2006 450F MX Shootout Photo Gallery

With such a strong motor and 5-speed transmission, the Honda will be well received by those outside the moto realm.

Honda has won seemingly countless shootouts with its jaw-dropping CRF450R, but the competition has been learning with every defeat. Sooner or later it was bound to happen and the CRF couldn't sail away with victory this time around.

We tried to reason with the man, but Ken (left) refused to quit jumping the gate. After this particular display he pronounced himself the Holeshot King and then proceeded to strut through the pits staring down anyone who would look saying, “What bitch, what?

Honda has mad a bunch of changes since introducing its nasty CRF450R, but the list for 2006 is pretty slim.

Honda won the motor war with the only bike to top 50 horsepower during our dyno runs. As you can see, Mike was pretty happy with the CRF’s red-hot engine.

Our first day of testing was at the tortuous Glen Helen circuit. Battling gusty winds and this gnarly uphill in particular, the brutal racetrack gave us plenty of obstacles to assault.

The oft-copied Honda aluminum twin-spar frame is light, strong and gives positive rider feedback on the track. Turning the narrow machine is greatly aided by these attributes.

There’s nothing better than telling someone what’s happening on the track and having them fix it for you with minimal guesswork. We’ve all been there, spinning suspension clickers helplessly and wondering just how the hell to get it all back to stock settings.

Aluminum Renthals have become standard equipment on stock machines. Finally.

Nimble and light, the CRF450R turns exceptionally well thanks to it’s fourth-generation aluminum chassis and well-balanced nature.

The CRF responds well to body English. The light chassis was a favorite among test riders.

The Wrecking Crew.

Even though the RM-Z is tall and top-heavy, that’s not to say that it won’t fly. Anthony Rondon had a hard time kicking it over, but once it was running those two were like peas in a pod.

Stock handlebars on the Suzuki were the only oversized of the bunch and had good placement, but the grips attached to the ends were absolute crap.

1999 AMA 250cc National Champion, Greg Albertyn has a long relationship with Suzuki. Now he rides the RM-Z450 which is a pretty good endorsement considering he’s no longer on the payroll.

Available for a limited time, Ivan Tedesco’s base model RM-Z450, complete with nothing more than a set of numbers.

Sharp handling is one of Suzuki’s known strong points. Even with the highest seat in the class, the RM-Z will blitz through the corners. Test rider, Mike Mandahl fell in love with this inside rut.

Unlike some of the other bikes, Suzuki doesn’t include a skidplate with their big-bore RM-Z.

Unlike our 250F test, we secured a Zook and technician. Needless to say, we were thrilled to include a touch of yellow, and the bike was right in the mix.

Trying to pick a new bike can sometimes be like chasing your own tail. That wasn't the case in our shootout. We chased each other around the track, but when it came time to pick a winner, our decision was crystal clear.

Headshake plagues the RM-Z, but dropping the fork in the triple clamps makes a huge difference. Once that’s taken care of, the Showa components work much better.

Suzuki received good marks from out testers for its Showa suspension components. Up front we battled the steering geometry, but once that was hashed out, the fork worked awesome.

Mike lays in the RM-Z450.

It ain’t all fun and games doing these tests. Kommander Ken was crackin’ the whip betwixt motos to get solid notes out of these guys.

The notched frame helps a little with rider grip, but the major gains are in style where the angular machine racks up the points.

Yeah, we’ve got Ivan Tedesco’s number, but it’ll be awhile before any of our testers can do what he can with the new RM-Z450.

The all-new aluminum chassis from Kawasaki does a great job in all conditions, providing a supple ride while handling all abuse with an appropriate amount of firmness. Mandahl gave it a thorough hammering in the whoops.

Entering and exiting corners took much less shifting on the Kawasaki because of its torquey motor and slick, 4-speed tranny. Some guys love ‘em, some hate ‘em. We’re in the first group.

Even though he’s improving, Hilde is still our Novice tester. His low-level skills were maximized by the Kawasaki.

Rondon liked the Kawi best for his short stature. There were plenty of other things he liked about it too, but we can’t list them all in this photo caption.

The KX-F wasn’t the lightest on the scales and didn’t feel the lightest on the track, but a supremely well-balanced package make the Kawi a particularly nasty airborne pathogen.

Bubba’s weapon of choice, the 2006 KX450F.

Hilde prepares to grab a handful upon landing.

Usually manufacturers will use the same brand of suspension components on its different bike models, but not Kawasaki. The 450F gets a Kayaba fork whereas the 250F comes with a set of Showas.

We don’t recommend looking down on these 450 machines too often. Make it a habit and sooner or later they’re bound to kick you ass.

ATK was definitely the eight-ball in our 450F shootout. Odd, but not necessarily unpleasant.

Without an ATK technician on hand, JC and crew were left to making what adjustments they could on the 450 MX. It wouldn’t have been so bad if the thing wasn’t put together backwards.

The Ohlins suspension was yummy stuff, but unfortunately it was bolted to an archaic chassis and forced to support massive amounts of weight.

Glen Helen wasn’t kind to the ATK, requiring high speeds, immense power and rider conditioning. However, the 450 MX is tough to muscle around, prefers to keep the speeds down, and makes five horsepower less than the Japanese bikes.

Airbox? What airbox?

A bulky starter and protective cover add extra weight, but it cranks this monster to life with amazing efficiency. The procedure is simple; don’t touch gas, push green button.

The ATK jumped surprisingly well. The Ohlins suspension did a good job of staying predictable on jump faces and handled landings with ease. But, when it bottoms, it bottoms hard.

The opposite side cover still has the Cannondale logo on it. The bike has changed a little since the optimistic bicycle company went belly up, but not much.

Anthony looked tiny next to the 450 MX and lifting it onto a stand was completely out of the question for our smallest test rider.

We don’t know who designed this gas cap, but considering the present state of affairs it was a miracle that after two days our trio of riders walked away with six combined testicles.

It isn’t every day that you see a 450 MX at the local track. That’s one of the biggest appeals of the ATK - rarity.

There are definitely some features that set the American bike apart from its Japanese competitors. For 2006, the ATK is a bit outdated in some respects, but advanced in others. As technology progresses, we could be seeing more stuff like this in the future.

The MIC recommends testing at specific rpm for each bike. In the case of our 450Fs, the stationary test was performed at 4300 rpm (represented in grey). The AMA maximum stationary decibel level for Supercross and Motocross racing is 102 dB/A. To simulate racing conditions we also tested at 5500 rpm.

The only category in which the ATK suffered worse than the horsepower was in torque. Again the American bike proved that its bark was worse than its bite. The other will chomp you leg off though.

None of the bikes were all that close to one another on the scales, something we didn't expect. What we did expect, however was the CRF to be pretty damn light, and Honda didn't disappoint. The numbers in parenthesis represent the percentage of weight on the front wheel.

According to the Two Brothers Racing dyno, Honda ruled the horsepower chart and the ATK suffered from anemia. We included some figures for the Yamaha YZ450F as well which demonstrate how competitive the motor is. Too bad we’re not cool enough to get one.

2006 produced some might fine hardware in the 450F class. With all the big-time racers committing to these monsters, don’t you think it’s time that you followed suit?

When two big-time manufacturers decided to give us the shaft before our test, we substituted an American pinch hitter. Our ATK 450 MX was awesome just to oogle over, but riding the beast was something different.

Once you get that thing tipped over, don’t let off until the next obstacle. Anthony Rondon demonstrates how to rail a 262-pound metal beast.