[kylew]

I'm just curious what others out there that have the 2019 450x think of their bike. Previously, I had the 2009 450x, and absolutely loved it. Seeing a new model with all the new bells and whistles, I decided to purchase the new bike.

Overall, I haven't been very impressed with the bike. It doesn't start very well if it's cooler out (even with the fast idle), and it seems to overheat and boil over frequently. I do a lot of single track riding with my bike, and I can't go very far at all in first gear without it boiling over. I ride with my cousins a lot who have KTM and Betas, and they have no problem. I'm always stopping though to let mine cool down. We're not talking about clutching first here over rocks and such, but first gear with mid-range RPM. On my first ride of the season I was constantly packing the radiator with snow (there was quite a bit in the shadows by trees).

Another issue with the bike is stalling. If you're not clutching with a high rpm, it doesn't take much of a rock or stump to kill the engine.

Random, but has anyone put a third party pipe on to see if that helps it run better? I wonder if the stock muffler chokes it to where it can't perform well.

Whomever designed the guard on the exhaust pipe needs to double-think that idea. Mine collects every weed and plant I drive by. Creates a nice smoky scent. Can't wait until I start a forest fire.

Anyway, I'm mostly just curious what others general opinion on the bike is. I've been with Honda my whole life, but I'm considering selling it and switching to something else next year.

Thanks!

[JimDirt]

Welcome to the site !!

I do not have the new one , but I do have a 06 , and to me , the things you mentioned , are the same issues I had with my 06 when I first got it ...... I am not sure on how they MAP the new one , since it is EFI , I am guessing it is lean and that contributes to the stalling , what I did for my 06 was to install a HotCams Stage 1 , which put the majority of the umph in the low end , what this did for me was to act like a Flywheel Weight ..... If you have the stock Judder Spring clutch , that will contribute to stalling as well , and I would advise removing the spring. plate and washer and replacing it with a regular fiber from the Dealer from the outside of the pack (the rear plate you are replacing is smaller than the rest) ....................... Also , on my 06 , I installed a cooling fan , I did my own setup , but Trail Tech makes a great bolt on one that is fairly inexpensive , along with Engine Ice or a equivalent coolant that will raise the operating temp before overflowing , a higher pressure radiator cap will help as well

You did not mention gearing , but gearing plays a large role in how hot the bike runs/stalls ...

[kylew]

Thanks, Jim!

I appreciate the feedback. That gives me something to think about for sure. My brother in law works at RMS in Rexburg, so I'll ask him if he carries some of the things you mentioned.

Btw, hello from this side of the state.

[JimDirt]

I think you are only the 2nd one on this forum I know of in Idaho besides me ..... Which is weird since this is one of the most off-road friendly states there is , you would think there would be more of us ....

Also , as far as the muffler goes , I am sure it is as restricted as the older (05-18) stock X one , what it will do is more than likely just cause the engine to be sluggish , due to the baffling , but I doubt that would contribute to the stalling ....... my money is on the clutch and mapping and possibly gearing for that ...... In reading the reviews on all the newer Honda's , it seems they are all set up for faster riding (even my 06 seemed that way) , and they need a little refining for the tighter stuff (whether it be the X or R/X) , I would also look into a flywheel or flywheel weight as a plus for the stalling issue , you could go with a Rekluse , but I personally am not a fan and have found I can go anywhere with a stock clutch that someone with a Rekluse can , and I have a bum Ken Roczen-ish hand (same injury as Ken had , same hand *clutch* and mine was not fortunate enough to get 13 surgeries I did mine at OMC in Boise practicing for a Old Timers Race in 2016 , so I have limited movement of mine , and can still work the clutch well enough to not stall) , my clutch in my 06 is original , I am talking the same plates that came with it when new , original , I have never had a issue with the clutch and have not replaced any part of it , the Judder Spring clutches are a different story , and every bike with them has a complaint history of stalling (my buddy has a 18 RMZ450 , and stalls it all the time , been trying to get him to eliminate it , but he has not yet)

Surprisingly , the cam made a huge difference with my stalling , and I did not feel the need for a flywheel weight after installing it , as was my original intention , but after riding it , I felt it was not necessary .... Adding 1 tooth to the rear (from 51 to 52) was a huge improvement , you would not think 1 tooth would make a difference , but in the tighter stuff it allowed the engine to jump right up in RPM's (this along with re-jetting , which should not be as much of a issue with a EFI bike) ..... Whether the bike is new or a older model , the bike still needs to be set up for tighter stuff , as most of the placement of the bikes design would be oriented towards desert riding , not tight single track , that was the market these bikes were designed for , anything outside of faster moving trails/roads , the bikes have to be (unlike KTM or other "single track" off-road specific bikes) modded to properly do what you are wanting (same as what I went thru with my 06) .......... I would go with the clutch mod first , and eliminate the judder spring setup , then get the gearing adjusted , what you want with the gearing is to be able to ride the majority of where you usually ride , without needing to shift every 50 ft , I run the majority of trails in 3rd , when I get to the tight stuff , i am in 2nd , in all but the slower than walking pace stuff , I can use 2nd , and rarely use first unless I am virtually stopped and inching thru something , that was done with just 1 tooth , I have gone frome 51-54 and 13 front to 12 and 14 , and with my 06 (the one you have has different internal gearing) going from 13/51 to 13/52 was a major improvement to put the meat of the engine within the usable range for the type of riding I do , as that is the goal of regearing , to put the usable power where you need it most , so if you are finding you need to shift down a lot , then you need to gear down till you can hold that gear throughout most of what you are riding ....The video below shows what correct gearing for the type of riding does , this is at Sagehen Reservoir near Smiths Ferry , above Boise ..

This would be the riding areas I normally ride (its a old GoPro video before I had a HD version , so quality is crappy) , but this is what I mainly ride with my 06 X , along with even tighter stuff (this trail , to me , is not that tight , I ride much tighter stuff , this is just a fun trail to ride)
The first 4 minutes , is 2nd gear , then I went to 3rd in the open areas , but the majority of that trail is 2nd and 3rd gear riding with 13/52 , the only time I went to 1st was when stopped , then to get going