One year on from showing its CRF250 Rally as a concept bike Honda has taken the step of showing a prototype of the forthcoming production version.
And if you were a fan of the original concept you’ll be pleased to hear there are virtually no changes to the bike’s appearance.
Though it looks similar, the prototype that was unveiled at the Osaka Motorcycle Show is totally new and not merely a modified version of last year’s concept. The bodywork is the same shape but now looks more production ready, while the screen and headlights have been altered to make them more suitable for a mass-made machine.
The dash is new – it looks like it’s been taken from an MSX125 – and there’s now a bracket above it to hold a GPS or smartphone instead of the original concept’s real rallye-raid navigation system. At the back the Mugen exhaust of the year-old concept is switched for a neater Termignoni pipe, and there’s a production-style licence plate bracket that appears to be identical to that of the CRF250L.
That should come as no surprise, as most of the bike is pure CRF250L. The frame, engine, suspension, wheels, tyres and brakes are all straight from Honda’s small enduro machine. That means it should be incredibly simple for the firm to get the CRF250 Rally into production; the bodywork, seat, nose and tank are the only really new bits.
While it’s taken a long time for the Rally to make the transition from concept to prototype, it should now only be a few months before the final production version is ready to be launched. It’s likely to make an appearance at shows towards the end of 2016 and to reach dealers around the beginning of 2017.
Given the popularity of adventure bikes, there’s surprisingly little competition for the CRF250 Rally out there. Honda might find itself with a surprise success on its hands.
