2020: FIRST LOOK AT THE HONDAS

WHAT’S NEW ON THE 2020 HONDA CRF450

1. New battery box on the 2020 CRF450 moves the battery 28mm lower to bring the center of gravity down.

2. New suspension settings to work with the stiffer chassis, flexier swingarm and more resilient subframe.

3. Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC) offers three different settings of traction control.

4. New rear brake pads have a compound that offers more grip and greater durability.

5. The head pipe is longer to increase torque.

6. Although not new for 2020, the CRF450’s fuel-injection system sprays twice per intake cycle to atomize without adding a second injector.

7. Honda will get “exclusive-specification” Dunlop MX3S tires mounted in D.I.D DirtStar rims.

8. The 2020 CRF450 is 1.75 pounds lighter (because the kickstart option was removed).

9. The MSRP is $9399.

10. Displacement: 449.9cc (CRF450/CRF450WE). 

11. Bore/stroke: 96mm x 62.1mm (CRF450/CRF450WE). 

12. Compression ratio: 13.5:1 (CRF450/CRF450WE). 

13. Transmission: Five gears (CRF450/CRF450WE).

14. Fuel system: Keihin EFI, 46mm throttle body (CRF450/CRF450WE). 

WHAT’S NEW ON THE 2020 HONDA CRF450WE (WORKS EDITION)

1. The cylinder head (more accurately, the valve pockets) have been touched up, not polished, but not exactly ported, either—just cleaned up.

2. Renthal oversize FatBar features a new bend and special gum-colored Renthal grips.

3. The exhaust system will be a complete Yoshimura system (last year was just slip-on Yosh mufflers).

4. The 2020 CRF450 Works Edition gets special red number plates this year.

5. The Works Edition gets different ECU mapping to increase the low-to-mid transition.

6. The CRF450WE has a gold RK chain, black D.I.D LTX rims, a gripper seat cover and HRC team graphics.

7. New battery box on the 2020 CRF450 moves the battery 28.5mm lower to bring the center of gravity down.

8. The Works Edition features titanium nitride-coated fork legs and shock shaft. Plus, the fork’s stanchions are anodized a warmer gold, while the triple clamps are black.

9. New for 2020 is Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC), which offers three different settings of traction control.

10. New rear brake pads have a compound that offers more grip and greater durability.

11. Although not new for 2020, the CRF450R’s fuel-injection system sprays twice per intake cycle to atomize without adding a second injector.

12. Honda will get an exclusive specification of Dunlop MX3S tires.

13. The CRF450WE’s MSRP is $11,999.

WHAT’S NEW ON THE 2020 HONDA CRF250

1. The HRC launch control is a single-button control that allows the rider to hold the throttle wide open when dropping the clutch.

2. The cam profile is all new for 2020. It is designed to increase torque.

3. Working in conjunction with the cam profile is a new piston for 2020. The bridged-box design has a reinforcing structure between the skirts and the wrist-pin bosses that enables a higher redline.

4. The valve shape of the intake and exhaust valves has been refined.

5. The cylinder head’s combustion chamber has been reshaped.

6. The twin exhaust pipes have a new tuned length, and the resonance chambers on the CRF250 pipes have been eliminated.

7. The radiators have been increased in size for better cooling.

8. The 2020 CRF250 features a new air-cleaner element with more surface area and increased volume.

9. The battery is located 28.5mm lower for 2020.

10. The 2020 swingarm is shorter, which makes it 160 grams lighter and changes the CRF250’s fore/aft bias.

11. The MSRP is $7999.