and thought-through. I didn’ t need to tweak anything to feel comfortable. New minimal bodywork, slim side covers, and shrouds make it easy to move around the bike. The bike feels longer than the spec sheet suggests- in a good way-delivering straightline stability but without giving up any corner agility. The subframe mounting point has changed too, now attaching to high-rigidity pivot plates to“ improve energy transfer and reduce unwanted chassis movement”.
ENGINE The 449.7cc Unicam engine has had some HRC love for 2025, and it shows. Honda revised the intake tract to improve airflow and throttle response( the route through the intake, airbox, intake funnel and 44mm throttle body route is more direct, reducing resistance and improving throttle control), extended the header pipe for better low- and mid-range character, and tweaked the fuel injection mapping. The result is an engine that’ s both strong, smooth and easy to ride fast. On top of that, you’ ve still got the three-level traction control( Honda Selectable Torque Control or HSTC), Launch Control, and the Engine Mode Select Button
( EMSB) to tailor power delivery. I mostly ran it in the aggressive map( Mode 3), especially at Woodhill where that extra low-end punch helped in the power-sucking sand. But what stood out most was how usable the power is, it never feels overwhelming, just controllable and very fast. The revised engine also builds power higher into the revs than last year’ s model. You can really hang it out in third and still have solid drive. It’ s the kind of spread of power that rewards both technical and aggressive riding.
SUSPENSION The suspension has had a full overhaul, and it’ s a big part of why this new model feels so planted. Up front, the 49mm Showa coil-spring forks are all-new— everything from the outer tubes to the oil spec has changed, aiming to give a smoother, more consistent feel throughout the stroke. Initially, I found the fork a bit harsh on square-edge hits, and felt like it was diving into the stroke too quickly. A few clicks on the compression helped settle down the diving. The new settings offer plenty of range with 16 positions for both rebound and compression. The rear Showa shock, meanwhile, is excellent right out of the gate. It’ s also been reworked, with improved internals and easier removal for servicing- apparently taking half the time to remove that it did previously. There’ s plenty of adjustment here too, with 3.5 turns of hi-speed compression and 17 clicks of low. Once dialled in, the balance front to back was spot on. A revised Pro-Link linkage adds to the suspension’ s consistency, especially on big hits or choppy sections. Honda said its goal was to improve stability over rough terrain without sacrificing feel, and I reckon they’ ve nailed it.
52 KIWI RIDER