cold start test each morning – yep, big-bore two-strokes with the kick-starter on the left required a certain skill, that’ s for sure. And we were given a whole minute too, which was still no guarantee. But in MX racing there is no minute and there is no time to waste – E-start is vital in the event of a hiccup... or you are nowhere. So, well done to Honda. Other than that, there are not so many updates for the‘ 18 model after what was a completely new bike last year. Subtle changes have been made to the engine mounts, namely the head stays which are thinner and flexier to make the chassis a little more compliant. Also the suspension springs front and rear are harder, up from 0.48 to 0.50 N / m in the forks and 5.4 to 5.6 N / m on the shock. And, the fuelling and mapping has been cleaned up from, what was a reasonably average, slightly stallprone low rpm last year. While the from-idle response is still abrupt and it will stall / flame out sometimes, it is much improved and once in the mid-range the engine is a thing of beauty. It pulls hard and has decent top end, which gets it to the ground well and drives the Honda forward with real enthusiasm. At high rpm it is fast, but not intimidating and manageable. I can’ t help thinking a little more crank mass would help low rpm rideability, but whether it’ s helpful at high rpm is debatable. The three power modes remain with the aggressive map being well named and suitable for open sand tracks. The mellow setting is certainly mellower than the reasonably all purpose default map, but still a little on / off abrupt,
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