Off-Road and Trials
Trials riding has been around for as long as motorcycles have been with us, but as the years have gone by it has altered significantly. Originally, trials riding was quite simply a test of the endurance of man and machine over long-distance courses. When it began, trials riding was actively supported by motorcycle manufacturers as a great opportunity to show off the reliability and durability of their products. However, as bikes continued to get more and more reliable over time, it inevitably meant the courses became more and more demanding.
Eventually, the courses moved increasingly towards the off-road environment to the point where it then became quite rare for trials to include any type of on-road element whatsoever. However, we need to understand the difference between trials riding and off-road racing (motocross).
Motocross bikes for off-road racing are heavier than trials bikes, and motocross bikes also have quite a different suspension setup to a trials bike. A trials bike needs a much smoother suspension setup and more torque than a motocross bike, they're significantly lighter, and they look different to motocross bikes with things like a kickstand and headlight that motocross bikes just don’t need.
Honda CRF250
The Honda CFR250 was completely revamped for the 2018 model year, and the bike that has been the undisputed leader in its trials class for years was setting the standard for others to follow yet again. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an enthusiastic amateur or a seasoned professional; the CRF250 is the go-to trials bike in its class.
Even though it was redesigned so recently, Honda moves the CRF250 on again for 2020 with a number of enhancements. This year, the bike's low to mid-range torque gets a significant boost, while the frame and swingarm are new for the CRF250, and now mirror those of the 2019 CRF450R Motocross bike.
Honda CRF450R
The 450R combines the legendary Honda attributes of durability and reliability, with the balance and agility required for a motocross bike to be as successful as the Honda has been and continues to be.
The 2020 model year CRF450R now has Honda's HSTC system with three riding modes to minimise the amount of rear wheel spin, and therefore increase that all-important traction.
Mode 1 is the least intrusive setting, Mode 3 is where the HSTC system intervenes most strongly and quickly, and Mode 2 is a mid-way balance between the two.
The engine remains unchanged for 2020, but that's not a problem as it already got a boost to peak power and torque for 2019. The four-valve Unicam engine gained a substantial 1.8kW of additional power at 9,500rpm and 2Nm more torque at 7,500rpm last year, and none of this was achieved at the cost of low-down performance from 3,000rpm-up, which was also an improvement on the previous model.
If you want a tough, powerful, reliable and nimble bike to compete at the highest level, look no further than a 2020 CRF250R or a 2020 CRF450R.
Montesa 301RR
This year sees the launch of the Montesa Cota 301RR, which is a genuine world-class trials bike and a replacement for the incredibly highly regarded 300RR. In case you're not sure about the competition credentials of this exciting new bike, "RR" stands for "Race Ready," and this is basically the same machine Gabriel Marcelli rode to become World Champion in Trial2.
Built at the Montesa Honda factory in Santa Perpetua de Mogoda (Barcelona), the 301RR has a single-cylinder, 4-stroke, 4-valve engine that is now a 298cc unit, instead of the 288cc of its predecessor. It's a modest power increase, but it corresponds to what is now the maximum allowed capacity in Trial2.
At the front, the suspension is a 39mm TECH telescopic fork that's adjustable in preload and reach, and has 175mm of travel. At the rear, there's a Pro Link system with SHOWA shock absorber that's adjustable in preload, extendible, and has 170mm of travel.
Other changes from the previous bike include the crankcase decompression system which has been redesigned to reduce the engine brake significantly, which means the 301RR should now feel much easier and more controllable to ride than its predecessor. The crankcase breather has also been enlarged from 1.9 mm to 2.25 mm, and there's a redesigned aluminum silencer with an enlarged inner tube that could increase the torque over the entire speed range by up to as much as 16 percent.
Buildbase Honda MX championship
Honda competes in the Maxxis British Motocross Championships and the MX Nationals series in the UK with the Buildbase Honda Racing MX team. The Maxxis and the MX Nationals run from March through to September.
The 2019 season saw Tommy Searle take the MX1 title, with Buildbase Honda rider Lewis Tombs coming in a creditable ninth position out of 49 riders after being drafted into MX1 at the last moment following an injury to Jake Nicholls. The big news for the Buildbase Honda team is that 2019 Maxxis ACU British MX1 Motocross champion Tommy Searle will actually be riding for the team in 2020, alongside Jake Nicholls (MX1) and Steven Clarke (MX2)
Greater success was enjoyed by the Buildbase Honda team in the 2019 MX Nationals, which saw the team's Josh Gilbert crowned champion in MX2 after dominating the Cusses Gorse event (last round) with a double win.
Repsol Montesa Trials team
Repsol began its association with trials competition in 2004, but the energy company it started right at the top of the event by sponsoring what was already the most successful team in the history of the sport: Honda Montesa.
The collaboration bore fruit right from the start as the first year of Repsol's sponsorship of the team saw Japanese rider Takahisa Fujinami claim victory in the World Championship, with British rider Dougie Lampkin taking the runner-up spot. Lampkin had already taken the title in the previous seven years, with four of them being with Montesa.
In 2007, the team signed Toni Bou, and Toni brought even greater levels of domination to what was already an incredibly successful and dominant team. Not only did the tie-up lead to the subsequent domination of the indoor event, but the first year also brought about the first of what would eventually become eight outdoor titles. This helped make Bou the most successful competitor at this highest level of the sport, with an incredible 26 titles that broke down as 13 indoor and 13 outdoor championships.
Today, the team still has Toni Bou and Takahisa Fujinami onboard. Spaniard Bou was born in 1986 and began riding when he was only eight years old. He won his first title of Spanish Junior Champion in 2001 when he was 15 years old, and not long after he took the European 250cc Cup.
Takahisa Fujinami isn’t just one of the best riders in the world; he's also one of the most popular thanks to aggression, bravery, and flamboyant riding style that has made him a big favourite with crowds everywhere. After dominating his home Japanese national championships for a period before making the step up to international competition, Fujinami saw his tenacity and class pay off in a big way with world title success in 2004.
2019 turned out to be yet another incredibly successful season for the Repsol team. Takahisa Fujinami finished the outdoor series in a very creditable third place, but Toni Bou continued his jaw-dropping run by taking both the indoor and outdoor world titles for a simply astonishing thirteenth year in a row.
Cab Screens Deos Group Racing
Another team using Honda bikes in the 2019 Maxxis British Motocross Championship is the Cab Screens Deos Group Racing team. Cab Screens Racing is a not-for-profit team that was set up six years ago and has two riders in the MX1 class of the British Motocross Championship racing the Honda CRF450.
2019 saw rising star rider Harri Kullas join existing rider Dan Thornhill in the Hampshire-based team run by Lee Webber. Dan was already a regular member of the UK's top ten riders in his class, and a former youth champion. In this year's championship, Dan Thornhill managed a season-best 6th place in round 1, while Harri Kullas did exceptionally well in his first year. Kullas won the MX national Championship and managed no less than eight podium finishes and fourth place overall in the 2019 Maxxis British Motocross Championship.
Built with Shorthand