Let's
be clear from the start - this isn't the production 2017 Honda CRF450!
It's a Photoshopped image of Akira Narita's factory Honda CRF450 with
the exotic stuff like the titanium exhaust removed and a stock-looking
pipe added. But it's emerging that this bike will form the basis of the
all-new CRF for 2017.
There's a whole new frame, suspension and
bodywork plus a totally new motor that still features Honda's
tried-and-tested Unicam system. And although the bike has a kickstart,
Narita's factory bike has electric start, too. It's believed that for
the first time, this will be an optional extra on the stock bikes rather
than a factory fit on every machine.
It now seems the bike will
be in production for 2017, despite Honda's Kumamoto factory being hit by
an earthquake in April which halted production. Details of the real
final production bike are to be released soon.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
