Home >> Project Bikes >> Honda CRF450L/RL Supermoto – Budget Build
SRmoto Build #44
We get phone calls and emails all the time asking about how to best build a CRF450L/RL supermoto on a budget… basically the bare minimum things to get started with converting the bike to a supermoto.
If you own a Honda CRF450L/RL and find yourself riding it alot on the street, one of the best things you can do is a supermoto conversion. With 17″ front and rear street tires, you will get much better overall handling, way better traction on pavement, a lower seat height, and longer tire life. And, you can easily switch back and forth between the supermoto setup and your stock off-road wheels/tires if you want to venture off-road.
We’ve compiled a short list of products we think are the best way to get started building your CRF450L/RL Supermoto, without breaking the bank…
• WARP 9 SUPERMOTO WHEELS / DUNLOP GPR300 TIRES
• VORTEX X10 ECU
• SUPERMOTO MIRROR PACKAGE
• ZETA PRO ARMOR HANDGUARD PACKAGE
• 12OCLOCKLABS INTEGRATED TAIL LIGHT KIT
Keep reading below for more in-depth details…
WARP 9 SUPERMOTO WHEELS / DUNLOP GPR300 TIRES…
We use Warp 9 supermoto wheels on all of our supermoto conversions, and that’s what we’ve gone with on this build. The most budget friendly setup would be their spoked supermoto wheels (as shown above), which you can get in standard wheels that require tubes, or for a little bit extra, you can go tubeless. We like the Dunlop GPR300 tires too if you are looking for relatively inexpensive tires that perform well and out-last most of the high end sticky sport bike tires.
• Warp 9 Supermoto Wheel Package from SRmoto
VORTEX X10 ECU…
The CRF450L/RL is notorious for not running quite right out of the box, thanks to strict emissions requirements Honda had to adhere to. A Vortex ECU is one of the best ways to get the bike running properly. If you are keeping your stock exhaust at first, the Vortex ECU (shown above) has a specific map for that exhaust, and it will make the bike run much better, helping get rid of that low RPM stumbling/stalling, and pretty much eliminates the snatchy on/off throttle that can make the bike hard to ride, plus it will add more power/torque, especially at the lower end of the powerband. And later when your budget allows, you can add an aftermarket exhaust and hi-flow air filter, then just switch the map on the ECU to one of the pre-loaded Yoshimura or FMF maps, to get even more power and performance out of the bike.
• Vortex X10 ECU for CRF450L/RL from SRmoto
SUPERMOTO MIRROR PACKAGE…
The stock mirrors just don’t look the part on a supermoto, so we remove those right away, and switch to our supermoto mirrors (as shown above), which look much nicer, while still providing excellent visibility.
• Supermoto Mirror Package from SRmoto
ZETA PRO ARMOR HANDGUARD PACKAGE…
Just like with our dual sport project bikes, we also like handguards on our supermoto conversions, and our favorite for the Honda CRF450L/RL are the Zeta PRO Armor handguards (shown above). We have a package deal that allows you to configure the hanguards just the way you want them, even adding things like integrated LED turn signals as an option. We like handguards for a couple reasons, first off they look great on these bikes, plus they will help protect the handlebars and controls if you were to drop the bike, and lastly they will block wind if you’re out riding on those colder fall and winter days.
• Zeta PRO Armor Handguard Package from SRmoto
12OCLOCKLABS INTEGRATED TAIL LIGHT KIT…
If you want to really improve the looks of your CRF450L/RL, cleaning up the back fender area makes a world of difference. 12oClockLabs offers an integrated tail light kit that replaces the stock tail light and license plate mount with a much cleaner design. The LED’s are super bright, and the kit also has safety brake pulsing as a nice safety feature. You can use this tail light with the stock turn signals if you want (as shown above), or you can remove them and use the integrated turn signals, where the turn signals flash within the brake light itself.
• CRF450RL 12oClockLabs Fender Eliminator Kit from SRmoto
HELPFUL LINKS…
• Honda CRF450RL Supermoto Conversion Guide by SRmoto
• Honda CRF450RL Supermoto Tire Guide by SRmoto
• Honda CRF450RL Parts from SRmoto
VIDEOS…
How To Convert your Honda CRF450L to a Supermoto
Honda CRF450L Yoshimura RS-4 Video
srmoto.com 