From the sands of the Dakar to the red desert dust of the Finke, and the Bajas on the California Peninsula, there is no more demanding form of motorsport on man and machine than a Rally Raid. But once you’ve progressed through the amateurs and got yourself into the main race, how do you build a pro-level bike, and what the hell does it cost? Well, Honda has cooked up something seriously hot to take both those headaches away. Starting with Europe, RedMoto Italy has announced they will build and sell the Honda CRF450RX Rally, the HRC and Dakar developed customer rally bike; in a limited edition 50 bike run. Orders are now open to customers who plan to compete in the Dakar and other major Rally Raid events across Europe, and your dreams of turning professional just got a little closer to reality, with this spicey red rocket from HRC.
Flip open your racing calendar and you see that in just April alone, Europe will host four major Rally Raid events, open to a range of skill levels. It’s clear that not only is the sport booming, but more amateurs are looking to compete at a professional level, and the demand for a factory race bike offered to customers has been brewing for some time. The HRC CRF450RX Rally has been in development for a while now, with Romain Dumontier thrown the keys for the 2024 Rally of Morocco, before competing in this year’s Dakar, where he finished 3rd overall in the Rally2 class and 12th outright.
This was the final confirmation the factory needed to confirm that their Italian distributor, RedMoto, would be supplied with everything they needed to build a customer-spec CRF, with European homologation. It seems certain that other continents will follow, with it unimaginable that Honda USA won’t want to secure their own batch for the various Baja events. HRC is also keen to point out that although this is a customer-based motorcycle, it is as close to full factory race specification as possible, and RedMoto have the runs on the board, being the team of nine-time FIM World Enduro Champion Steve Holcombe.
So, before we dive into all the specs, I’m sure you’re dying to know exactly what the asking price is. The amount you’ll need to hand over is €31,140, then there is also the applicable sales tax in each European nation, as well as a shipping fee. Michele Berera, sales director of Honda RedMoto, said: “We are proud to officially present the price of the CRF450RX Rally. The enthusiasm from the public has confirmed the exclusivity and value of this model, which represents the pinnacle of Honda’s innovation.” Now, let’s be honest, it’s a huge chunk of change, but it is a genuine factory racer that, in the right hands, can win major events.
The frame starts life as a works CRF450R item, which is considerably stiffer and upgraded in key areas to deal with the extra weight that a Rally Raid motorcycle carries. The triple clamps are also from the 450R race package, developed in a joint operation by Honda and Xtrig, the billet anodised items are designed to be ultralight weight and yet stand up to unbelievable punishment. Slotting through these are a very special set of Showa built forks, that have been designed to deliver the ultimate handling experience on incredibly diverse terrain. Adding extra strength are the full titanium tubes, which are treated with a proprietary Kashima hard coating.
At the rear end you get a dedicated Rally swingarm, all controlled by a Pro-Link arrangement which features a Showa adjustable shock with a titanium-coated shaft. You can start to see how the money quickly adds up, and given the wide, weighty bars, an HRC spec’d steering damper is another very desirable addition. The braking too is all built around Rally Raid competition, particularly the extreme desert heat, so the 300mm front and 240mm rear discs are wider than traditional works spec HRC items. The wheels have been developed by HAAN for the project, the hubs are CNC-machined from solid aluminium, while the rims are made by Takasago Excel.
As for the engine, HRC tells us “the entire internal combustion unit has been designed for a single purpose: Rally racing.” Peak horsepower is 58bhp, but it is a wide spread of torque that the engineers aimed to achieve, with a six-speed long ratio gearbox, allowing riders to traverse tricky terrain in a single gear, while also achieving a peak cruising speed of 160km/h. To save weight and help achieve the parameters the team were after, Akrapovič was tasked with developing a muffler for the bike, and the headers and mid-pipe are the exact same items that come on the works machines. Then an extra large radiator is deployed to help keep the whole package cool, protected by a carbon fibre skid plate.
This, like the rest of the bodywork, is all competition-focused, with the panels designed to withstand serious impacts, without compromising manoeuvrability. The front fuel tank holds a healthy 22 litres of go juice, but it’s the rear 14 litre tank that was the subject of great R&D. It not only mounts to the rear frame, it also contributes to its structural integrity, and has been slimmed down so the weight is centralised and as low as possible.
Then there is that stunning all carbon fibre navigation tower, which can accept a host of digital roadbooks, can be adjusted to suit any rider and easily unmounts for quick replacement in competition. It’s about as trick a bike as most factories will make available to the general public, it looks cool as hell sitting still, and if you fancy yourself glory in the sands, it’s a tasty proposition.
[ RedMoto ]