I just picked up my 2006 TRX450ER on Saturday and thought I would share some first impressions after a Sunday afternoon ride. Overall it is awesome! It simply does literally everything better than my 2004 Raptor. Unfortunately I don't have a 2004/5 TRX450R to compare to the 2006. At first it felf a bit twitchy compared the the Raptor but after a little seat time I started to get used to it and appreciate the better handling and precision it offers over the Yamaha. I wanted to get the 450R back when it came out in 2004 but it wa a bit expensive for the time and I went with a used 2004 Raptor instead. Given all the changes for 2006 I guess the timeline worked out okay as it would appear Honda got all the bugs worked out now. I was atually going to purchase a left over 2005 model until I saw that pretty much everything was changed for 2006.

The Good:
-Fast, fast, fast. I am still tecnically breaking it in and have not really wound it out yet but I can tell already it will smoke my Raptor. The new motor and carb are awsome! I can't wait to install my HRC kit.
-Great suspension. Much improved over the Raptor.
-Jumps great! Once again, flies way better than a Raptor. Seeing a trand here?
-Phenominal brakes (I think these are carry over from the 04/05 models)
-Great steering. Very precise. No 04/05 to compare to but I can say the new front end works great.

The Bad:
-Suspension a little stiff for slower trail obstacles. I have not adjusted the suspension at all yet or broken it in, so this may improve.
-Gearing still a little tall in first, at least compared to the Raptor. I did have to use the clutch a little which I never did on the Rappy so this may improve as I get used to the TRX450R. Honda changed to a 13 tooth front sprocket for 2006. Does anyone know what the stock gear sized were in 2004/05?
-Bars feel a little low for my 6'2" frame
-Still no reverse

The Raptor is still a good trail only quad but I did not realize how much it holds you back at higher speeds or on track type obstacles until I rode this 450R. Anyone want to buy a 2004 Raptor?

-Chris

personally i wasn't impressed with the speed, getting the hrc kit installed for this weekend

Thanks for sharing that with us, mine is at the dealer with the HRC kit already instaled with the tag fat bars and trail tech hid lights. I was going to put on a slip on pipe with the knn filter but I have been told not to waist the money on these I guesss this new hrc kit is the bomb.

I took her out for a long ride this afternoon and it was awsome! This 450R is simply amazing. The faster I would go, the more it seemingly said 'come on, just a little bit faster, I'll take care of you'. The handling is so crisp and predictable and so easy to set up for turns. It jumps awsome! With the Raptor I always felt like I could out ride it but this 450 is completely opposite in that it will take everything I can dish out and ask for more. It really reminds me of a good motocross bike, which of course it is the ATV equivalent.

It has pretty awsome power now so I can only imagine what it will be like after the kit. Looking at the stock airbox cover and muffler insert it is apparent how restricted these are from the factory. Have you see the size of the stock filter? I cannot imagine a K&N flowing any better. Also, with the baffle and insert removed from the muffler I imagine it will flow quite well. I am sure the aftermarket will find areas to improve but it will be tougher than before for them.

Metalben16 or vansmack, let me know how you like the HRC kit and how it compares to stock. I may try yo install mine this week.

Zebra, im going out to the sand dunes next week, i`ll let ya know

i rode one this past weekend and wasnt impressed what so ever, it didnt have the HRC kit or anything, but i did like the E-start eventhough it seemed to take forever to start. But i was really un-impressed when i seen it grenade and it only had 10 hours tops on it the guy said. It hit a whoop and the back tires went into the air and it hit the rev limiter and then a loud clunk and white smoke came out the pipe and then it started pouring oil out of the airbox like a hose and then some came out of the exhaust pipe too. It was crazy and definatly makes me want to stay away from the 06. Just what ive seen though, as ive said before, To each his own. Sorry if i ruined the post.

L8er, Eric.

That certainly sucks but I imagine such a freak thing could happen to any machine. 2006 may be the first year for this motor in the ATV chassis but it is not the first year they have been producing it. Hopefully that is an isolated incident. What did you not like or were not impressed with when you were riding it? I have never been on an '04 or '05 so I am not sure how different it is but I would like to think Honda would not have put all the changes into production if they did not improve the machine in some way, at least during their testing.

Nice post, Zebra!

Let us know how the HRC kit works out for ya - I am going to get a little more accustomed to the bike before I decided to "wake her up".

well i know this is going to sound stupid, because of its lower center of gravity, but to me it felt tipsy. I was only on it for maybe 10 minutes which might explain it, he might have also adjusted the suspension or the suspension couldnt have really been broken in. Im not trying to step on any toes or anything zebra. As i said before, to each his own.

L8er, Eric.

Hey, I understand the new one may not suit everyone. I just noticed you have an earlier model and wondered what you didn't like about the new one. I came off a Raptor which may explain why it does not feel tipsy at all to me.

good to hear you got a new bike and you like it man, thats the best thing, if u got a dinli 450 and liked it more than any bike, i wouldnt say anything bad because its what you like.

L8er, Eric.

i'm picking mine up tommrow with the hrc kit and a k&N,t just cause i ride desert and sand, lots of dust.then three days of riding out in the desert.
the suspension comes way hard so it probly wasn't rollin in withur weight when u were cornering

I just bought an '06 450r 5 days ago and my little bro has an '05 450r he didn't like 14 tooth front sprocket and went to a 13 tooth and liked it much better. When we race his '05 beats my '06 We both agree that we can tell my '06 has more low end power but I can not beat his '05 on top end he walks away even with his geared down with the 13 tooth front sprocket. we are almost dead even through the gears then he walks away on top end. We swapped bikes and raced over and over again with the same results. So we put his old 14 tooth sprocket on my '06 and now we are still about dead even through the gears but now we are also even on top end as well. Both bikes are completly stock
It seems like the gear ratios are too close together on the '06 and I'm afraid that when we pipe our bikes I won't gain that much cause its already a little tall now with the 14 tooth front but he will be able to go back to the 14 tooth front sprocket and totally kick my quads a$$.
It sounds absolutly rediculus but I'm thinking about trading my '06 in on an '05, Has anyone else got a chance to compare the 05 and 06? please help me!! Is the '05 motor better because of the gear ratios? I know his bike is gonna rock with a pipe and the 14 tooth sprocket, I just don't think my '06 is gonna be able to hang

a while back someone had posted all the ratios for each gear for both bikes. even though each gear was diffrent at the end both bikes added up to the same thing. some of the 05's gears are taller and some shorter compared to the 06.

First off, the 06 will feel tippy if your not used to the stock shocks. I had Elka's on my 04 and when I bought the 06 it felt really tippy. Now that I've been riding it, it don't seem so tippy because I'm getting used to the shocks. That quad will scream when you put the HRC kit in. It changes everything on that quad with the HRC kit. The gearing will seem different too. It seems like I can ride slower in first than my 04 did. Also I would put a slip-on to get that extra edge on HP's that the pipe will give you, but don't waste your money on a filter. A lot of people will say it gives you this much HP's. But I never notice anything but crap in my intake hose. I don't recommend a aftermarket filter to anyone. The stocker is fine and you can use your money for something else. Once you put that kit in you will be very happy, trust me it's awesome


Rico