2006 Honda CRF

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Honda CRF450X I bought this CRF 2006 in 2008; it was a leftover. It was shipped to me in its original crate. I used to ride Honda XL250 's and XL350"s in the 70's, and I thought this would be a similar riding experience since it was a 4 stroke. I expected low end torque and pulling power for trail riding and hill climbing. But, I was wrong. I had to ride it hard and no less than 1/4 throttle at all times and slip the clutch. I quickly found out that I am not as young and fearless as I used to be. I am 60, and l wanted to ride, not race, through the woods. I like to hill climb and be able to roll off the throttle and roll it back on again without the engine stalling and throwing me over the handlebars. I felt that I had made a mistake in purchasing this bike. and I was ready to sell it! It was unridable ( by me ) in the woods or on hills. Then I thought I would try and make it at least somewhat like my old XL350. I lowered the front sprocket by one tooth to lower the gearing, but that did not help. I then rejetted the carburetor. That helped somewhat, but it did not cure the problem. Then I was told about a new clutch called a Recluse. That has made all the difference. My old riding experience was back, lugging through the trails. I was able to roll the throttle on and off an any hill without the engine dying. It was like a different bike. The next step was to convert it to be street legal. I installed a Baja kit (high/low beam headlamps, turn signals, horn, stop light, license plate light and license plate mounting tabs), DOT tires, and a Trail Tech information center (speed, RPM, engine temperature, clock and odometer). It took 9 months to have it inspected and certified in Illinois to be street legal. Because riding and sitting on that narrow seat for any longer than 15 minutes was very uncomfortable, I had the seat modified by Fisher. It is now 11 1/2 inches wide and comfortable. Now it is time for me to move on to 4 wheels ( ATV ). After all of these modifications, this bike is very ridable, on or off road. All the modification work has been done. It also has electric start and billet exhaust tip.