Come Drool Over the 2021 Honda CRF450 Rally Race Bike

Come Drool Over the 2021 Honda CRF450 Rally Race Bike

Today marks Stage 2 of the 2021 Dakar Rally, which means that the field is starting to separate a bit through the timed special stages. The day was a fruitful expedition for the Honda boys, with Joan Barreda leading the pack, with Ricky Brabec in close pursuit.

That’s good news for HRC, as the Japanese brand hopes to defend its historic #1 plate from last year, which Brabec won by upsetting KTM’s 18-year winning streak at the iconic rally-raid.

Helping Brabec & Co. challenge for victory is the 2021 Honda CRF450 Rally – an off-road racing platform that has evolved over multiple years of development into a proper dirt bike weapon.

Built using a single-cylinder 450cc engine (per the Dakar Rally rules), the Honda CRF450 Rally is a true race bike. Honda claims over 60hp from the engine, which is surely a pessimistic reading.

Reliability is perhaps more important than outright power when it comes to the Dakar Rally, however. That being said, it has taken HRC several seasons now to find the right balance between performance and endurance.

Finally piecing together the machine, riders, and team structure it takes to win at the Dakar Rally, Honda is a true contender for the 2021 mantle. As such, keep your eyes on Ricky Brabec and Joan Barreda this year.



Technical Specs of the 2021 Honda CRF450 Rally:

BIKE Honda
MODEL CRF450 RALLY
ENGINE
Type Liquid cooled single cylinder DOHC
Capacity 449.4 cc
Bore x stroke 97.0 x 60.8 mm
Starter Electric starter
Carburation Fuel Injection
Lubricant Motul 300V
Transmission 6 speed
Output Over 45 kW
FRAME
Type Aluminium twin tube
Sub-frame Carbon fibre
Fuel tank Front + rear (plastic)
Total fuel capacity 34,7 litres
Front fork Showa. Type invert, travel 310 mm
Rear suspension Showa. Single tube, travel 305 mm
BRAKES
Front ø300 2 pot
Rear ø240 1 pot

Source: HRC

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