Honda Dirt Bikes And A Bit Of History - Specs On The 2010 Range
By 1959 Mr. Honda had accumulated a list of international motorcycle races that he had personally raced in. Here was a man who not only knew how to create a fine two-wheeled horse, but was also passionate about riding them too! 1959 also saw Honda stretch its wings into the United States. A small shop was opened in Los Angeles - not that anyone wanted to set foot in it. The Americans were more than happy with their Harley's, Triumph's and other British bikes and showed no interest in little ol' Honda bikes. A massive advertising campaign with the slogan 'You meet the nicest people on a Honda' changed all that and the early 60's greeted the American Honda with great success. People began using the smaller Honda bikes on trails and campgrounds which kick-started dirt bike riding as we know it today. A popular range of Honda dirt bikes began appearing in the late 60's... and people loved 'em!
Since then Honda Motor Co. has continued to pump out a highly successful range of Honda dirt bikes including the XR's, CR's and more recently the CRF's.
SPECS: Model: CRF450R Engine: 449cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke Bore and Stroke: 96.0mm x 62.1mm Compression Ratio: 12.0:1 Valve Train: Unicam, four-valve; 36mm intake, titanium; 30mm exhaust, steel Induction: Programmed Fuel Injection (PGM-FI), 50mm throttle body Ignition: Full transistor with electronic advance Transmission: Close-ratio five-speed Final Drive: #520 chain; 13T/48T Front Suspension: 48mm inverted KYB Air-Oil-Separate (AOS) with rebound and compression-damping adjustability; 12.2 inches travel Rear Suspension: Pro-Link KYB single shock with spring preload, rebound damping adjustability, and compression damping adjustment separated into low-speed and high-speed; 12.6 inches travel Front Brakes: Single 240mm disc with twin-piston caliper Rear Brake: Single 240mm disc Front Tire: 80/100-21 Rear Tire: 120/80-19 Rake (Caster Angle): 26 degrees 52' Trail: 114.2mm (4.5 inches) Wheelbase: 58.7 inches Seat Height: 37.6 inches Ground Clearance: 13.1 inches Curb Weight: 234.8 pounds (Includes all standard equipment, required fluids and a full tank of fuel—ready to ride) Fuel Capacity: 1.5 gallons Available Colors: Red
SPECS: Model: CRF250R Engine: 249cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke Bore and Stroke: 76.8mm x 53.8mm Compression Ratio: 13.2:1 Valve Train: Unicam, four-valve; 30.5mm intake, titanium; 25mm exhaust, steel Induction: Programmed Fuel Injection (PGM-FI), 50mm throttle body Ignition: Full transistor with electronic advance Transmission: Close-ratio five-speed Final Drive: #520 chain; 13T/48T Front Suspension: 48mm inverted Showa cartridge fork with 16-position rebound and 16-position compression damping adjustability; 12.4 inches travel Rear Suspension: Pro-Link Showa single-shock with spring preload, 17-position rebound-damping adjustability, and compression-damping adjustment separated into low-speed (13 positions) and high-speed (3.5 turns); 12.6 inches travel Front Brakes: Single 240mm disc with twin-piston caliper Rear Brake: Single 240mm disc Front Tire: Dunlop 742FA 80/100-21 Rear Tire: Dunlop D756 100/90-19 Rake (Caster Angle): 27.15 degrees Trail: 116 mm (4.56 inches) Wheelbase: 58.8 inches Seat Height: 37.6 inches Ground Clearance: 12.8 inches Curb Weight: 226 pounds (Includes all standard equipment, required fluids and a full tank of fuel-ready to ride) Fuel Capacity: 1.5 gallons Available Colors: Red 2009 MODELS
SPECS: Model: CRF250X Engine: 249cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder Unicam four-stroke Bore and Stroke: 78.0mm x 52.2mm Compression Ratio: 12.9:1 Induction: 37mm Keihin flat-slide Ignition: CD Transmission: Wide-ratio five-speed Final Drive: #520 T-ring-sealed chain; 13T/49T Front Suspension: 47.0mm inverted Showa cartridge fork with 16-position rebound and 16-position compression damping adjustability; 12.4-inch travel Rear Suspension: Pro-Link Showa single-shock with spring preload, 13-position [low-speed] and 3.5-turn [high-speed] compression damping and 17-position rebound damping adjustability; 12.4-inch travel Front Brakes: Single-disc with twin-piston caliper Rear Brake: Single-disc Front Tire: 80/100-21 Rear Tire: 100/100-18 Rake: 27.54 degrees Trail: 118 mm (4 inches) Wheelbase: 58.3 inches Seat Height: 37.7 inches Ground Clearance: 13.4 inches Curb Weight: 253 lbs (Includes all standard equipment, required fluids and a full tank of fuel—ready to ride) Fuel Capacity: 1.9 gallons Available Colors: Red
SPECS: Model: CRF150R Engine: 149cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder four stroke Bore and Stroke: 66mm x 43.7mm Compression Ratio: 11.7:1 Valve Train: Unicam, four-valve; steel 26mm intake, 22.5mm exhaust Induction: Keihin 32mm flat slide with throttle position sensor (TPS) Ignition: Solid-state CD with electronic advance Transmission: Close-ratio five speed Final Drive: #420 chain; 15T/50T Front Suspension:: 37mm fully adjustable leading-axle inverted Showa cartridge fork; 10.8 inches travel Rear Suspension: Pro-Link fully adjustable Showa single shock; 10.8 inches travel Front Brake: Single 220mm disc Rear Brake: Single 190mm disc Front Tire: 70/100-17 Rear Tire: 90/100-14 Rake: 27°02' Trail: 78mm (3.07 inches) Wheelbase: 49.6 inches Seat Height: 32.8 inches Ground Clearance: 11.9 inches Curb Weight 183 pounds Fuel Capacity: 1.14 gallons Available Colors: Red, Black KIDS HONDA DIRT BIKE
SPECS: Model: CRF80F Engine: 80cc air-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke Bore and Stroke: 47.5mm x 45.0mm Compression Ratio: 9.7:1 Valve Train: SOHC; two-valve Induction: 20mm piston-valve carburator Ignition: CD Transmission: Five-speed Final Drive: #420 chain; 14T/46T Front Suspension: 27.0mm leading-axle Showa fork; 5.5-inch travel Rear Suspension: Single-shock; 4.3-inch travel Front Brake: Drum Rear Brake: Drum Front Tire: 2.50-16 Rear Tire: 3.60-14 Rake: 28.02 degrees Trail: 74mm (2.9 inches) Wheelbase: 47.6 inches Seat Height: 28.9 inches Curb Weight: 28.9 inches Ground Clearance: 163 pounds Fuel Capacity: 1.3 gallons, including 0.3-gallon reserve Available Colors: Red
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The history of Honda dirt bikes started with humble beginnings and goes way back to 1948 when the Honda Motor Co. was officially founded. This came about when Soichiro Honda, a mechanic by trade, created the company to provide a solution to Japans war-torn market. They were short on money and fuel (ha! I know the feeling!) but desperately needed a cheap and efficient method of transportation.
In 1972 Honda created a frenzy by releasing a weapon of a motocross bike that had everyone diving into their pockets to buy one. The CR250 Elsinore Honda dirt bike was like no other around. Honda was leading the way... 
