ASK THE MXPERTS: 2020 HONDA CRF450 COMPRESSION RELEASE FAILURES (UPDATED)

The solution to your problem starts at the bottom rung of the ladder. MXA’s decompression starter system broke on our 2020 CRF450 today.

Dear MXA,
I kickstarted my CRF450 yesterday and the automatic decompression issue reared its head and cracked the cases on my bike. I remember reading that Honda had an issue with this in the past. How is Honda dealing with this issue, and whom do I talk to about this?

It would help if you had told us what year CRF450 you own; however, back in 2009, the Honda CRF450s had breakage issues with what it called its “starter decompressor system.” Honda sent a bulletin to every dealership and the parts to replace the automatic compression release’s pins and actuator weights/shafts. Then, in 2017, MXA saw issues with the first batch of 2017 CRF450s in the country. The compression release pin broke on a few pre-pro bikes, and the cases could crack at the kickstarter shaft when the engine kicked back; however, these problems never became major issues.

The decompression weight cracked off off the pin.

However, just today we broke the decompression system on our 2020 CRF450 on the dyno. Our CRF450 did not have an excessive number of hours on it. We were told that Honda is aware of the breakage problem, although they can’t believe that this 2009 issue has come back. We are sure that Honda will stand by their customers if it happens on any more 2020 CRF450s. The first step to getting remedial action from Honda is to start at the dealership where the bike was purchased and handle it from the ground up.

 

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