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450 motocross bike opinions?

toyotajeep

Well-known member
Joined
May 24, 2020
Member Number
1309
Messages
255
Loc
Oregon
Hello,

I am really wanting to get a 450-525 size motocross bike. Just for ripping around and a dune trip or two a year. Im and older rider and ride by myself mainly after work. I would like a KTM -possibly RFS era. Next is Kawasaki KX450.

It looks like parts on the KTM are pretty steep.

Are there any of the brands and years that are notorious for being expensive to fix? Anything to avoid for sure?

My worst fear is to buy a 2012 450 for 3k and have the crank fall out of it next ride. It seems like I hear about that alot.

My budget is 3K more or less.

Thank you!
 
KX500 is the dune machine of choice. They work better if you put an 18" rear wheel on them. Biggest paddle you can buy and get used to doing wheelies everywhere.
 
I just like to scare myself lol. I’ve had almost all the older 500 2strokes but sold them when I was “done”.

I do have a KTM 550 that needs a little TLC. Never ridden it yet.

I kinda like the kx450’s for some reason. My last new bike was a 2004 kx500. Should have kep that.
 
Any particular reason you want the KTM? Parts are getting harder to find and as you've seen are expensive. The RFS bikes are pushing 20 years old nowadays. These are maintenance intensive picky bikes that tend to require twice as much work as a comparable Japanese bike. I loved my last KTM but I also wanted a project to tinker with and enjoyed the build/maintenance.

As other said... Why not a 2 smoke? For high rev dune rips you can't beat the simplicity of a 2 stroke engine and the simpler maintenance.

You can still get a brand new YZ250... just sayin'. :grinpimp:

Otherwise, if you're set on a 4 stroke just get a damn Honda. They flat out work and run reliably for a long time.
 
Yotota said:
Any particular reason you want the KTM? Parts are getting harder to find and as you've seen are expensive. The RFS bikes are pushing 20 years old nowadays. These are maintenance intensive picky bikes that tend to require twice as much work as a comparable Japanese bike. I loved my last KTM but I also wanted a project to tinker with and enjoyed the build/maintenance.

As other said... Why not a 2 smoke? For high rev dune rips you can't beat the simplicity of a 2 stroke engine and the simpler maintenance.

You can still get a brand new YZ250... just sayin'. :grinpimp:

Otherwise, if you're set on a 4 stroke just get a damn Honda. They flat out work and run reliably for a long time.
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I always kinda liked KTM. But no huge reason. The RFS series is a pretty good engine but time is catching up with them. I have found a 2009 Kawi KX450 that I am looking into right now. Seems like it would work for me.
 
bdkw1 said:
KX500 is the dune machine of choice. They work better if you put an 18" rear wheel on them. Biggest paddle you can buy and get used to doing wheelies everywhere.
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I had one. The last new one for sale in Oregon. Then I sold it "when I was done riding". Bad idea. I couldn't touch that bike now for alot more than I paid for it new.
 
toyotajeep said:
I had one. The last new one for sale in Oregon. Then I sold it "when I was done riding". Bad idea. I couldn't touch that bike now for alot more than I paid for it new.
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Yeah, I sold mine 7 years ago when I bailed on Komifornia. Sold it for 500$ to get rid of it.
 
Oh.... th
bdkw1 said:
Yeah, I sold mine 7 years ago when I bailed on Komifornia. Sold it for 500$ to get rid of it.
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Ooohh that is sad. I think mine was 4400 out the door brand new in 04. I got $2800 when I sold it in 2011. I guess I did ok. But the cheapest KX500 of any year I hacek seen is $5000 for like a 92.....

I am currently negotiating on a 2009 450...... we'll see.
 
One of my riding buddies bought an 09 kx450f new in 09 and it still runs like a champ and he has not been kind to it. No major issues that I can recall.
 
Gots_a_sol said:
One of my riding buddies bought an 09 kx450f new in 09 and it still runs like a champ and he has not been kind to it. No major issues that I can recall.
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That is good to know. I am over 50 and ride by myself almost always locally after work. Just a stress reliever. Probably get 1-2 trips a year to the dunes alternating between it, and my wheeler. So not getting much use.

I'm used to 500 2-stroke top ends etc. so it does concern me if this thing goes TU. But short of buying new, it is what it is.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
Is there a huge difference between suzuki, yamaha, Honda and kawasaki when just wanted to go have fun on the cheap?

I like the kawasaki's because the title says Kawk:flipoff2:
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Aftermarket/parts availability, Honda and Yamaha have been building them a few years longer than Kawasaki and Suzuki. Shit like the engine in a box rebuild kits and stuff like that you can buy for a Honda or Yamaha 450 but not as often for the others.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
Is there a huge difference between suzuki, yamaha, Honda and kawasaki when just wanted to go have fun on the cheap?

I like the kawasaki's because the title says Kawk:flipoff2:
Click to expand...
I generally prefer Honda. Generally. For some stupid reason a buddy bought a clapped 02 CR450 and it cost him 3k to fix it. That has always stuck with me. It is illogical I know....I know! Yamaha was first on the scene for performance 4-strokes. They are likely fine.

I think they are all OK honestly. I just have a soft spot for the Kawi's and I did have a great time with the one I bought new.
 
toyotajeep said:
I generally prefer Honda. Generally. For some stupid reason a buddy bought a clapped 02 CR450 and it cost him 3k to fix it. That has always stuck with me. It is illogical I know....I know! Yamaha was first on the scene for performance 4-strokes. They are likely fine.

I think they are all OK honestly. I just have a soft spot for the Kawi's and I did have a great time with the one I bought new.
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I have a soft spot for air cooled Hondas. My wifes crf150f is such a blast. Mx bikes I like yamaha, just cause. My 300xc is a good bike, but it's so good on trails, it's almost boring :laughing: I'm tempted to switch to a yz250 to see if I like it more.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
My wifes crf150f is such a blast.
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I had one set up as a mini moto and it was a zero maintenance hoot.

Screenshot_20220103-220557_Facebook.jpg
 
I have tons of hours of experience aboard Yamahas. You're going to struggle to find a more dependable bike than Yamaha as far as 450 motocross models are concerned.

I'm going to do a little breakdown on what I know about the brands. This will mostly apply to older carbureted models you'll be able to find on a budget.

Honda: Every 450 and 250 motocross thumper made between 2002 and (debateably) 2010 had issues with valve seats. Valves come out of adjustment and require regular maintenance, eventually bottoming out. Not much experience with the more modern ones, except i rode a 2020 factory edition 450r and that thing was a dream. No reports on reliability since honda lost so much of the market after their engines sucked shit for 10 years.

Kawi: Always known for handling weird. Other than the few years that the 250f was shared with the suzuki rmz, I don't know anything about overall reliability. the 07 KX450f i was in close contact with for a few years seemed to take a beating with no complaints. The 2015ish years had really wacky forks but they ran good. Brand new kawis are really coming into their own, they seem to be sweet bikes.

Suzuki: Fuck suzuki. They shit the bed so hard when the 4 strokes came out I'm basically glad that they're getting ready to pull out of the market. The first 3 years of suzuki RMZ (in both 250 and 450 flavor) had a stupid engineering design flaw around the kick starter idler gear. Cracked crank cases for days. And also those years were a 4 speed on the 450. The bike handled as you would expect from a yellow bike though, and when it was running it ran damn hard for a carbureted bike. That's about all the positive I have to say about it.

Yamaha: Stay away from steel framed 450s. 4 speed trannies aren't worth owning. yz and wr 400s are too outdated and heavy to be worth the hassle. YZ426s are okay, in my opinion not really worth the hype people try to lay onto them.
The 06-09 YZ450f is widely regarded as one of the greatest motocross platforms of all time. They handle good, their suspension is literally still at the forefront of the market to this day, and the yamaha 5 valve engine is as reliable as a rock. Least it was for me over the 200 or so hours I put on one without rebuilding it :homer:
my 2015 450f then had just as impeccable of a track record. Took that bike all the way to 260 hours without so much as even breaking the seal on the valve cover. Piston skirts had life left and the valves hadn't moved so much as a thou:smokin:

Yes, I'm a yamaha fag, sue me.

KTM: KTM was known for being fickle, and expensive to buy parts for until they started really pulling ahead of the market in the early 20 teens. I've never necessarily heard of any common complaints or problems for the early years though, other than frame cracking issues in the early 00's.

Good luck, happy hunting, and report back with what you settle on!
 
I settled on a 2008 carbed 450 Kawi. I read about the handling. Also the newer bikes with the air shocks kinda concerned me. I used to own a new Kawi and I liked it. So I went with it. I have other things to ride and if it sucks it can be sold.

You obviously know more than I will ever know about this stuff. Your thoughts mirror my own armchair observations though. After a buddy had an 05 CRF 450 eat itself I was not a fan. I have always kinda felt like the Yami's were first on scene and pretty well science out.

My bike is a project. The PO tore the front and rear wheels off of it and lost a bolt or two. It was cheap. Like way cheap.

So I am now looking into year interchange and finding what pieces I need. It is still in the truck. I am kinda stoked up though. I want to sand dune it and possibly try snow biking.
 
Check Amazon or similar for cheap bolt kits. All those small head hex bolts that bikes like to use are hard to find individually and expensive.
 
I am planning on that. But I need to see what is missing. I may be missing the swing arm pivot bolt and front axle. But I won't know for sure until I get all this stuff out. I know those bolt kits are cool, but they seem to always give you five of what you don't need, and then none of the three bolts you do....LOL

I always love projects. I would expect I will have another bike for parts or what ever shortly. You know, you need parts so you buy the whole bike scene. Just like I have done with every other car project.
 
toyotajeep said:
I am planning on that. But I need to see what is missing. I may be missing the swing arm pivot bolt and front axle. But I won't know for sure until I get all this stuff out. I know those bolt kits are cool, but they seem to always give you five of what you don't need, and then none of the three bolts you do....LOL
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I never actually used the bolts on the bike I bought the kit for. I did use it for about everything else I own, including the bolts for a 7.3 ps thermostat housing :laughing:

toyotajeep said:
I always love projects. I would expect I will have another bike for parts or what ever shortly. You know, you need parts so you buy the whole bike scene. Just like I have done with every other car project.
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You sound like a suzuki guy :lmao:
 
Whatever you get into, always get spare parts. That is what I always say. It just makes things easier that way. That is why I have three Toyota trucks, none of which I drive. Parts you know.....
 
So I bought another KX450, an 07. Runs real strong. It has had a lot of work done to it, and came with a new Warp 9 wheel with a mounted paddle etc. Even has a title. That is amazing in this day and age where people sell cars without titles that are ten years old.

I'll post up more when I get it out of the truck etc.
 
So.....a couple of years later and I settled on a 2000 KTM 380. Christmas deal and came with a bunch of goodies. Love the bike.

I would look at buying a dirt cheap 2006-2007 KX450 for parts. I am still playing (really slowly obviously) with my 2008 that turned out to be a 2006. I am making it into a dune bike and it needs misc. mounts and parts that I really can't get new.

Or I would buy parts if you have one you're parting. Going to start on it in a month.
 
I know a couple guys that are still holding onto their 380's. They are very fond of them
 
That's neat. The only 380 I've ever ridden was somewhat poorly tuned and probably wasn't the full 380 experience but man was it a beast on the pipe. Thread is worthless without pics :grinpimp:
 
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