Akrapovic Evolution Muffler System (2021-2022 Honda CRF450R)

I had the initial impression of the Akrapovic Evolution muffler system as I was doing a MotoConcepts/Bullfrog Spas Honda team test. I noticed that they have been running Akrapovic systems on their bikes, so I asked if I could borrow one to see how it worked. Akrapovic's Evolution line is their full titanium muffler system and includes more in the complete package than other system that I have unwrapped. The welds are beautiful and to me the quality of the complete system is second to none. Installing the Akrapovic takes a little bit of finagling, but with some patience it does line up and fit well, as long as you leave most of the bolts loose when installing. 

Once out on the track is when I realized that this Akrapovic muffler system could actually help this Honda chassis calm down just like it did to the 2020 chassis. The Evolution system lets the Honda’s engine roll on smoother at low RPM’s and that smoother feel helps the rear wheel connection as well as provides less pitching (off throttle) than the stock system. AKA MORE COMFORT!!! The Honda CRF450R now builds a smoother roll delivery and a pulling power that is longer through the mid range than the stock system. This type of character can allow you to use second gear in corners more because the second gear hit is not as abrupt or quick and that doesn't upset your technique or the chassis. The Akrapovic also allows the rider to shift later out of the corner with its increased over-rev capabilities. Pulling power up top is increased slightly as your shifting points can be altered now because of the longer pull in each gear. The mid range recovery of the Akrapovic is not as good as the stock system, but honestly that is not a bad thing. The Honda has so much power to work with that a little less “hit” as well as “recovery” actually helps me roll my corners better and allows me to be more aggressive on the Honda. I want to be able to ride this red bike and not let it ride me after 15 minutes into a moto. The Akrapovic system relaxes the engine as well off throttle. There is not nearly as much engine braking with the Evolution system and that also helps your fork from feeling harsh on small de-cel bumps.  

The pitch of the Akrapovic is ridiculously quiet when on the track and will almost give you that MXGP sound and feel. It still has that racey, crisp sound, but just not that raspy high pitch tone of the stock muffler. I was normally a map two guy with the stock muffler, but with the Akrapovic installed I am now a map one guy all day long because of the added rear wheel/friendlier connection. The only other muffler that I have tried that made a big difference on this bike was the FMF system, but this system really gives you a wider pulling power than the FMF. 

The Evolution muffler is the largest possible muffler for the space available. This allows increased sound silencing, which mitigates the impact on the natural environment while also facilitating improved flow for the exhaust gases to make their way from the combustion chamber with as few restrictions as possible. The added strength created by the design aids durability and provides enhanced resilience in the most demanding conditions. The Akrapovic mufflers have been one of the toughest mufflers that I have encountered over the past couple years when I have tested them! Akrapovic muffler packing usually outlasts others and to me just feels like quality stuff.

The Akrapovic system will save you 2 pounds over stock and will set you back a whopping $1547.00! Is the cost worth it? I wouldn't go that far, but it is one of the better muffler systems that I have tried on the 21-22 Honda CRF450R. If I was a Honda owner I would rather invest in a Vortex ECU, have it mapped, and save a few hundred bucks, because the Vortex ECU can do more to help the power character/chassis feel than that of the Akrapovic system. However, if you do have a deep pocket book and are going to get a muffler system anyway, this Akrapovic would be a great choice along with the Vortex. The combo is an amazing feeling once out on the track! It’s a beautiful system and works very well on a wide variety of terrain/tracks. 

Go to akrapovic.com to locate your nearest dealer. 

2020 Honda CRF450R Three Way Muffler System Comparison

The 2020 Honda CRF450R is a popular machine. After all of my years with Dirt Rider Magazine as well as doing my own thing over here at Keefer Inc. Testing there has been one thing that hasn't changed… The amount of page views and questions that I get about the Honda are always more than any other color! As a test rider, I like the Honda CRF450R because it’s one of the most difficult bikes to set up for a wide variety of tracks, so that keeps me trying different products and thinking of ways to try and make it better. As a consumer or a local racer, the 2020 Honda CRF450R can drive you nuts at times right? It’s super fun to ride, but sometimes can be a handful at certain types of tracks.

In this article I am going to test the Yoshimura RS-9T, FMF 4.1 RCT, Akrapovic Evolution titanium muffler systems for the 2020 Honda CRF450R and give you some feedback on each one’s engine delivery character. I picked these three muffler systems because they have been one of the best three that I have tried on this particular machine. This isn't a shootout as much as what each system can bring to the table. These three muffler systems have similar characters in some areas of the powerband, but also have enough differences in which you can make a decision based on what type of power you want from your Honda.

Fun Fact: I tested these mufflers on the 2020 Honda CRF450R as well as the 2020 Honda CRF450RWE just to see if the ported head, that the RWE comes with, would change the way each muffler delivered its power. After going back and forth on each machine, the character of each muffler system was the same on the stock cylinder head as it was on the hand ported Works Edition head. The description/results below is accurate for both machines.

FMF 4.1 RCT Muffler System:

The FMF 4.1 muffler system has more bottom end and throttle response than the other two muffler systems in this class. The Honda doesn't necessarily need more bottom end, but the way the FMF system delivers its power can give the rider some added freedom when trying to ride third gear through corners. The bottom end comes on strong and the Honda keeps its exciting, crisp RPM response feeling, but lets you run third gear through corners more than the stock, Yoshimura and Akrapovic muffler systems can. Using second with the FMF system almost makes the Honda a little too much too handle (on roll on) through very tight corners. When going to the FMF 4.1 system I reverted back to map 2 (mellow map) instead of map 1 (standard map) and ran 14/52 gearing. By using map one and going to this gearing ratio, it helped calm the Honda’s chassis down in second gear a little, but still kept its fun natured, snappy engine character. Mid range is broader and pulls farther than the stock muffler, but isn't as good as the Yoshimura system in this area. Up on top end the FMF system almost mimics the Yosh in pulling power feeling on the track with maybe slightly less over-rev than the Yosh system. What I like about the FMF muffler system is that it allows the rider to ride a gear higher in some areas of the track and rewards riders that like to lug their bikes more. The Honda in stock form is not the best lugging machine, but with the FMF system it gives the red bike more of a lazy man’s type of feel by allowing me to use third gear more. The FMF system is louder than the Yoshimura or Akrapovic systems by quite a bit even with the inserts in, but keeps that racey deeper sound. 

The good news is that the muffler packing has lasted longer than I expected. We are over the 12 hour mark on the 4.1’s and they still sound good. I used to get only 8-10 hours on other single FMF muffler systems, but these duals have proved to be more durable. 

Yoshimura RS-9 Muffler System With Works Edition Headpipe: 

Once installed and on the track the Honda’s exhaust note turned from high pitch 250F’esq to a deep throaty more traditional 450 factory race bike sound. The crack of the throttle (or RPM response) is slightly smoother and less crisp than the stock or FMF systems, but to me this is a good thing for the Honda chassis. Rolling out of corners, while in second gear, the Honda feels like it has more traction than the FMF and was more controllable while accelerating out of hard pack corners. The slightly smoother RPM response takes away the Honda’s excitement feel ever so slightly, but helps you gain a little more control coming out of corners. The mid range pull is healthier than stock, but with the Yoshimura system you will not be able to pull third gear through tight corners as well as you can with the FMF system. The Yoshimura system is very controlled and has more mid range torque than any other muffler in this test. Even though the Yoshimura system doesn't have that bottom end throttle response like the FMF system the recovery is still very good. With just the flick of the clutch lever (in third gear) the Honda will be in the meat of the power once again and you will be down the straight in a hurry. I noticed top end and over-rev was as good as stock (which is great), but not as good as the Akrapovic. To me the Yoshimura system is like the YZ450F of the muffler world. It does everything “pretty well” and gives you more rear wheel consistency that the Honda needs. You could tell Yoshimura was focused on smoothing out the bottom to mid-range pulling power when they designed this muffler system and they succeeded in doing so. It is also impressive that they didn’t lose any top end/over-rev in the process and gain a little more control.

The muffler packing that the Yoshimura RS-9 mufflers come with is superb and will last you longer than any other packing in this group. Yoshimura also offers the customer refurbishing, just in case you don’t want to DIY. The stickers on the mufflers themselves also last longer and will not turn color as fast as the others in this group.  

Akrapovic Evolution Muffler System:

Once I swapped to the Akrapovic Evolution muffler system, I could immediately tell this system helped the Honda chassis calm down the most. The Evolution system lets the Honda’s engine roll on smoother at low RPM’s and that smoother feel helps the rear wheel connection as well as provides less pitching (off throttle) than any other system in this test. AKA MORE COMFORT!!! The Honda CRF450R now builds a smoother roll delivery and a pulling power that is longer through the mid range than the FMF or Yoshimura. This type of character can allow you to use second gear in corners more because that second gear hit is not as abrupt or quick, so that doesn't upset your technique or the chassis. The Akrapovic also allows the rider to shift later out of corners and that means second gear is more usable with its increased over-rev capabilities . Pulling power up top is increased slightly as your shifting points can be altered now because of the longer pull in each gear. I ran the 14/52 gearing with this muffler system but decided on going back to the stock 13/49 gearing in order t get some mid range recovery back. The Akrapovic doesn't have the the bottom or mid range throttle response like the FMF or Yoshimura systems so this can give the Honda a slightly heavier feel on tighter tracks. The Honda has so much power to work with that a little less “hit” as well as “recovery” can actually help on faster/flowier tracks, but can also make it slightly heavier feeling than the other two mufflers when moving the Honda side to side. I really like that the Akrapovic system relaxes the engine as well off throttle and provides the CRF450R with less engine braking. This really comes into play on tracks with hard pack chop and small de-cel bumps.

The sound/pitch of the Akrapovic is ridiculously quiet when on the track and will almost give you that MXGP sound and feel. It still has that racey, crisp sound on higher rpm’s, but just not that raspy high pitch tone of the stock muffler. I preferred the quiet inserts left in because it created more back pressure and gave me more traction at the rear wheel (out of corners) in all three engine modes. I was normally a map two guy with the stock muffler, but with the Akrapovic installed I am now a map one guy all day long because of the added rear wheel/friendlier connection. The muffler packing has proved to be durable but the stickers on the mufflers turn color quickly and get blown off.

Overall: I always let people know if you have no problems with your stock muffler system and like the way your Honda runs then by all accounts you can disregard this test. Just because I test something here doesn’t mean you absolutely 100% NEED it! If you’re in the market for a muffler system, have some extra money and want to know which direction to go then study up! If you want to alter or change your Honda’s engine character slightly, this test can help you decide on which direction you want to go. To me all of these systems in this test are better than the stock system because it helps the Honda’s chassis in one way or the other and offer spark arrestor inserts for the off-road guy. The Honda doesn't need more power as much as it needs a broader more forgiving connection to the rear wheel. These systems help the Honda in this area. 

Breaking The Systems Down:

Bottom End: FMF

Mid Range: Yoshimura 

Top End: Akrapovic

Over-Rev: Akrapovic

Low RPM Response: FMF

Mid RPM Response: FMF

Top RPM Response: Yoshimura

Controllability/Connection: Akrapovic

Weight: 

FMF: 8.5 lbs.

Yoshimura: 8.4 lbs.

Akrapovic: 8.4 lbs.

Sound/DB:

FMF: 121.1 DB

Yoshimura: 116.8 DB

Akrapovic: 116.1 DB

Pricing: 

FMF: $1499.99 www.fmfracing.com 

Yoshimura: $1499.99 www.yoshimura-rd.com 

Akrapovic: $1549.99 www.akrapovic.com 

If you have any questions about this test, please feel free to email me at kris@keeferinctesting.com. I am here to help if needed!

Akrapovic Evolution Muffler System (2020 Honda CRF450R)

This is embarrassing, but I am going to be completely honest here… I think about the Honda CRF450R a lot. More than other machines. I mean I will literally wake up in the middle of the night and think of things to test in order to try and make the Honda chassis calm down a little because I see so much potential in this bike, but I need it to be calmer. It turns incredible, has an insane amount of power, and has the best ergonomics of any bike, but it lacks some comfort and predictability to me at speed. This drives me crazy because I really like this damn bike a lot! 

I stumbled across the Akrapovic Evolution muffler system as I was doing some ECU mapping with Chad at XPR Motorsports on the CRF450R. Chad does the engines for the MotoConcepts/Bullfrog Spas Honda team and I noticed that they have been running Akrapovic systems on their bikes, so I asked if I could borrow one to see how it worked. Akrapovic's Evolution line is their full titanium muffler system and includes more in the complete package than other system that I have unwrapped. The welds are beautiful and to me the quality of the complete system is second to none. Installing the Akrapovic takes a little bit of finagling, but with some patience it does line up and fit well, as long as you leave most of the bolts loose when installing. Also included in the system are some extra parts, such as a carbon fiber guard, which protects the headpipe and resonance chamber from side impact. There’s also the hardware needed for the guard, along with some extra pipe springs and rubber grommets/spacers for the exhaust cans, as well as a set of quiet/spark arrestor inserts. Keep those in (more on that later). 

Once out on the track is when I realized that this Akrapovic muffler system could actually help this Honda chassis calm down. The Evolution system lets the Honda’s engine roll on smoother at low RPM’s and that smoother feel helps the rear wheel connection as well as provides less pitching (off throttle) than the stock system. AKA MORE COMFORT!!! The Honda CRF450R now builds a smoother roll delivery and a pulling power that is longer through the mid range than the stock system. This type of character can allow you to use second gear in corners more because the second gear hit is not as abrupt or quick and that doesn't upset your technique or the chassis. The Akrapovic also allows the rider to shift later out of the corner with its increased over-rev capabilities. Pulling power up top is increased slightly as your shifting points can be altered now because of the longer pull in each gear. The mid range recovery of the Akrapovic is not as good as the stock system, but honestly that is not a bad thing. The Honda has so much power to work with that a little less “hit” as well as “recovery” actually helps me roll my corners better and allows me to be more aggressive on the Honda. I want to be able to ride this red bike and not let it ride me after 15 minutes into a moto. The Akrapovic system relaxes the engine as well off throttle. There is not nearly as much engine braking with the Evolution system and that also helps your fork from feeling harsh on small de-cel bumps.  

The pitch of the Akrapovic is ridiculously quiet when on the track and will almost give you that MXGP sound and feel. It still has that racey, crisp sound, but just not that raspy high pitch tone of the stock muffler. I preferred the quiet inserts left in because it created more back pressure and gave me more traction at the rear wheel (out of corners) in all three engine modes. I was normally a map two guy with the stock muffler, but with the Akrapovic installed I am now a map one guy all day long because of the added rear wheel/friendlier connection. 

At just over 8 pounds the system will save you almost 1.5 pounds over stock and will set you back a whopping $1547.00! Is the cost worth it? I wouldn't go that far, but it is one of the better muffler systems that I have tried on the Honda CRF450R. If I was a Honda owner I would rather invest in a Vortex ECU, have it mapped, and save a few hundred bucks, because the Vortex ECU can do more to help the power character/chassis feel than that of the Akrapovic sytem. However, if you do have a deep pocket book and are going to get a muffler system anyway, this Akrapovic would be a great choice. It’s a beautiful system and works very well on a wide variety of terrain/tracks. 

Go to akrapovic.com to locate your nearest dealer. 

2017-2020 Honda CRF450R Clutch Fixes

Do you have a 2017-2020 Honda CRF450R? If so, then you know that the clutch is not the best of the bunch. The clutch gets hot too quick then proceeds to drag/slip during your moto and you’re left with throttle to rear wheel connection loss (aka loss of power/traction). Or how about that clutch lever pull? How hard is this thing?! Not the lightest clutch lever pull in the game is it? I have a couple solutions that I came across while spending a lot of time on the Honda CRF450R this year that I thought was worth mentioning.

Fix #1 XPR Motorsports Longer Clutch Arm:

Chad at XPR Motorsports has hand made his own special longer clutch arm that helps the engagement as well as the lever pull. When I was riding for Smartop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts Honda this year Chad asked me if I had a problem with the engagement/lever pull and I immediately said “yes, I do”. With Chad’s longer clutch arm the engagement point immediately became wider, which left me with a more linear feel when slipping the clutch out of corners or when performing starts. The longer/wider engagement gave me increased rear wheel traction and smoothed out the on/off feel of the stock clutch engagement. When feeding the clutch lever out I noticed that the Honda CRF450R wasn’t as jumpy or surged when rolling my corners. The next improvement was lever feel. With XPR’s longer clutch arm the clutch lever pull is twice as easy to pull in and actually lets me use one finger on the clutch. The stock pull on the CRF450R is atrocious and makes putting in longer motos hard on my left hand/arm. This longer clutch arm makes the lever pull easier as well as smoother.

Fix #2 Rekluse Torque Drive Clutch Pack: Rekluse offers a clutch pack (fibers, steels, springs) that replaces your OEM clutch plates and adds additional discs to your existing OEM clutch basket. It’s as easy as swapping your clutch plates into your OEM components. The TorqDrive thin friction disk technology allows more disks to fit in your OEM clutch’s footprint, decreasing slip and unlocking the full power of that Honda CRF450R engine. Once I installed the Rekluse system the clutch life of the CRF450R went up as well as rear wheel control on hard pack surfaces. The combination of the XPR clutch arm as well as this Rekluse clutch pack allows the Honda hook up better and gives me added control where the Honda needed it most, accelerating out of rough/choppy corners.

These two modifications are simple and really improved the way the Honda behaves on the track. Honda is one of my favorite bikes to ride, but it can wear me out too quick when in stock form. These two mods don’t sound like much, but helps the control factor huge for me. Hopefully it can for you as well.

You can get the clutch arm by calling Chad at XPR Motorsports at 951-813-8873.

The Rekluse Torque Drive Clutch Pack is available over on www.rekluse.com