Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126842
.... Q.) ,.0 o .... U The 450 Rebel employs the three-valve vertical-twin that last appeared in the Honda Hawk; styling is identical to the popular 250 Rebel. The new 700cc Shadow is longer and lower than last year 's version. Low-s lung mufflers increase clearance for saddlebags , (Above) The XR250R got a redesigned fr ame and an improved suspension. (Below) The dual-pu rpose Refle x has tri als-bik e styling. (A bove) Torquey two-valve eng ine powers th e XR200R . (Below) The balloon-t ired Fat Cat is designed as an ent ry- level dirt bike. scn ger seat or footpegs are provided. T he Refl ex is targeted at th e en tr ylevel bu yer; H onda hopes the machine wiII lure a yo uth market fam ili ar with BMX bikes. Though last year's XR350 so ld well. Honda h a s d ropped it from th e lineup in favor of a redesigned XR250. The XR2 50 is a ll new . with a n ew ch assis th at features a square fro n t dowmube and a quick -change sw in garm . T he en g ine ha s a smaller bore an d longer stroke than la st year's model, for a greater em p has is o n torq ue a nd low-speed power. The four-valve cylinde r he- d uses H on a da's radial valve a rra ngeme nt; a sing le 30m m ca r bure to r hand les th e fu el m ixture. Oil is ro u ted th rou gh an' ex terna l cooler whi ch is horseshoe-sh aped and mounted o n th e steering hea d beh in d the h eadli ght. The bod ywork has been replaced ; th e XR 250 wears th e same pl asti c parts as th e 1985 XR350. The left sidepanel is ret ained by th ree DllIS fast en ers , a nd H onda claims th e panel ca n be removed for a n air filt er claims ma kes th e m achi ne easy to ri de and appealing to n ov ice r ide rs . T he engine is th e same 199cc un it th at appears in the T RX200SX Fou rT ra x fou r-wheeler. a nd features a n electric starter with a back-up kick starter. T he engine is fill ed with an a u to ma tic clu tch ; both front and rear br ak es are o pe ra ted from th e han d lebars so the rider ca n co n tro l both brak es with both feet o n th e grou n d . Th e rear brak e ca n also be o perated by a traditional brak e pedal. T he C R5 00 R received its sha re of up dates; th e cylinder h ead . ign iti on timin g a nd co il hav e been revised fo r impro ved sta rt i ng. Overall engine weig h t has been red uce d. and th e tran smission sh ift fork s a nd engagem erit dogs ha ve been cha nged for in cr ea sed durabil it y a n d redu ced weight. A new two-core radia tor is lighter and del ivers be tter cool ing. For the chassis a nd run n ing gea r, the fro nt forks a re a ll n ew . and now incorpora te a cart ridge-type damper for mor e accura te dampin g. T he fro nt bra ke lever has a g reater ra nge o f 0 change in less th a n 10 seco nds. At the rea r, a low- p rofile 18-inch rea r wh eel replaces the p revi ous 17in ch unit. Honda has targeted th e XR250 fo r 60-70% en d uro use, an d 30-40%recreational use. Honda' s di gi tal en d u ro meter wilI be o ffered as a n option for th e XR250 . Th e 1985 XR200 was fill ed with th e four-valve RFVC cylinde r h ead. a nd the po p u larity o f th e m ach in e suffered due to los s o f low- end power. For 1986, th e model ha s reappea red wi th th e o ld two-valve engine, fill ed to a m od ern-technol ogy chassis. T he frame features ta pe red -rolle r steer ing head bea rin g s, a nd a box -secti on swi n garrn th a t p ivo ts o n needl e -bearings. T he P ro -Link rear suspens io n has fo u r-way adj us ta ble re bou nd a nd 16-wa y adj ustabl e compress ion damp ing with 9.6 inc hes o f tr avel. A speedo me ter With tri p odometer is stan da rd eq u ipm ent. H onda 's Fat Cat is int ended as an ent ry-le vel d irt bik e. Bo th the from and rea r are fill ed with massive. hi ghflo tat ion 23.5x8- l l ti res tha t H o nd a ad j us ta bil itv, a nd a larger-di ameter (though li ghter ) disc rotor is fill ed to th e front wheel. At th e rear, a modi fied Pro -L ink sus pe ns io n provide s 12.6 in ch es of tr avel. The rear brak e shoes a re 3 m m wid er for improved brak ing . a nd th e rea r wh eel now rides o n three axle bea rin gs (two bearings o n th e drive side) for increased durabili ty. Other changes incl ud e a works-t ype cha in slider a nd guide, a nd lightweight gold -co lored a lum in u m rims laced . . with stra ig h t-p u ll spokes. T he new CR250R sport s the sa me chassis as th e 1985 m od el, but has been fill ed w ith an all-new engine . The cra n ksha ft co unter weigh ts are holl o w for reduced wei g h t, whi le re tai ni n g th e co rrec t cra n kc ase volume. The piston now rides in a N ickasil-p la ted bor e for durabil it y. Ex ha us t is ro u ted th rough H onda's HP P power valve: a centrifuga lly co ntrolle d mech anism driven fro m the wat er p ump shaft. As the revs in cre ase. a rac k-a nd-p in io n mo ves valves o n the sides o f the cylin der to 15