2019 CRF450L Mod and Farkle Fest

Discussion in 'Mechanics Garage' started by NorcalBoy, May 29, 2020.

  1. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Oh yeah, I fully plan on getting it dirty! Brandon is straight up legit, his shop is filled with practice and race bikes for a lot of guys you probably have heard of before. He does a lot of maintenance and race preparation for pros who don't have factory rides. Considering he is basically a two man operation full time, the amount of stuff they do is quite impressive. I could tell the day I met him...my first thought...this guy is no joke. I have to thank Colton Udall for telling me to go meet him. I'm actually glad UPS lost my first set of forks, but they don't need to know it, rofl.
     
  2. Captain 80s

    Captain 80s Member

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    JFC. Beautiful.
     
  3. lsc86

    lsc86 New Member

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    No matter how often you think "I've seen it all" then you see something else you hadn't seen before....very nice setup indeed! Kudos.
     
  4. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Finally got home today, after being gone since the last time I posted to this thread. Tomorrow this project gets going again and I have 11 days to get it done....which I won't need. Although I decided not do anything complicated, due to being up since 0100 this morning and driving back to AZ and attempting to unpack the mess, I just couldn't resist...

    Checked the new Mettec Ti engine mount bolts for length and proper nut purchase on the bolt. Due to the Works Chassis Lab engine mount plates being thicker and the OEM nuts not seating properly on the OEM bolts, it gave me the excuse to get the ti hardware to go with the ti mounts. Can't go forward if this was still fooked. As expected, everything fit up fine and the nuts now have a good purchase on the bolts. The Ti fasteners from Mettec are moto jewelry. Used Nylock ti nuts.

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    The last thing I wanted to do was to get the the shock installed. After all of the bullshit with UPS and the heavy lifting to get everything fixed after that mess, I just had to see it in and torqued....the last time the shock was mounted was Memorial Day weekend...it was a great feeling and very motivational to see it in place. Sniff, sniff.

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    I have a few errands to run tomorrow, but I plan on attacking this and getting it done in the next few days. I will post my progress and hopefully I will have an assembled machine again in the next few days.
     
    Jim McCulloch likes this.
  5. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    Nice, looking forward to seeing it!
     
  6. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Didn't have a lot of time today but I did manage to cross the biggest, and ugliest task off the list. I have been dreading this a little bit. Getting the airbox, wiring harness and subframe installed. Without the excellent Honda FSM wire routing diagrams and the outstanding owners manual, I doubt I would have gotten it right. It's been almost 5 months since I took it apart and I rushed through it to get the suspension out and sent off. I knew I was in for bloody nose. I felt like the three hours it took to get it perfect was worth it.

    I also wanted to test out the camera on my new phone....For your viewing pleasure, or not.

    Old pic of the rats nest. This is where it started.

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    Everything exactly like it was from the factory. Cramming this much shit into such a small bag is quite the feat of packaging by Honda...Just not that fun to deal with, without prior experience. As is the SOP for all of my builds, all Ti hardware for airbox, from Mettec. Subframe ti bolt kit from Racetech Titanium.

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    I'm pretty stoked that this is done and perfect. The rest is pretty much downhill. Will be back at it at 0500 tomorrow, looking to knock out the entire rear of the moto and some of the detail stuff. The new phone takes much better photos, or maybe it's me trying to justify the cost of the phone...hmmm.
     
    Last edited: Oct 9, 2020
  7. Diving Pete

    Diving Pete Member

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    Your photos are better, however you are also getting used to taking more pics... lol..

    Would have loved to have a manual of use for my 24... but you end up figuring it out anyway - It just helps with the trial and error.
     
  8. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    I'll bet you are glad that is over. 3 hours seems pretty quick for that job! Looking good.

    -Jim
     
  9. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Pretty muc downhill, I believe that's what I said....one thing, it is a looooong way down, LOL.

    Haven't posted this because I've been putting in some really long days trying to wrap up the Red Menace. There was a lot more to do than I remembered...anyway here are some updates.

    Well, the second day started off good, for awhile....went to install the new chain, and, FAIL. Ordered a 116 link and received a 114 link...no bueno. Temporarily horked off that I couldn't proceed as planned, but regrouped and switched gears.

    Went to work on all of things that needed to get done before installing the forks and finalizing the triple clamps. First was torquing all of the engine mounts the way HRC recommends doing it. The CRF's require a very specific order of torque to get the best out of the chassis. Followed by reinstalling all of the hoses and the water pump outlet fitting.

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    Got that nailed down and went to work on installing the exhaust. There is no model specific exhaust for these bikes, but the exhaust from the CRF450X is a relatively easy install with only a couple small mods needed to get it to fit up, mainly the midpipe mount on the muffler needs a little massaging.

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    That solved the issue and I got the muffler mounts right. If you don't do this, and you just jam it in there, the mount will eventually break at the weld, and putting a hole in the midpipe. Do it once, do it right.

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    Turned out decent and all fit up with ti hardware from Mettec and ProBolt.

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    FMF Megabomb header with P3 Carbon pipe guard to protect the ceramic coating and to keep my fancy new Alpinestar boots and over the boot Thor pants from melting.

    With all that done, moved on to installing the forks, front wheel, and caliper to get the front end party started. The forks look pretty good. Got the new ti triple clamp hardware installed and got the fork heights set and torqued up to spec.

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    Measured the clearance for the speedo sensor ring to the pickup location with the new Galfer Tsunami wave rotor, all good. One less thing to worry about.

    Started in with getting the brake line and speedo sensor wire routed, installed the lower fork guards. There is a specific order to this, so off came the wheel, on went the fork guards, then the wheel went back in and the axle nut and left axle pinch clamp got torqued up. Will have to wait until the brakes are functioning before I can set the axle and tighten down the left axle pinch bolts. On the list.

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    Got everything routed and secured and installed the front fender and the Lightspeed carbon upper fork guards. Every bolt on the front end was replaced with ti.

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    Installed the front disc guard.

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    I like how it all turned out. Almost like I planned it. :Laugh:
     
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  10. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Next, I moved on to getting the cockpit controls and all the cables, brake lines, and wires routed according to the way
    Honda wants it done.

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    At the end of day two, things were shaping up.

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    Day three started out with installing the Baja Designs S2/Squadron Pro LED headlight that is custom made for the CRF450L. It's a nice piece and the install is very straightforward.

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    Finalized all of the wiring behind the headlight, thanks again to the FSM's awesome cable and wire routing diagrams. Put it back to an exact match from when it came from the factory.

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    Will get it adjusted after I get it running and can aim it at my garage door. Another thing to the punch list.

    Proceeded to the back of the moto and got to work installing the fender and the tailight. The stock setup is not exactly pretty, so I went with the Flatland Racing setup to clean it up.

    Stock.

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    Flatland Racing setup that I had ceramic coated in black. A much cleaner solution. Mounted up with ti hardware from Mettec.

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    Finalized. All wired up and plate light and plate installed.

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    Got all the lights hooked up and installed the fender to finish it off.

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    The next task was to eliminate the side stand switch. I got a plug from Colton Udall at Campion Adventures that plugs into the harness and eliminates the switch. Don't want to smash it on something offroad and not be able to get going again...

    Off came the switch and the wiring

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    Much cleaner. I have a CRF450X footpeg bracket coming this week and I already have the complete CRF450X sidestand pieces laying on the floor here in my office...somehow ended up with the right side bracket by mistake...might have been me giving my man Cass the wrong part number...:Brick: So this is it, all cleaned up. I used Mettec ti hardware to plug the frame holes and make it look clean.
     
  11. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Continuation of Day 3


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    It will be really clean when the 450X bracket comes in and I can get that finalized, but it's good enough for now.

    Got started on the Works Connection radiator braces and the IMS 3 gallon gas tank...little did I know what I was getting myself into. This is like a Rubic's Cube of fun trying to get the braces, tank, and shrouds to all place nice with each other, needless to say, it's an absolute bitch. I wanted it to be perfect, because dirt motos come apart more regularly than street motos, for obvious reasons, and this stuff had to fit correctly and be easy to take apart and put back together without a huge struggle. Not to mention adding in the giant tank that requires the insides of the shrouds to be modified so that they will mount correctly and look right.

    Right side rad brace, ceramic coated, installed with ti hardware.

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    Left side rad brace and IMS 3 gallon tank installed, finally....this took 4 hours to get right. Blood pressure was high.

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    Shrouds finally installed, everything lined up. It had to be perfect. I took a heat gun to the shrouds to get them set. They had to be correct, as the tank has to come off to get the coolant in the radiators.....I would be testing it on day 4.

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    Day 4

    Started the day by applying heat shield barrier to the right side number plate. Another adverse side effect of the FMF full system and Q4 muffler, is that is will melt a hole through your number plate, if you don't take the proper steps to protect it.

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    Got that wrapped up and went to work on installing the threaded inserts for the handguards. This is the ONLY way to do this. If you just use the expanding hardware that comes with the guards, they WILL rotate, in the event you have a spill, which you will, because that's a part off offroad riding.

    The tap is 5/8", which requires an 18" tap handle to spin the monster, luckily it is aluminum.

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    Threads cut, looking good

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    Also got the Vortex dual map switch installed and wired up to the ECU. This allows you to switch between the base Vortex Map and a map of your choosing. The ECU come pre-programmed with 10 maps, and map 10 can be modified if you choose to build your own map on the dyno.

    Some Loctite red and the inserts were installed.

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    At this point, I had to take a break and head over to Restocycle to pick up my RVF engine. While I was there, I heard some bad news...Restocycle will be closing for good, at the end of this year. Nils, the owner, has gone back to work for his former company and actually wants to make a bunch of money. The motorcycle restoration business is not very profitable, apparently. Sad to see them go, and I hope all the guys land on their feet in new jobs. Great group of people over there, doing some amazing work, makes me kinda sad that they are going away.

    Got back to the casa and got to work on the judder spring delete clutch mod for the CRF450. Honda puts this setup in their 450 clutches to make them smoother, which it doesn't, and the smaller clutch plate is prone to exploding if used heavily. So off came the clutch cover and in went the new standard size friction and steel, and out went the small clutch plate, spacer, and judder spring. Honda's solution to a problem that never existed. Fixt.

    Continued...
     
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2020
  12. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Day 4 continued

    Here is the judder spring setup

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    Here is the small clutch plate, next to the normal one that is going to take it's place. Small plate on the top. Beefier normal plate on the bottom.

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    I also swapped out 3 of the CRF450L clutch springs with three springs from the CRF450R. Pink one the L spring, green one is the R spring. Stiffen it up a little bit.

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    All buttoned up and topped off with the clutch cover that I had vapor blasted when I went to pick up the RVF engine.

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    Got the oil put back in, added a Motion Pro filter magnet and Works Connection oil filter cover when I was in there. Just needs to get checked and topped up after the initial startup. Another thing to the punch list.

    I also tested out removing the shrouds and the gas tank to fill the coolant, and I'm very happy to report that it all went back together easily, and without drama. Always feels good when you don't cut any corners and put in the good work to make life easier in the long run.

    Finished off by installing the Zeta Racing skid plate and linkage guard, battery, and the seat.

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  13. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    The 30mm lowered suspension and the 30mm lowered Seat Concepts seat has done wonders. I can almost flat foot one foot now and getting off and on the moto is substantially easier for me. So, in the end, all of the trials and tribulations were definitely worth it.

    Ended today's work with the installation of the Warp 9 muffler guard for the Q4.

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    When I finished up tonight

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    RVF engine crate lurking in the back ground.....one of these days, one of these days.

    Tomorrow is just filling, bleeding brakes, installing the chain, and dealing with the 5 or 6 things on the punch list. Then it will be time to fire it up and actually ride it. It's been a long time coming.
     
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  14. Diving Pete

    Diving Pete Member

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    looking excellent... damm about the chain....
     
  15. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    New chain was shipped FedEX standard overnight yesterday. As soon as it shows up, I'll be on it. Having a couple cappuccino's, then I'm gonna knock out the brakes and the punch list. Want this done today.
     
  16. Jim McCulloch

    Jim McCulloch New Member

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    Nice write up, absolutely lovely build. I am excited for you to get it going finally.

    So....you got $400.00 in it? LOL
     
  17. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Day 5 started off with refilling and bleeding the brakes. Everything went swimmingly and I was able to do both ends with one bottle of Galfer Super DOT4. Both levers solid, no caliper drag and no leaks. Clean. Finished that and installed the ceramic coated Works Connection rear master and caliper guards.

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    Went about the task of installing the Cycra Ultra ProBend hand guards. No drama, went right on. The threaded inserts in the bar ends worked a treat.

    Went and got 1.5 gallons of Shell 91 V-Power and dumped it in the tank. I didn't bench test the IMS tank after installing the CRF fuel pump and filter assembly, so I let it sit for a half hour and did a visual inspection to make sure it wasn't leaking. All good. Trust, but verify. Stuck the key in and gave it a twist, everything primed as it should, all of the lights were functioning. Hit the magic button, and after about 20 seconds, she fired up and sounded fantastic. I was stoked. The difference with the Vortex ECU/FI controller was immediately noticeable, much more crisp and the throttle response was like a different moto. The FMF full system keeps everything nice and quiet, but with a little bark. This thing is a weapon.

    Shut it down, let it cool, inspected for weeps and drips, and topped up the oil and coolant. Got that all done, took a breather and waited for the chain to be delivered.

    Chain came in around 1400, so I went and picked it up and got it installed.

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    520 DID ERVT3 narrow x-ring, gold...of course. And that pretty much finished it off. Pretty happy with how it went and how it turned out. Took it for a little rippity rip around the neighborhood. Completely different machine from the stocker. It's a keeper.

    The Red Menace.

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    Ready for Mexico, and just about anything else. Nothing like a fully street legal Baja 500/1000 capable moto. Now it's time to get done with that RVF.....
     
  18. Diving Pete

    Diving Pete Member

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    LOVE IT .... Nice Job - but wouldn't expect anything else - lol
     
  19. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Thanks, Mr. Pete. I appreciate the kind words.

    I still have a couple things to do, but they won't stop me from riding it. I have a Red Moto oversize water pump impeller kit coming from Italy, no idea how long that will take to get here, ordered it three weeks ago... The second thing is installing the CRF450X left footpeg bracket, the RaceTech Titanium footpeg bracket ti bolt kit for both brackets, and the CRF450X sidestand.

    The CRF450X footpeg bracket is a lot more compact, as it eleiminates the mounting points for the sidestand switch and the angle of the kickstand is changed when it's up, it is much steeper and more tucked up out of the way. I might get that done this week, depending on when the bracket arrives from Honda, parts normally show up Thursday.

    The Red Moto impeller kit is a larger, billet pump impeller and a billet spacer that increases the flow volume of coolant in the system, to assist with keeping things cooler. That will be a little more in depth, as it requires draining the coolant to install. This is a pretty big deal, as the oversized tank needs to be disconnected and moved out of the way to get to the air bleed fitting on the top of the left radiator to accomplish the air bleeding procedure during refilling. That one might wait a bit, as I really don't want to be tearing into it again, it looks so good right now, I hate to tear it apart again.
     
  20. Captain 80s

    Captain 80s Member

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    So Bad-Ass. Fucking love it. Great work as always.
     
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