crf450r or cr500 ?

[wellfed777]

hey folks i'm jumping into the snowbike thing i'll see how i like it
ordered a kit and am wondering wich bike to use
i have a 97 cr500 and a 04 crf450r i'e been leaning toward the 450 because
it seems easier to set up for snow but thought i'd pickl some brains first
thanks
bring the snow

 

[Lunchbox]

The only time the 500 outshines the 450 is when you are making uphill run in powder. The rest of the time the 450 is much easier to ride. I had season with a Timbersled 121” on 09 CRF450 and a season with it on a Service CR500AF. With the stock gearing my 500 would pull 3rd & 4th gear in the powder all day long, but the extra vibration at the handlebars wore me out after a day of riding. In the same snow conditions the 450 pulls 2nd gear and sometimes third, but I can ride the bike all day without any fatigue. I will be running my 09 450 with a 137” this season and waiting to see how the turbo setup bikes work out, before going with a new bike setup next season.

 

[wellfed777]

ok that makes sense the 450 is more rider friendly than the 500 in
general
i rode a ktm500 last season and it was sweet so was the yzf450
the crf450x felt really weird but that may have been set up
its strange jumping on one from a sled they feel like turds untill you
find trees
i wonder what HP a 04 crf450r has?

 

[89sandman]

http://images.motorcycle-usa.com/PhotoGallerys/CRF450RDyno_2.jpg

56-61 hp and 48 to 51 lbs of torque for the 97 cr500 depending on who did the dyno, sorry I couldn't find a graph for it.

 

[wellfed777]

looks like the 03 made a little more juice ha ha
the other thing about the cr500 is the pipe keeping it warm and protected