Motomania 2005!

MOTOMANIA 2005!

THE WATERING-TRUCK floodgates have opened and the new season’s motocross bikes have been unleashed—photos and info, anyway!

Honda led the way, taking our '04 pick for best moto-crosser and rebuilding it! Take a chance why don’t you... Not to worry, we can’t wait to ride the mighty CRF450R. The big Thumper gets the fourth-generation aluminum frame that debuted on the CRF250R last season. It’s narrower and lighter with retuned rigidity for a more compliant yet controlled ride. This necessitates all-new suspension settings, so most everything wrapped around that great motor is fresh. Tranny tweaks should make shifting smoother than ever.

Think everything is going valves and cams? Not with the Green or Blue guys, judging by the emphasis on twostrokes for ’05.

Yamaha pull out all the stops. The YZ125 gets an all-new motor that’s smaller, lighter and significantly more powerful. A more vertically stacked transmission and a much straighter intake tract are the primary improvements. Biggest news is the frame material: aluminum! Both YZ250 and 125 feature a combination of forged, cast and extruded frame pieces that help significantly drop overall weight. Enginewise, the already-meaty YZ250 sees only slight updates. What about Yamaha’s Thumpers? Refinements abound, but the

aluminum frame will have to wait a year. Kawasaki took the allnew-motor approach to the KX250. Though it was suspected that the new 450cc four-stroke would get all the attention, it won’t make production this year. Instead, the heat was turned up on the two-stroke. Highlighted by an all-new powervalve system and a reduction in cylinder incline, the aim was smoother, broader power. The steel-perimeter frame had its rake pulled in a degree for quicker steering and a lighter feel. Honda didn’t forget its two-stroke CRs-both the 125 and 250 are expected to be heavily revised, which is why they haven’t yet broken cover. -Jimmy Lewis