Honda CRF150R

Very soon, the time will come when kids grow up without ever riding a two-stroke motorcycle. With its new CRF150F, Honda has accelerated that timeframe by being the first to produce a race-ready four-stroke intended to replace its 85cc two-stroke motocross bike. The company is hoping this transition will take place as quickly as it did with the bigger Thumpers, which needed only a few years to take over the two-stroke market in most racing disciplines. For 2007. Honda is selling both the 150 and the CR85R but will drop all two-strokes in 2008.
One year-that sounds quick, just like the sharp exhaust bark of the CRF150Rs all-new liquid-cooled, I49cc Single. It revs high, as well, up to 14,300 rpm with an exhaust note similar to that of the Li-tes-class CRF250R.
That's not surprising, since the motor is basically a scaled-down, updated version of the Unicam engines in the CRF250R and CRF450R. Fueled by a Keihin 32mm flat-slide carburetor, the little I49cc powerplant follows almost every key design element of the larger engines, and it runs just as well. The bike darts out of corners with a strong punch and can pull a full-grown adult around ihc track at impressive speeds.



Four-stroke power also means four-stroke torque, meaning the 150R is easily stronger then an 85cc two-stroke. So much so that comparing it to an 85cc motor is almost unfair; the 150R holds a definite advantage in the power department. It is not like riding an 85cc two-stroke on which constant clutching or downshifting is necessary for the motor to pull hard. The torquey four-stroke 150 even allows the rider to run a gear higher without the bike bogging down and losing valuable momentum.

Though the motor is what makes this bike special, the chassis is excellent, too. The engine is copied from the big-boy CRFs, but the backbone-style steel frame is carried over from the CR85R. The chassis works exceptionally well, even proving strong enough during our testing to endure hard-riding abuse by full-sized adults. As with the other CRF-R models, extra attention was paid to giving the 150 a low center of gravity so it would feel light and nimble. Those efforts were successful, as this 149cc four-stroke weighs about 20 pounds more than the two-stroke 85 yet hardly feels any heavier.



Like the 85, the 150 comes in two versions: small wheel and big wheel. The big-wheel model is theCRF150R Expert that uses 19-inch front/16-inch rear wheels. The small-wheel version is the regular CRF150R and uses a 17-/14-inch combo. The suspension on both bikes involves a fully adjustable, 37mm inverted Showa cartridge fork with 10.8 inches of travel; the rear uses Honda's usual Pro-Link system with a fully adjustable Showa shock. The standard model has 10.8 inches of rear-wheel travel while the Expert has 11.5 inches that also contribute to its 1.3-inch higher seat.
Whether you like il or not, four-strokes are the future of motocross. The CRF150R is proof that for Honda, the future is now.