Honda reported sales of 15.5 million motorcycles for its fiscal year ended March 31, 2013. That marks a 2.8% increase from the 15.1 motorcycles sold the previous fiscal year. Sales were particularly strong in North America where Honda reported a 25% increase in motorcycles sold.

The company’s motorcycle operations generated net sales of 1.34 trillion yen (US$13.7 billion) for the year, down slightly from 1.35 trillion yen. You know you’re dealing with a big company when it counts its sales in billions of yen – and still needs to use a comma. Overall, including its automotive and power products businesses, Honda reports a net profit of 75.7 billion yen (US$772.9 million), up from 71.5 billion yen the previous year.

Honda did especially well in the North American market, reporting sales of 250,000 motorcycles (Honda includes scooters and ATV sales in this figure) compared to 200,000 in the previous fiscal year. New models such as the Gold Wing F6B, CRF250L and CRF110 helped spur on sales in North America. Continue Reading »

Honda announced it is bringing the CRF250M supermoto to Europe. We first heard about the supermoto version of the CRF250L in January, when it was announced for Thailand. Though nothing official was said, it seemed likely at the time Honda would introduce the CRF250M to other markets. American Honda has not yet announced whether it would offer the CRF250M, but we hope it will.

Like the CRF250L, the M version uses a liquid-cooled 250cc Single engine based on the powerplant introduced with the CBR250R. The CRF models share similar power and torque figures, claiming 22.8 hp at 8500 rpm and 16.2 ft-lb. at 7000 rpm. Honda claims the CRF250M can get about 80 miles on the gallon. Combined with a 2.0-gallon fuel tank, the CRF250M should have a range of about 160 miles. Continue Reading »

Honda has revealed a new supermoto version of the new CRF250L in Thailand dubbed the CRF250M.

Like the L, the CRF250M uses re-tuned version of the CBR250R‘s engine, a liquid-cooled fuel-injected 249cc Single. When we dyno’ed the CRF250L in our recent 2013 250cc class dual-sport shootout, we measured a peak of 20.3 hp at 8700 rpm and 14.0 ft-lb. at 5800 rpm, so we expect similar numbers out of the CRF250M.

The CRF250M is equipped with 17-inch street tires instead of the 21-inch front and 18-inch rear knobby tires that come with the CRF250L. The suspension will have been adjusted for the change in wheel sizes but the M retails the CRF250L’s upside-down fork and Pro-Link rear suspension. Continue Reading »

Honda reported a 1.8% increase in motorcycle sales in the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2012, including a 13.2% increase in North America.

According to the company’s second quarter report for its 2012-2013 fiscal year, Honda sold 3.879 million motorcycles over those three months, up slightly from 3.811 million units from the same period last year. Unit sales were up in Asia and North America, though much of those gains were reduced by decreased sales in Europe, Japan and Brazil.

North American consumers scooped up 60,000 units in the quarter, an increase from 53,000 units in the same quarter last year. Honda attributes the increase to the introduction of the NC700X, the CRF250L and the Metropolitan scooter. Sales were down however for some models such as the Gold Wing as well as the Four Trax Rancher ATV. Continue Reading »

Honda reports a 12.5% increase in motorcycle sales over its first quarter ended June 30, 2012. The quarter represents a return to form following last year’s opening quarter which faced the financial fallout from last March’s earthquakes and tsunami in Japan.

The difference is most apparent when looking at the company’s bottom line. Honda reported a net income of 131.7 billion yen (US$1.69 billion) in the first quarter of 2012 compared to a net income of 31.7 billion reported for the same quarter of 2011.

Honda sold 3.91 million motorcycles (including 29,000 ATVs) over the first quarter, compared to only 3.48 million units in the quarter the previous year. Continue Reading »

As expected, Honda has officially announced it will introduce its new CRF250L to the U.S., offering it as a 2013 model for $4,499.

The 2013 Honda CRF250L is powered by a liquid-cooled fuel-injected 249cc Single inherited from the CBR250R, so it carries the same low-friction innovations such as the roller rocker arm design. Like the CBR, the CRF250L is produced in Thailand, helping keep costs low. By contrast, the CRF250L is $500 cheaper than the CRF230L it replaces, despite adding a larger engine with fuel injection, double-overhead cams, and liquid cooling.

American Honda hasn’t released U.S.-spec figures but the specs sheet for European and Japanese models claim  an output of 23 hp at 8500rpm and 16 ft-lb. at 7000rpm. According to Honda, the CRF250L has a curb weight of 320 pounds. Fuel economy, at least for other markets, is stated as 104 mpg, so the 2.0 gallon tank should provide enough for 208 miles. Continue Reading »

American Honda and Honda Canada haven’t yet officially announced they will import the new Honda CRF250L, but the parent company has outed the dual-sport’s availability in North America.

Honda has launched a new micro-site dedicated to the CRF250L describing its features including its CBR250R-derived engine. The section discussing the CRF250L’s muffler explicitly confirms an American and Canadian model, saying: “the model for the United States and Canada complies through additional settings for a spark arrestor.” Continue Reading »

Honda has released full specifications for its upcoming the CRF250L, a dual-sport with an engine based on the CBR250R‘s powerplant with a fuel efficiency of 104 mpg.

Set to launch in Japan in May and Europe in the summer, the 2012 Honda CRF250L replaces the CRF230L in Honda’s repertoire. North American availability hasn’t been officially been announced, though Honda Canada is expected to introduce the CRF250L in the summer.

To produce the CBR250R, Honda developed the fuel-injected liquid-cooled 250cc four-stroke DOHC Single engine to have very low internal friction, employing a number of innovations such as an offset cylinder and roller rocker arms in the valve train. The CRF250L’s engine maintains the same 76mm bore, 55mm stroke and 10.7:1 compression ratio. Honda claims a peak output of 23hp at 8500rpm and 16 ft-lb. at 7000rpm from the CRF250L’s engine. Continue Reading »

Honda announced it will introduce the new CRF250L to Europe this year. North American availability has not been confirmed, though it appears the new dual-sport, which shares a similar engine to the Honda CBR250R, may soon be announced for these shores.

While there’s no official word on the Honda CRF250L in the U.S.,the liquid-cooled dual sport has already appeared in North America, appearing last weekend at the Montreal Motorcycle Show. A member of the ADVRider forum reports Honda Canada only received the CRF250L recently and the price is expected to be about CN$5000. That puts it close to the price of the ABS-enabled CBR250R.

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The 2011 Tokyo Motor Show has produced a number of new concepts but there is at least one new production model. Honda premiered a new dual-sport powered by a 249cc engine reportedly based on the CBR250R’s power plant.

The 2012 Honda CRF250L is a step up from the CRF230L and its carbureted air-cooled 223cc SOHC engine. The new CRF250L is powered by a fuel-injected liquid-cooled DOHC four-valve Single Honda claims delivers “satisfying” torque at low revs and smooth acceleration at high rpms. Honda hasn’t revealed any specifics but if the engine is indeed the same as that of the CBR250R (and considering the R&D invested into that engine, it should be!), power output should be about 22hp.

Continue Reading »