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Honda CRF250 Rally Makes Appearance, Looks Like a Dream Bike

Honda prepares a world premiere concept at the 31st Osaka Motorcycle Show 2015 and the 42nd Tokyo Motorcycle Show this spring, and we can’t hide the enthusiasm over this bike. Meet the Honda CRF250 Rally Concept, a machine which looks like the dream of any off-road enthusiast with a penchant for rally raid.
Honda CRF250 Rally Concept 3 photos
Photo: Honda
Honda CRF250 Rally ConceptHonda CRF250 Rally Concept
It is not known yet whether Honda will actually build this bike, but we can hope they will. A quarter-liter class in the Dakar Rally is a most unlikely future, but this doesn’t mean that other organizers couldn’t make good use of such bikes for a sporting event dedicated to a smaller class.

The Honda CRF250 Rally Concept is of course, largely based on the existing CRF250L, in spite of its all-factory looks. Truth is, our hearts skipped a beat when we first laid eyes on this bike and believed that Honda went full-out on a rally-raid spree. That is, the bodywork and paint scheme resemble very much to the actual CRF450 Rally bike used in Dakar… and they add solid credibility to this model, too.

Dakar-inspired looks, parts and ergonomics

If anything, the CRF250 Rally Concept is a feasible idea, at least the way Honda decided to showcase it. From what we see in these photos, at least the front suspensions have been upgraded, with strong rims not being exactly a problem. Plastic body panels are again, fairly easy to manufacture, and what appears to be a plastic bash plate under the engine could easily be made from strong aluminium.

The front cowl is loaded with LED headlights and a clear plexiglass windscreen and headlight protector. A roadbook holder is also mandatory and a fairly easy-to install add-on. Of course, if the CRF250 Rally will ever make it into production, the frame will definitely need strengthening alongside multiple race-grade components which must endure the hard environment of a cross-country rally.

But again, more than half of the project seems already complete, so what is Honda waiting? Oh, and the lower acquisition price and maintenance costs could also be a very powerful incentive for teams who have contemplated quarter-liter rally-raid competitions, don’t you think?
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