (avoid K&N).

 

Hey thinks for all the advice. So would a uni filter and k&n lid be an ok combination? Or what about a k&n filter with an outerwear prefilter over it with a k&n lid? So if the desert teams run 04/05 would that mean they would run cooler and overall be a better engine or would you rather have an 06+ with no oil cooler and an updated frame?

 

Definitely go for the 06 and up models. They seem to have less technical problems than the 04-05 models from what I've heard.

 

I run the ProDesign (ProFlow) adapter and foam air filter (made by UNI), and the EHS Racing airbox lid with Outerwears.

The K&N lid would be OK, if you had a foam filter on the intake. I learned the hard way, that K&N's pass dirt, plain and simple!

And...."technical problems" with the 04/05....WTF???? There is always somebody making nonsense statements like that, with no info to back it up.

The 04/05 have longer stroke, so they favor low end power/acceleration more than the later years. The 06 and later has a shorter stroke, so it is a little faster on the top end. My friends later models seem to have a little "hit" in the middle.

The group I ride with has a mix of all years with HRC kits, and all are high hours and absolutely nobody has had even one problem of any kind! No rebuilds, no valve jobs, etc. We all are diligent at maintenance, and we all run the highest quality Redline or Maxima ester synthetic oil, and change it regularly.

 

I have an '04 that I have turned into a 480 with a stage II Hotcam and ported and polished head with a full Yoshimura exhaust. I run a Uni filter with a HRC style cut open airbox lid.
The only issue I have had with the quad is the water pump seal failed allowing coolant into the clutch / transmission.
I relpaced all the water pump seals and gaskets and installed an upgraded clutch and it runs very strong.
Like Recon said, change the oil (both) and a very frequent and regular basis and this engine will last a long time!

 

Yeah I like the 450r's a whole lot. I was this close (holding fingers like I'm pinching the air) to getting one.

Very fast and very fun.