346: Nice Weather this Weekend, but, no Riding for Me

That's because there is a deer hunting season going on, and hunting is allowed on the same state land where the ol' Pachaug rock pile trails are.
So, I opted to not ride on Saturday, lest I piss-off some guy with a shotgun in his arms.
I'd hope that nobody would be pulling the trigger anywhere near the trails, but, I can only imagine that hunting has just as many dipshits out there as does motorcycle riding. ;)

Today, Sunday, I woke up feeling weak and under the weather.
I bet'cha it's because I'm fighting off a fuckin' cold of sort brought to jerk by one of the other guys.
Too bad, because today's weather was very nice, indeed.
It was very tempting with two awesome bikes in the house that are just waiting to get ridden, but, when I feel bad, my concentration suffers, so I played it safe.

I can tell you what my first ride on the Honda CRF-450X9 was like, though:

I rode the bike on some of the Pachaug loop Monday both before and after jerk, and it felt great.
I really liked the feel of the bike.
The power was enormous, the suspension felt good, the bike handled well, and I discovered no issues or quirks that I didn't like.
The down side to all this power from the 450cc engine is that the bike feels heavier while braking and turning as compared to the WR-250FY, but, that is exactly what I expected, so, no disappointment there.
It's physics, and I've felt such things before.

The CRF-450X9 feels good out on the trails in it's own right, although the WR-250FY, with it's lighter feel and still excellent power characteristics, is better for the tighter bits.
The CRF-450X9 feels best where you have the room to open the throttle and use the power and torque the engine produces to launch you forward faster than you really need to go. :)
Good thing the bike has excellent straight line stability, something that I really like in a dirt bike, especially one that can stand up, wheelie, and roost as it covers rough ground quickly when you open the throttle.
That's great fun, as well, and I plan on riding this bike much over the coming season.

So, I've got two bikes with distinctly different characteristics and areas of excellence:
The WR-250FY with it's magic little engine, light and accurate handling, and excellent suspension, and the CRF-450X9 with it's strong, big bore engine, freight train stability, good handling, and...newness.
It's new to me, so that automatically puts it in the limelight for now.

The Baja Designs dual sport kit should be here in a couple of days, and I hope to put the bike through DMV inspection and registration by the end of the month.

-John