Canada’s
M ost
Re a d
M o to rcyclin g
Community
N ews p ap e r
issue 113
APRIL 2019
Sprockets
Honda unveils electric CRF450 dirt bike & Scooter
Honda took to the Tokyo Motorcycle Show to debut its latest EV work. The company unveiled two models including a CR Electric dirt bike and Benly Electric city delivery scooter. For such a powerhouse in motorsports, Honda hasn’t made as much progress on the twowheeled EV front as one might expect. However that trend might be changing thanks to two new Honda EV models just debuted at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show. Honda is now showing off prototypes for an electric dirt bike and electric scooter. Honda’s new CR Electric dirt bike prototype appears to share the same frame as the Honda CRF450. The bike also sports the same inverted Showa suspension fork and off road tires as the standard CRF line. Unlike the standard CRF bikes though, this prototype is 100% electric. The twin-spar aluminum frame that has defined Honda’s CRF line of dirt bikes now supports an electric motor in place of the standard ICE powerplant. Honda is being tightlipped on the details and won’t yet share power figures, so we can’t say for sure how many kW that motor is capable of. The motor isn’t a Honda part either. It was developed by Mugen – a company Honda has worked with in the past. Mugen is perhaps better known for the Shinden electric race bikes that compete in the Isle of Man electric races. Honda’s other big unveil in Tokyo was an electric version of the Benly delivery scooter. Normally found with a 110cc engine, this one also has an electric motor swap. It is powered by the same batteries that Honda uses in their larger PCX Electric maxi scooter. The batteries are designed to be swappable – an important feature for an electric delivery scooter. Swappable batteries mean that the operator can keep the scooters running nearly indefinitely without needing to visit a gas station. Battery swap stations or even individual spare batteries on single chargers in the delivery depot can be used to get the scooters back out on the street with fresh batteries. Honda has been just as tight-lipped with details regarding the electric Benly as they have on the CR Electric. However, the company does sound committed to bringing both models to production and has referred to the models as prototypes instead of concepts. I don’t think we’ll see these two models in a Honda showroom this season, but it at least demonstrates some progress – which is a great sign.
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Arlen Ness, A true Legend
A legend in the custom builder world, Arlen Ness has been building custom motorcycles for more than four decades – the Ness name synonymous with chopper. Arlen Ness, also known as “The King of Choppers,” has built some of the most iconic custom motorcycles in the industry over a 40-year career. Not bad for someone who started out in his garage in 1967 armed with no more than a spray gun and a dream. With the
money he won as a semi-professional bowler, Arlen bought his first Harley. Arlen stripped down his Harley Knucklehead and gave it a paint job of his own creation. He would continue to hone his custom bike building and painting skills by opening a parts store on East 14th Street in Oakland. As his custom parts gained in popularity, he eventually expanded his enterprise by creating his first catalog, a single page of products. His talent would soon be recognized by numerous motorcycle magazines and before long his work graced covers of most
major motorcycle publications. The one bike that helped catapult Arlen Ness to fame was a 1947 Knucklehead called Untouchable. It was a motorcycle he reinvented over and over in the lean first years because he didn’t have enough money to buy another bike. He eventually restored the low slung, stretched-out bike with the unforgettable tank and engraved knuckles to the way it looked in the ‘60s. Arlen Ness and approximately seventy hand picked employees opened the continued on PG. 03 new World
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