Since 2009, 450 Hondas have had balancing issues in stock form. Either the front is too soft or the rear is too stiff and high. There are a few ways to fix this issues and the best way probably depends on how much you weigh.
If you weigh more than 170 pounds, the front springs are most likely too soft and will have a "diving" effect when you ride them (hard braking, over steering in corners) . The stock spring rate is .46, so an upgrade to .48 (obviously the right spring rate depends on how heavy you really are) will help balance the bike out and complement the stiffer rear spring.
If you weigh less than 170 pounds (I weigh 168), the stock front spring rate (.46) is probably close to being right for you. However, the rear shock spring, which is a .54 stock, is too stiff. I swapped out my stock spring for a .51. This should help balance the bike out and prevent the "high" feeling in the rear end. The bike will also break and corner better.
There is a big misconception about going faster and having stiffer suspension. Most people think that the faster they go the stiffer they need to make their suspension. This is partially wrong. The trick to getting your bike to handle bumps and corner right is getting the suspension to work in the right part of the stroke. This is controlled by valving. Once the proper spring rate has been selected for the riders weight, correct valving is what controls the plushness or anti-bottoming effects that we want our suspension to have.
After some testing I will have more posts to follow that talk about the stock valving and some changes that need to be done.
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