Posts
359
Joined
2/16/2018
Location
Colorado Springs, CO
US
Little different than what’s normally in here but I picked up a very low mile, pretty much new, 450rl to do the Colorado BDR and just have an all around dual sport ripper. Have always wanted a street legal dirt bike and finally got one. Parts will slowly trickle in but figured I’d put it on here cause I haven’t really seen any. Will update as I go.
Put a tail tidy on to get rid of the monster OEM plate holder.
Also added a Scaggs rack on the back. Went with this one because it’s a clean look and it doesn’t use the seat bolts so no hassle when you want to clean/change air filter or access ECU.
And a tusk tank bag, fits a little weird but I’ll get used to it. Much cheaper than the popular Mosko stuff.
I’m about to pull the trigger on one also. After much research, looks like the Vortex ECU and Yosh exhaust are the first mods on the list.
Please let us know what you think about the throttle response after riding it for a bit. It’s supposedly very jerky and subject to flameouts stock.
It’ll be a really fun bike with a couple of tweaks from what I’ve seen. Congrats 👍
So, the first couple rides I was like wow the flameouts are bad just like everyone said. I had a 450RX to which people complained about that but I never had an issue with that bike. I turned up the idle slightly and the flameouts seemed to stop. I’ve put maybe 100 miles on it and I’ve had no issues in that regard anymore. The jerkyness is there for sure, and it’s just all plugged up as far as power goes. It’ll still hit 75 no problem though.
I ended up going with the GET ECU tuned by taco moto. It’s in the mail right now so I haven’t put it on. Im going to pair that with an fmf q4 system because I didn’t want a really loud exhaust on there. Will update when things get installed.
The Shop
Nice! Yeah I originally wanted a 690/701 but then I saw some dudes trying to ride them on what we were on and it looked miserable. Chose the Honda because I’m familiar with them and I plan to have this thing for a long time. Good luck with the healing process!
Had some goodies show up today! I plan to do a before and after video on each the exhaust and then the GET with the exhaust. Weather here is going to crap tonight so may be a couple days.
Weight difference between stock and FMF Q4 cans, about 7.5 pounds right there.
Mounted up the exhaust and the ECU; will post a video of just the fmf system vs fmf system with the ECU. Long story short… totally different bike with the ECU. I haven’t been able to ride anywhere other than down the street because of all the snow but it’s an immediate and obvious change. Also put on a Baja Worx windscreen and seems to do the job so far, jury still out on that one.
Bike is looking really good dude! I will be getting the same exhaust at some point soon. How is the noise level on the Q4 compared to stock, significantly louder or just a bit? I'm hoping to not add to much noise, but the power and weight reduction seem quite nice.
I installed an IMS tank last weekend, stock tank has very little range for a dual sport bike in my opinion.
The exhaust is louder, but not much, and it definitely gives it a throatier sound.
I agree on the tank I haven’t gone that route yet but I’m sure I will end up with one. Not sure why they would waste time with the ti tank and not just a bigger plastic one.
edit: does the IMS make it fatter?
IMS tank doesn't make the bike any wider, which is nice. I know the IMS tank is technically not street legal in CA, I believe it has to do with CARB requirements (not totally sure though).
Almost ready for the first long ride, just waiting on a couple things to show up and weather to relax. Attempted to do the stock vs GET comparison video but apparently my GoPro files got corrupted. Oh well.
I will say for the price, the seat concepts is not quite as nice as I thought it’d be. Is it better than the stock 2x4? Yes. But I think my stock yz seat is just as comfortable. Time will tell I guess.
This is an awesome thread and I don’t even have an adventure bike. Enjoying the pics and build.
I REALLY want a 450RL. Following your build and opinions closely. I hear AHM does a great job on suspension if you're looking to get that done.
I will definitely update once I get out and put some long rides on it. I rode some single track with it, nothing crazy it did just fine, but I have my YZ for that stuff and that’s not why I got this bike.
Thanks for the tip. There’s a guy here locally I use that does an amazing job, Warren at EnduroSpec. If anyone is looking for someone in Colorado or surrounding areas look him up.
Any updates?
Yeah I’ve got some stuff sitting in the garage waiting for me I’ve been out of town back and forth. Hopefully this week I should be able to get it on there.
Pit Row
Finally got to do a longer ride on the bike, about 90 miles, on pavement and some fire roads up to about 10k ft. Really enjoyed the ride. The more I ride it the more I think about how good it would be stock if they didn’t have to cork it up from the factory. Here’s a few thoughts on the parts I’ve put on.
Seat concepts seat - Honestly for the money they charge I thought it’d be better out of the box, but I think with some more miles it’ll settle in nicely.
ECU - just do it. The GET works great for me, have a full power on map 1 and then an off-road map on 2. Both work great, tuned by tacomoto. I can only speak to the GET but I’m sure the others work great as well.
FMF Q4 system - looks and sounds good, not too loud but has that grunt you’re looking for. Smooths out the power nicely before the ECU is on. Need to remove the AIS EPA stuff and the decel popping will go away. The header does get pretty dang hot, will put on a wrap or heat shield for sure.
Luggage - this is a tricky one. I went with the Wolfman stuff because he’s a Colorado business and had some good deals going. I don’t think I can give a real review as I haven’t camped off the bike or gone real far. I got the E base with 2 medium rollies and some of his tincup bags. The ebase is really easy to put on and is solid. The bags mount up great, need some serious strap management once mounted tho. I’ll end up cutting them once I figure out how I like it. Still have room on the rack for a rotopax or whatever else I might want to put on as well. The Mosko stuff seems a little more convenient taking on and off but I wasnt ready to drop that much coin.
Tusk tank bag - too big, at least on the stock tank, standing and riding at all aggressively it’s just in the way. Do not recommend.
Bajaworx windscreen - provides some good wind blockage but it’s not meant to be a full windscreen so I’d say it does what it’s supposed to do. Good protection for any navigation/charging things you have.
Skaggs rack - Clean solid rack I really like it. Versatile.
Tires - stock tires are terrible for even the easy off-road stuff but they’re new so I’m gonna run them down and get something else.
Gearing - also tricky. Depends on what you’re riding. Stock gearing is ok but if you plan on riding mostly pavement then you certainly want to change it up to maintain 65+ for any extended period of time.
Overall I love this thing, just takes some massaging to get it where it needs to be. This dual-sport/small adv riding is new to me so I’m learning as I go. Once I get some bigger rides in I know I’ll figure things out that I like and stuff that I don’t but that’s the fun of it. Hope this helps anyone thinking about this bike. Will update with some better pictures when I clean her up.
I'll throw a pic of mine in the mix. Still on the stock ECU and pipe. I am going to replace the ECU at some point primarily to reduce the weight up high with the stock silencer.
Nice, I’ve got the same two bikes in my garage. I’ve got mine ready for the first trial run of camping before our adv trip the end of July. I’m pumped. Ready to shake things out.
I'll be curious to know how well it does on the COBDR. I did that one in 2021 on an Africa twin and it was a bit much. Undersprung for the extra weight of camping gear and the amount of large rocks we encountered. I'm planning on doing the first three days of the MABDR in August and stop off at Budds Creek for the national. I might do the same gig next year for the Lakewood national.
The windscreen looks like it fits well on your bike. Does it make a big difference on hwy and is it easy to take off if needed?
I’ve ridden some of the roughest parts of the BDR already on my other bike (yz250x), very different bikes obviously, but I think this will be fine just won’t know until I do it. Trial by fire. I’d rather have a smaller bike than some of these other big things I see that they can’t pick up on their own.
As for the windscreen, definitely helps, but it’s no windshield if that makes sense. Really just some stabilization in the wind, and protection for my guidance and charging system on the dash. On and off easy? Not really. It’s 4 bolts but it’s a little tight to get to to call it easy on/off.
Perfect answer, exactly the info I was looking for on the windscreen!
I'd love to have an RL, but they stopped importing it to OZ, and the blokes and blokettes that have them, are holding onto them, or, if they are not, they know they can get top dollar for them
.
With reference to the Shield, and, getting it off.
I've always made sure I can take them off once I'm into 'real' dirt usage. I've been "sliced and diced" by a screen many, many years ago, and, know of quite a few people that have been hurt by contact with the top - one, near fatally.
If you ran the bolts from the inside, with a locking nut outside and whatever backing / insulation you use for the screen ( a rubber washer under the screen insulates it, and can provide enough 'give' and preload to use Wingnuts for very rapid removal, the preload acting like a nyloc nut does - or, just use nyloc nuts as the final holder), then the screen and the final nut retention, you can have the screen on and off very quickly. I've also found when having a gap from the screen to the HL / Fairing / Whatever, it's often, not always, kept dust accumulation on instruments etc, down, Or it's easy to find some trim to close the gap, if you want.
Your set up looks great - as I said, I really would like an RL, but it looks to be an XR650L will be what I use - though, they are no longer available here in OZ.
I've done the whole 'Land Yacht' thing, and, in the 70s, did the 'Basic Thing' mega rides. I travelled most of Australia on XL185s and DT175s in the late 70s, and nothing has Ever match those trips on the tiddlers. But, a Dirt bike in the 450 to 690 range, is the goods when grinding out the miles, and keeping in front of bloody Road Trains.
Thanks for the tips! I’ve ridden some single track with it and was certainly weary of the windscreen at first, but got used to it after a few miles. I can absolutely see how you could get caught in the neck/ chest with it. I like the idea of running the bolts the other way I’m gonna play with that. Thanks. Good luck out there!
Yes, Ezza, it's a good idea to trim the edge of a screen.
But, Having such trim on my Screen, decades ago, still had me getting 18 stitches from the broke screen, and, my mate, much more recently, still had his throat crushed and slit into his wind pipe, from the broken screen edges. He had trim on the screen, by the way.
I will always make a screen quickly removable when using a bike in real dirt conditions.
Oh damn Bear, yeah not much a rubber strip will do in that case. I hope your friend made a full recovery, scary stuff.
Sh**loads of Claret Ezza.
Speaks like Chizz now......
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