Honda TRX450R

Letting rookies fly with the best By the staff of Dirt Wheels Photos by Harlen Foley To call 2020 crazy would be underselling it. Like all forms of sports, the ATV MX National Championship series was vastly affected by the situation. A rapid response in creating a social-distancing program to keep attendees and competitors safe started things back on track, and rapid adaptation to locations and venues kept the series percolating. One of the bright sides of the 2020 ATV MX was the success of a handful of first- and…

Bad big bore By the staff of Dirt Wheels Way back around 2004 Jay VanValkenberg had been riding a big-bore TRX250R two-stroke for 15 years. He bought it brand new back in 1989. Then he decided to add a four-stroke quad to his collection. He was sick of waiting for Honda to get in gear and offer a big-bore-thumper, straight-axle quad. Being a diehard Honda fan, he wanted a thumper that had plenty of torque and plush suspension. He decided a fully built TRX450R wouldn’t satisfy him, so he decided to build his own fully…

-- Making this popular quad new again -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels, Photos by Pat "Ride in focus" Carrigan There is no doubt that Duncan Racing International (DRI) helps breed winners. Erin Simmons relies on the DRI team of Loren and Leonard Duncan to build and prep his AZOP championship-winning Honda TRX450R. Going fast in Grand Prix-style racing is no small feat. Having a quad ready to tackle multiple types of terrain is half the battle of competition at a pro level. Simmons is no slouch on a quad, either.…

-- Upgrading this popular sport quad -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels It is no secret that we are huge fans of the Honda TRX450R. To be fair, we love all quads, but Honda built an easily modifiable sport quad that stayed competitive for almost a decade with a minimum number of changes. The 450R still tops podiums and earns championships even today. It makes sense that long-time Dirt Wheels reader and quad enthusiast Daniel Gonzalez would choose the TRX for his steed. He picked up a 2007 Special Edition model a few…

-- Wrapped up second AMA title at Indiana's Ironman Raceway -- HONDA PRESS RELEASE, August 2019: Phoenix Racing Honda’s Joel Hetrick returned to the track that nearly derailed his title hopes earlier this season and clinched his second AMA ATV Motocross National Championship on Friday, August 23. Finishing second overall in the Pro finale at Indiana’s Ironman Raceway, Hetrick rode flawlessly all weekend to nab the number-one plate aboard his TRX450R. The Seneca, Pennsylvania, resident’s other title came in 2017. The…

-- CT Racing  builds a "Best In The Desert" winner --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels CT Racing has been a dominant force in off-road endurance racing since the 1990s, winning three SCORE off-road championships and 11 Best in the Desert (BITD) championships. Seven of those BITD championships were in a row! For two years, CT quads placed first, second and third in the championship. All of the BITD titles have been won on Hondas—a TRX250R, TRX450R and a hand-built XR650-powered Laeger quad. Eight championships,…