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American Honda is bringing an electric dirt bike to market for kids, but it is not quite what you think. The CRF-E2 is actually designed and built by Greenger Powersports, which is in turn licensing the “CRF” designation from American Honda.

Despite the bike not coming from the Japanese factory, the CRF-E2 (note the lack of a “Honda” name in that title) will be sold through Honda’s dealerships in the United States.

With 3.4hp (2.5 kW) of peak power, a two-hour ride time, and a 2.5-hour charge time with the optional quick charger, the CRF-E2 is aimed at young new riders as an entry point into dirt riding. The MSRP is set at $2,950 in the USA.

I am not big on hocking holiday gift ideas as much as other publications seem to be (they gotta earn that affiliate money, I suppose), but I will give a shout out to my fellow moto-journalist and Pikes Peak record-holder Rennie Scaysbrook, who just wrote his first book: The Big Book of Motorbikes.

We are super proud of what he created, and what he is trying to do in terms of getting kids to ride motorcycles. Nice one, Rennie – you magnificent bastard, you.

The Honda Navi is the latest motorcycle from Big Red, and the entire ethos of the pint-sized machine is that its equally sized $1,807 price tag won’t break the bank.

Visually similar to the Honda Grom, the new Honda Navi is the latest to the Japanese brand’s miniMoto lineup, though it breaks tradition by using a 109cc single-cylinder four-stroke engine, shared with the Honda Activa 110 scooter model.

BMW Motorrad must have some jealousy over what Honda has achieved with its miniMoto lineup, particularly with the Honda Grom, as the latest Bavarian machine takes direct aim at the pint-sized moto market.

Not quite a motorcycle, not quite a scooter, the mini-moto segment has been a surprise hit in the United States and abroad, mostly because of the unassuming and fun machines that flood the market’s ranks.

BMW Motorrad wants in on the action (unsurprisingly) and is looking a bit to the future though, building its Concept CE 02 as a youth-focused electric model.

Close your eyes, and imagine you have a Honda Africa Twin. Now, strip away everything about the bike that makes it one of the most potent adventure-touring models on the market, and start adding back the design elements found in the metric cruiser thing. Open your eyes.

What you just built in your head is the 2021 Honda Rebel 1100, and as you might be able to decipher from its name, the Rebel-styled full-sized cruiser features a parallel-twin engine that shares more than a few chromosomes with the 1,084cc motor found in the CRF1000L.

That might seem like a weird way to build a cruiser, but there is at least a little genius in Honda’s madness.

Confirming the news that our Bothan spies brought to us three weeks ago, KTM North America is going to bring in the KTM 200 Duke as a 2020 model.

The little baby Duke might not seem like the first choice for motorcycle models coming to the United States, that is until you look at the price tag that will come on this 200cc thumper: $3,999 MSRP.

This makes the 2020 KTM 200 Duke the only full-sized motorcycle from a major OEM that is under $4,000 new, which could be a game changer for the Austrian brand as it tries to capture younger riders.

The Bothan Spies of Asphalt & Rubber have been hard at work during the recent months, and they bring us news from Austria: the KTM 200 Duke will be coming to the USA as a late 2020 model.

The KTM 200 Duke is not a new model in the Austrian brand’s lineup, as it is available in various markets world, and most notably in the Asian markets where tiered licensing and cost-of-ownership constraints make the 25hp motorcycle a great choice for street riders, but it is a new and curious model for the United States.

In 2016, the Yamaha MT-03 debuted as the naked variant of the popular Yamaha YZF-R3 sport bike. And while the R3 came to American soil (with very positive results), its naked sibling never found its way across the pond.

Small and aggressive, the Yamaha MT-03 borrowed the R3’s twin-cylinder engine, and wrapped it in Yamaha’s “Dark Side of Japan” aesthetic. Like its full-fairing sibling, the Yamaha MT-03 was a strong offering for younger riders.

Now for the 2020 model year, the Yamaha MT-03 is finally coming to the United States, complete with a new aggressive look, with the hopes of offering new riders with an intriguing offer that won’t bust the bank.

The motorcycle industry in the United States needs to attract new riders. This is a well-established fact, and we have already begun to see manufacturers catching on to this idea – most notably, Harley-Davidson with its “More Roads” business plan.

Now, the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) is rallying the troops to the cause, announcing a new long-term initiative to bring in new riders.

Here is an interesting move from a motorcycle manufacturer, as Husqvarna is adding a Rekluse auto-clutch to the list of options that can be put on its Vitpilen 401 and Svartpilen 401 models.

The unit is very similar to the “Smart Clutch System” that MV Agusta debuted on its Turismo Veloce 800 Lusso SCS model, which effectively eliminates the bike’s ability to stall the engine.

On the MV Agusta model, the Rekluse clutch basically means that the clutch lever is only used for starting the machine, as the Italian bike has an up/down quickshifter installed as well.

That won’t be the case for the Husqvarna models, but the addition of the Rekluse could be a very powerful move from the Swedish brand.