The 2019 AIMExpo is just around the corner, and the largest motorcycle trade show in the United States has something special for us to look forward to this year.
This is because Honda is set to have the expo be the landing ground for a new motorcycle model.
The debut is said to be a world premiere for this new machine, which leads to some interesting hypothesis on what American Honda could be hiding behind its curtain.
Honda is recalling 505 units of its 2018 Honda CRF250L dual-sport motorcycle because of production issues concerning the bike’s wiring harness. According to the Japanese manufacturer, the wiring harness may have been improperly installed at the company’s Thai factory, which could cause the harness to become damaged.
In its recall documents filed with the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), a damaged wiring harness was found during routine quality checks at the assembly plant. Honda then began an investigation and determined that the wiring harness was damaged during installation of the front fork assembly. Additional units were inspected with some units exhibiting the same symptom of a damaged wiring harness.
Where do you begin about the 2019 Honda CRF450L? You can start with the dearth of 450cc dual-sport motorcycles for the American market, for one. You can talk about Honda’s new 450cc dirt bike lineup, which has spawned five separate models for the 2019 model year.
We of course have to mention the domination of the market by a certain European manufacturer, which prefers the color orange. And naturally, we should give a nod to the resurgence of the American off-road scene, and how Big Red wants to be part of that growing movement.
The truth is, all of these points are realities when it comes to the new Honda CRF450L – a dirt bike that is street-legal from the factory, for all 50 states of the Union. The United States is the target market for the 2019 Honda CRF450L, and for good reason. Honda sees a real opportunity for a 450cc dual-sport in the USA, one that can slot in between the woefully old Suzuki DRZ-400S and the “race bike with lights” KTM 450 EXC-F (sold in the US only as its kitted-out “Six Days” variant).
Among the first in the world to ride the 2019 Honda CRF450L, American Honda brought Asphalt & Rubber out to our own backyard, and let us loose on the CRF450L in Washington’s Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Providing a mix of gravel roads, single-track, double-track, and proper street use, we spent over 100 miles getting to see how well the Honda CRF450L plays on both the dirt and asphalt. In short? Very, very well.
If you believed that hype from across the pond, the 2019 model year was set to see a new Honda CBR600RR debut, with a serious weight reduction. Our sources told us a different story, however, and now we have the proof from that pudding.
Debuting some its 2019 model year motorcycles early, we see that the Honda CBR600RR goes unchanged for the American market. Meanwhile, our European friends will have to live without Big Red’s venerable supersport model, as the current generation supersport has lost its Euro4 waiver for the EU market.
If you read publications from our colleagues in Europe, then you will know that Honda must surely have plans for a new CBR600RR for the 2019 model year. The proof that they offer is that the recent CARB filings by American Honda show a CBR with a significant weight drop for next year.
First spotted by our friends at Nieuwsmotor, the CARB filings quote a 10kg (22 lbs) weight difference between the listed Honda “CBR600RA” and Honda “CBR600RR” motorcycles, which makes it seem like a lighter and more focused supersport is on the way.
It is an interesting dream – and a funny one for European journalists to spot, since the CBR600 series is all but dead in Europe. But what is the reality of this discovery?
Owners of a 2018 Honda CRF250R motorcycle should take note that American Honda is recalling these dirt bikes for a safety issue concerning the motorcycle’s clutch.
Specifically, the recall is for the CRF250R’s clutch basket and judder spring. Under certain conditions, the clutch basket can break and possibly lock up the engine in the process, which can lead to a crash and injury.
It has been a long-time coming, but Honda has finally has a road-legal 450cc dirt bike back in its lineup. As such, say hello to the 2019 Honda CRF450L.
Taking its DNA from Honda’s 450cc MX bike (which is also updated for 2019), the Honda CRF450L offers mirrors, LED lighting, an electric starter, and even a place to stick a license plate, giving you the ability to on-road, between trailheads.
Other features include a wide-ratio six-speed transmission, 18″ rear wheel, a two-gallon titanium fuel tank, Showa suspension front and back, and more crank mass than the Honda CRF450R MX bike. The curb weight is claimed at 289 lbs, topped up with fuel and ready to ride.
Honda says that the CRF450L will be available in September 2018, with pricing set for now at $10,399.
One of the surprise pleasures at last year’s EICMA show was Honda’s family of “Neo-Sports Café” street bikes, which brought a retro-modern look to Big Red’s approach road bikes.
While the new Honda CB1000R tickled our fancy the most, we were delighted to see that the theme extended all the way to the Japanese brand’s small-displacement platform, the Honda CB300R.
An attractive and affordable entry-level bike, the Honda CB300R looks like it was designed in Europe, rather than Nippon, which is probably why the 286cc commuter is doing so well in the European market.
Seeing that success, American Honda has confirmed the CB300R as an early 2019 model for the US market – available in July 2018.
An interesting news item for you today, as Honda has teamed up with Forever 21 to bring young adults a unique motorcycle-branded line of clothing. The apparel line is inspired by Honda liveries from the 1980’s and 1990’s, though with a healthy dose of on-trend fashion, for both men and women.
“Honda’s motorcycle racing success in the ’80s and ’90s was legendary, with our riders earning many championships in domestic and international series,” said Mike Snyder, Senior Manager of Honda Powersports Marketing. “While we’re focused on winning with our current teams, it’s fun to see our racing heritage honored by Forever 21 with a completely new audience.”
“We are so excited to announce our partnership with Honda for this ’80s and ’90s inspired collection,” said Linda Chang, VP of Marketing for Forever 21. “We are always looking for new and unexpected partnerships, and this collaboration with Honda is especially relevant now with the popularity of racing and strong ties between fashion and motorsport. We hope that both fans of Honda and our customers will celebrate with us through this collection.”
Of course, the launch of this line is being promoted by a contest on Instagram, where the winner gets a brand new Honda CRF250L dirt bike, once they take a photo of themselves in their F21xHonda gear and tag it on the photo-sharing service, of course.
Of all the words that you never want to see in a recall announcement, “explode” probably ranks pretty high on that list.
But, this is exactly what we saw for this recall that affects the 2009-2016 Honda Gold Wing models equipped with an airbag, as the “air bag inflator may explode,” according to the recall headline.
This recall is of course part of the ongoing set of recalls that affect vehicles equipped with Takata airbags – of note, the new 2018 Gold Wing Tour Airbag model does not use a Takata-made airbag.
In total, this recall only affects 960 units (2009-2010 and 2012-2016 model years), though this is the third time that Honda has had to issue a recall for its Gold Wing models, because of Takata.
A recall has landed for the Honda Fury, which affects only 20 units of the cruiser-styled motorcycle. According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the recall is a result of the bikes missing welds on the fuel tank.
This is because during the manufacturing process, a disruption at the factory allowed a batch of fuel tanks to skip the final welding stage. As such, certain fuel tanks did not receive the necessary welds around the stay bracket, and have only tack welds holding them together.
As you can imagine, vibrations from the road and engine can cause the tack welds to break, which could cause a fuel leak that could pose a safety hazard.