Details emerge of all-new 2017 CRF450

 

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.