Unicorn for sale…
Adventure Spec get ready to sell off this unique TET bike
Do you dream of weekends away, covered in mud and grinning from ear to ear as you waft through countryside, miles from another soul? Well, UK-based Adventure Spec may have just the ticket to fulfil your dirt-centric dreams.
The firm are selling off their one-of-one Honda CRF450L, bestowed with lashings of in-house bling.
As it sits, the bike wears Adventure Spec’s entire array of hard parts - including their bash plate, pannier racks, top-rack, tail tidy and minifairing. On top of this, a US spec ECU, induction tube and throttle body bump power up to 45bhp while an IMS fuel tank extends range to 175 miles, up from the standard 110.
Honda released the 450L back in 2018, selling it until 2020 when it was discontinued. In that time the machine gained a cult following within its niche, offering riders a modern take on trail biking. Top-spec Showa suspension offered 300mm of bounce and a kerb weight of just 131kg made the Honda an excellent off-tarmac contender.
But the market was, and is, full of enduro bikes capable of incredible feats; what set the 450L aside was its ability to inject a degree of civility into proceedings. A lengthened wheelbase over the CRF450R, relaxed steering angle and a vibration-damping swingarm provided offered an air of calm compared with more flighty enduro weapons.
Performance from the 449cc Unicam engine was disappointing for some, with only 25bhp on tap in Euro spec (American market bikes came with a full-fat power figure over 40 horses). Price was a stinger too, with Honda asking for almost ten grand.
To some however, it was a long-awaited unicorn, and Adventure Spec were among the first in the country to purchase one. “Where an enduro bike is quite flighty on the road, the 450L is pretty stable because it’s longer and more relaxed,” said Greg Villalobos, brand director at Adventure Spec.
Keen to build on what they saw a nugget of potential, Adventure Spec developed a suite of goodies for the 450L, transforming it from weekend trail bike to fully fledged lightweight adventurer, and proving its worth by riding it all the way down the Moroccan Sahara – and back.
If that all sounds like a bit of you, Adventure Spec are offering the bike for £6800 having covered just 4000 miles. Drop an email to support@adventurespec.com but you’ll need to be quick.