Good job! The only reason I've got a plate on mine is to also access and make connections between OHV trails on Forest Service land. I don't have a brake light, horn, mirror, turn signals, etc., but doesn't seem to matter much. They just look to see if I hace an "MC" plate and an OHV sticker. I always enthusiastically reply "Yes sir, I do" and proudly point to my plate.

Decided to replace the dated mechanical odometer with a modern computer. Bought a Vapor system and went with the billet mount. They both look nice.

I've decided to run power to it. Tapped off battery through a 5A fuse an ran a "hot" wire up to power the Vapor. Don't know if this is the best approach. Going to attach the mileage sensor to the brake caliper next.

Bought the Flatland Racing aluminum spacer to replace the odo drive. Fit and finish of the spacer are very good, but a bit beefy and heavy. Flatland was thoughtful and included a new seal. Used some waterproof grease on the seal and installed it. Both the odo drive and the spacer weigh the same, about 4.5 oz.

Nice stuff.

I should pick up a speedometer/odometer/trip meter, but I'm not sure which one I'll get.
Time will tell.

Welcome to the club! I got mine in June of '06 and I love it!

Thanks idaho! That's a long time on the same bike!

I've been loving mine! I think it's a great trail bike, looks great, and was relatively inexpensive, since I bought it used. Love the motor.

Just got this bike last weekend.Have not had a chance to ride it yet(just up and down the road when I checked it out to buy it)I have read every post of this thread and got a lot of usefull info. Thanks to all you guys.I can't wait to tear into mine this weekend.

Hope I'm not making you feel as if I'm threadjacking, Sofiedog.
The weather is getting colder and colder, and I need something to do when I wake up and it's 24 degrees outside.

If you haven't uncorked your CRF-450X yet, even if you only ride for recreational fun like I do, I recommend you do so.
Why?
Because the bike will then be running as it was originally intended to instead of being effected with EPA-mandated restrictions, all of which reduce throttle response, torque, and power.

I just got my 2009 model done, and all I did was the most basic things:

*Cut airbox top.

*Carb rejetted.
I didn't even buy a jet kit, but instead went with the specs that lots of guys here on Thumpertalk use:
165 main jet
NCVS needle
50 leak jet
Fuel screw 1.5 turns out
The rest of the carb parts are stock.

*FMF Powerbomb head pipe and FMF Q4 muffler.
Since the 2008-and-later models have the muffler outlet baffle welded (yes, welded) in place, that was a good enough excuse to buy a replacement exhaust that wasn't so choked-up, yet wasn't loud.
This is the 4th bike within two years I've used the FMF headers and Q mufflers on, and the results are always the same:
More power across the board, more low-end torque, better throttle response, and as the icing on the cake, the exhaust tone is that satisfying deep tone that is pleasing to the ear.
Also, it is not too loud, or else I wouldn't use it - I ride my off-road bikes on a public trail loop.

*Unplugged the infamous pink wire.
The Yamaha WR-250Fs and WR-450Fs have their gray wire, and the CRF-450X has it's pink wire.
I don't think this is a must-do with the CRF-450X, but, since it takes about 2 minutes to do and costs nothing to do, why the heck not?
Supposedly it allows the ignition mapping to be switched from the EPA-pleasing one the bike comes delivered using to the one that actually makes the bike run the best.
Since the bike, while on yeaterday's ride, was a wheelie machine, I'll leave it this way.  

Here it is, post-registration and set-up to my liking:

Great looking bike YZ!

I do like the look of the later year 450X's with the white fender and red seat with white HONDA lettering.

The FMF mufflers tuck up nicely behind the side panel and look good. The PowerBomb is definitely nice looking, but I put a carbon fiber heat shield over mine. I've had a couple of low speed drops on it and it has held up well and protected the header. Mine's titanium.

I didn't do anything with the pink wire. Cutting the grey wire was listed as a "must-do" free mod on the WR's and made a noticeable difference when I test rode it after the change. I believe it switched the ignition timing map from a "WR" version to a "YZ" version.

So far, I haven't received any strong recommendations from the experienced 450X riders that the pink wire mod is a "must-do" as part of the derestricting/re-jetting process. So, I've left mine alone. But, maybe I'll experiment with it when I get some extra time.

+1 for the "wheelie machine". Dang fun bike to ride!!!

Got the Vapor installed. I powered it directly from the battery through a 5A fuse. Grounded it to the chassis. Backlight stays on longer and turns off automatically.

Mounted the speed sensor to the caliper, exactly as shown in the instruction sheet pic, except added a little marine grade silicone adhesive to the back of the mount, in addition to using the supplied sef-tapping screw. No issues. The wheel magnet is in a supplied brake rotor bolt. Here's a partial view of it from the other side of the wheel.



I mounted the Tach wire as recommended. The 5 wraps around the plug wire worked well. After wrapping the red wire tightly, I covered it with electrical tape. Grounded the black wire to the chassis.

Went riding with it. Very nice. Have a tach to tune the pilot jet. Have a speed readout and an odometer. Have air temp and a clock. Nice!

I don't have the water temp sensor hooked up.

Here's a pic of the Vapor console and mount. Good visibility and access when seated on bike.

Looks nice.
Does it come with a mounting bracket?
Any cutting or fanangling needed to mount the meter?

Vapor comes with a plastic mount that attaches to the rear of the unit and clamps on the handlebar. I did some searches and most folks seem happy with it. But, I paid extra for the billet aluminum mount, and it looks nice and there is no question about it's durability.

No issues mounting it. It mounts under the two handle bar mount bolts on the far side of the cross-bar. Handlebar mounts the same. Lugs of billet mount are under the heads of the bolts. The stock bolts were plently long to provide good thread engagement, even with billet mount installed.

Not sure about the differences for the newer model bikes with different type handlebars and bar pads.

Great post Sophiedog, thats the cleanest 05 I've seen since...2005

Thanks FoFitty !

I do take pride in keeping the bike clean and having it look good, as many do here on TT. One of the reasons I chose the CRF450X over the WR450F was because I think it just looks better, in addition to it being a great off-road bike.

As I have mentioned, she's no hanger queen. I've ridden this bike 1 - 2 times a week since I bought it last summer. I just developed the discipline to wash it everytime I bring it home from riding. Also, whenever I take something apart to work on it, I always clean the parts before putting it back together. My dad was a hot-rodder and he always had me cleaning parts for him when he was working on cars or bikes in the garage and I was hanging out with him. I wish I had taken the time to learn more from him.

Anyway, I haven't posted to this recently. I've been working on my 2006 WR250F. I've been rejetting it for cooler weather, shimmed the intakes and I'm in the middle of replacing the steering stem bearings, which takes a while when it's your first time. The bearings were feeling "notchy". I inspected them and the top bearing was rusted, pitted, and filled with a gooey mess of grease, water, and dirt. Lesson learned !!! If you wash your bike a lot, regrease the bearings more often !!!!   Regreasing the steering stem bearings on the 450X has moved up to the top of my list for the 450X. Much much easier to regrease them than to replace them.

Also, as far as I know, the brakes still have the original 2005 brake fluid in them. So, I just bought a brake bleeding kit and some DOT4 fluid and I'm going to try that the first time, as well.

Going to look at a garage queen 05 tomorrow, hopefully its as clean as the owner says it is!
Thanks for sharing all the good info.
Another license plate option is to make a color copy of your plate, laminate it and mount that to your bike: no bending, breaking or gouging anything. Plus if it falls off, just print out another one

Krannie, on 24 August 2011 - 07:38 PM, said:

I have an '07 450X with the JD jet kit and o-ring a-pump mod.  I'm interested in trying the Merge spring, but checked the TT store and it says: Fits ALL motorcycles and ATVs fitted with Keihin FCR MX Carbs EXCEPT CRF250/CRF450 07-08

Will this fit my bike?

mdtoney, on 02 February 2012 - 01:32 PM, said:

It fits on every year FCR, but some years (starting sometime in 2007) already have a stiffer spring and a changed linkage.
If your carb looks like this, it will help:
https://encrypted-tb...VKPuuRb11dtAl0D
If your carb looks like this:
http://thump01.pbase...33.8EXZQWuV.jpg
....it will still help, but not as much, as the spring is already stiffer.

Krannie, on 02 February 2012 - 04:16 PM, said:

Thanks for the reply!  Mine looks like the first pic, and with the jet kit and o-ring mod the bike runs pretty good, but I'll give the Merge spring a try.

Haven't been working on the 450X much, other than changing the oil, lubing the chain, and cleaning the air filter regularly. Bike's just running great ! The MX51 rear tire was looking pathetic and I broke down and changed it. From my ride log, looks like I only got about 15 rides on it with about 20 miles per ride, or about 300 miles. The rocky trails around here are tough on tires. I really liked the feel of the MX51, but it's not durable enough for these types of trails. I installed the Kenda K775 Parker Desert tire that I bought a while back. Tire looks beefy. It's a 110/100-18. Can't wait to ride it tomorrow ! Going to have to replace the front MX71 soon, too.





Here's the new Kenda tire:

This is an amazing thread. Been reading it. I just bought an 05 450x last weekend. It came with the white bro's exhaust and emission block off kit. It also has a K&N air filter. From what I have read on here twin air filter is the way to go. So I will be changing it soon.

I am not sure if the previous owner re-jetted the bike yet. How would I know if it has been re-jetted. When I pull it apart, how will I know what size the pilot, main and leak jet is?

r_dog, on 02 April 2012 - 03:28 PM, said:

Every jet is stamped.