Street-Legal CRF450 “Urban Flat Tracker” by Meccanica Serrao d’Aquino
The Honda CRF450 is the company’s four-stroke, 450-class dirt weapon. The bike is available in motocross (CRF450R) and trail/enduro versions (CRF450X). In enduro trim, the bike offers around 45 horsepower from its liquid-cooled, fuel-injected engine, along with electric start and a wet weight of less than 270 pounds. Versions of the CRF450 have been successful in everything from motocross to desert racing to flat track. In 2018, Honda announced the CRF450L, a street-legal version of the 450-class hot rod.
Enter Gianpaolo Serrao D’Aquino (GP) of Milan’s Meccanica Serrao d’Aquino, who was already one step ahead of the game. His client, as a boy, had always dreamed of owning a Honda XL600LM, the Paris Dakar version of the venerable Honda big single, which came outfitted with long-range fuel tank, gold wheels, and red-white-blue racing livery. So GP and his customer decided to transform a 2011 CRF450 into an XL tribute. The result is this street-legal Honda CRF450 “urban flat track” machine — a bike that’s both nostalgic and modern and simply begs to be flogged. Seriously, it’s hard to conceive of a machine that would be more fun to rip through the urban cityscape.
Below, we get the full story on the build from GP himself.
Street-Legal Honda CRF450X Tracker: Builder Interview
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
I’m Gianpaolo Serrao D’Aquino. I’m a mechanic and I moved from the south of Italy to follow my passion for motorcycles.
• What’s the make, model, and year of the bike?
Honda CRF450, 2011.
• Why was this bike built?
It was a customer’s dream, because when he was young his father didn’t want him to buy a motorcycle, and he dreamed of owning a Honda XL600LM. Now we’ve this CRF with the colors from the XL.
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
A tribute to the client’s adolescent dream, a Honda XL600 Paris Dakar.
• What custom work was done to the bike?
Alloy tank, lowered suspension, flat track rims with tubeless tires.
• Does the bike have a nickname?
Yes. XL Tribute.
• How would you classify this bike?
Urban Flat Track.
• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
The colors and the fuel tank.
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