Meet The Ultimate Honda Adventure Bike For Extreme Off-Roading
Back in 2015, Honda whipped up its wildest production motorcycle: the RC213V-S. It brought racing-level technology and precision straight from Marquez’s title-winning MotoGP race bike. 10 years on, Honda again wants to give its fans a taste of its highly successful race-derived bike. This time, it’s an uber-limited CRF adventure-cum-dual-sport bike, courtesy of heavy Dakar Rally inspiration.
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The Honda CRF450RX Rally Flaunts Several Carbon Fiber Parts
The CRF450RX Rally appears exactly like the race bike used by Honda. Yes, the same one that bagged podiums in the 2025 Dakar Rally. Zoom in, and even more race-derived elements come to light. Up top, there’s a carbon fiber navigation tower. This is said to be positioned farthest from the motorcycle’s center of gravity to improve handling dynamics. Plus, it is a separate unit from the chassis to enable easy repairs.
Behind the tower, you get a race-derived Renthal handlebar with Acerbis handguards. A minimalistic instrument cluster is also part of the package, and so are race-type switches. Below this, the sump guard also has a carbon fiber construction instead of the usual aluminum. This also has a nifty storage space for the tools you’ll need in case of emergencies.
2025 Honda CRF450RX Special Parts
- Carbon fiber sump guard with tool storage
- Carbon fiber navigation tower
- Renthal handlebar with race switches
- Racing steering damper
- Billet top yoke
Race-Spec Showa Suspension And Excel Wheels Are Standard On The CRF450RX Rally
Then, there are the underpinnings. Both the front Showa USD forks and the Showa monoshock have dedicated settings and spring rates for hardcore off-road duties. Diving deeper, the former also has titanium stanchions and a Kashima surface treatment, whereas the shock has a titanium-coated piston rod.
Both ends join hands with top-spec aluminum spoke wheels and a billet hub from the specialists at Excel. They measure 21 and 18 inches while housing single petal disc brakes to slow you down. All that, plus the double-cradle aluminum chassis, enables a curb weight of just 304 pounds (without fuel).
2025 Honda CRF450RX Underpinnings And Dimensions
|
Chassis |
Double-cradle aluminum |
|
Front suspension |
Showa 49 mm USD forks (12.2 inches travel) |
|
Rear suspension |
Showa monoshock (travel NA) |
|
Wheels |
21/17-inch Excel aluminum spoke rims |
|
Weight |
304 pounds |
|
Seat height |
39 inches |
The CRF450RX Has Three Fuel Tanks And A 449cc Engine
Under the skin, the RX has a 449cc, single-cylinder engine–as is the norm in the Dakar Rally. This mill has plenty of tricks up its sleeves, such as an oversized radiator, a long-ratio six-speed transmission, a sky-high 13.5:1 compression ratio, and a titanium Akrapovic exhaust. The result is 58 horsepower and a top speed of 100 miles per hour.
What’s more interesting is that the engine sucks fuel from not one, not two, but three fuel tanks. The two at the front have 5.8 gallons of capacity while the rear subframe tank can hold 3.7 gallons. For reference, the mammoth BMW R 1300 GS Adventure can hold 7.9 gallons of fuel–1.58 less than the stripped-back CRF.
2025 Honda CRF450RX Engine
|
Engine |
449cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled |
|
Power |
58 HP |
|
Torque |
NA |
|
Transmission |
Six-speed |
|
Top speed |
100 MPH |
Only 50 Units Of The Honda CRF450RX Will Go On Sale
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The Japanese manufacturer has options from as low as 150cc right up to the 650cc category.
There’s no doubt this is an exotic motorcycle, and that’s why only 50 units will go on sale. Each bike will be hand-assembled by Red Moto (Honda’s long-time partner for the Rally initiative) and will sell for €31,140 (~$33,560). You can’t just go and buy one, though. Instead, you’ll have to ‘demonstrate actual racing use’ and Honda will decide whether you deserve one. Seems fitting, since this is a proper race bike. What do you think?
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