White Brothers E2 Exhaust

The Honda CRF450X was one of the most anticipated off-road entries to hit the market since its motocross cousin the CRF450R. Immediately after picking up their new ride, owners searched for increased power and responsiveness. The exhaust was one area where obvious gains could be had.

The stock exhaust, besides being heavy, has a very restrictive baffle and spark arrestor system. This system significantly restricts exhaust flow and hence limits how quickly spent fuel can be moved from the cylinder. This has the negative result of limiting how much air/fuel mixture you can pour into each intake stroke. Bottom line is less performance than we expected from our CRF450X.

One exhaust slip-on we've been impressed with is the White Brothers E2. This slip-on is is made from a one-piece aircraft grade aluminum alloy. The inlet and mid-pipe are made of stainless steel, while the mounting bracket is made from billet aluminum. It comes with quiet core packing, spark arrestor insert, and a performance tunable end-cap design.

The first thing you notice when unpacking the White Brothers E2 is the quality of construction and materials. The 19" "square ellipse" can is extremely strong. I've been riding with this system now for a couple of months and have taken some pretty nasty falls. Once I doing a body inventory and injury assessment I pop up and do ths same for my bike. The E2 has suffered nothing more than a few scratches. I can confidently say this is one of the strongest, if not the strongest, pipe on the market.

The second thing you notice is the length of the exhaust can. The can is a full 19" long which initially looks like it will be far too long. While it does extend further than the stock exhaust it certainly doesn't interfere with riding or appearance.

The third thing you notice is the weight. It's noticeably lighter than the stocker. The E2 weighs in at 6 pounds and 6.8 ounces. The stock exhaust weights in at 8 pounds 1.8 ounces. This is a full 1 pound 11 ounces lighter! Not a bad way to shed some extra weight while gaining performance.

This is a true slip-on. It doesn't require a clamp to mount to the header. It truly just slips on the header. The installation is very simple and if it takes more than 15 minutes then you need to take off the blindfold. Essentially you remove the side panel plastic, remove the mounting bolts in both places and remove the stock exhaust. Fit the E2 to the header, install the lower mount bolt and only tighten half way. Then start the top mount bolt and likewise tighten it half-way. Then alterning between both bolts, tighten them according to recommended torque specs, reinstall the side panel and you're done.

After installing the E2 I couldn't wait to get out and test. At this point in the young life of my CRF450X it was basically stock with the exception of the JD Jetting kit, an opened up Air Box, a Twin Air PowerFlow system, and a Zip Ty fuel screw. It ran well but still lacked the kind of power I was hoping for when I purchased this bike. I had some minor bog off idle and definitely poor mid and high end performance. Granted all I've been riding is an '05 CRF450R which absolutely rips. Even still I was hopeful that the E2 would help address these issues.

The bike started quickly as expected and the tone of the E2 gave the CRF450X a new personality. It now has a strong throaty tone while still being under the U.S.F.S. 96db sound requirement. A quick pass or two around the staging area put a huge smile on my face. I immediately noticed more power down low that extended up into the mid-range. Out on the trail, which consisted of tight single track as well as wide open fire roads, if found myself shifting less and pulling higher gears which were just not possible with the stock exhaust. The minor bogging I was experiencing with the stock pipe all but disappeared with the E2. I open up the fuel screw an additional 1/8 turn out after installing the E2.

With the tunable end-cap and removable spark arrestor you can quickly convert this forest friendly exhaust to a race ready performance pipe. In this configuration it has a CRF450R-type bark. The end cap unique design and is held in place with a single hex head cap screw.

Based on the quality of design, materials, workmanship, and performance gains, not to mention the weight savings, I highly recommend this exhaust for the CRF450X. It's durability rating is second to none while providing excellent performance gains. All this in a sound and performance tunable package. I highly recommend this pipe as a performance upgrade to your Honda CRF450X.

CRF's Only Staff Review May 2005
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