Honda developing carbon-fibre CRF subframe

JMX82
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JMX82
Edited Date/Time 3/10/2015 7:00pm
This looks really interesting: http://www.adbmag.com.au/news/1503/honda-developing-carbon-fibre-crf-su…





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tek14
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tek14 3/10/2015 12:38am
3/10/2015 12:38am
Husky and Beta have them on current models, plastic with carbonfibre mixed in. If you know anything about RC cars you see lot of these plastic vs carbon or glassfibre mixes on various parts.
racerhansen 3/10/2015 12:51pm
3/10/2015 12:51pm Edited Date/Time 3/10/2015 12:51pm
Hope this never goes into production. Imagine breaking one of those
Grieby54
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Grieby54 3/10/2015 12:59pm
3/10/2015 12:59pm
racerhansen wrote:
Hope this never goes into production. Imagine breaking one of those
Exactly what I was just thinking. As if moto isn't expensive enough...
olds cool
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olds cool 3/10/2015 1:04pm
3/10/2015 1:04pm Edited Date/Time 3/10/2015 1:07pm
How are you going to cut the thing apart to stuff a CR500 motor in it?Tongue

Never mind...subframe. My old eyes aren't as good as they used to be.

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kiwifan
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kiwifan 3/10/2015 1:09pm
3/10/2015 1:09pm
racerhansen wrote:
Hope this never goes into production. Imagine breaking one of those
Grieby54 wrote:
Exactly what I was just thinking. As if moto isn't expensive enough...
so how expensive are the Husky and Beta subframes? Plus if they are mass producing them then costs wont be that bad, plus the CRF250 shares same subframe etc as the 450 (I am ummm 90% sure of that lol) so I dont think the cost will be as bad as what you think, plus these new subframes I suspect will allow a little flexibility but still be stronger than current subframes so less breakage.
TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 3/10/2015 1:11pm
3/10/2015 1:11pm
As a note: would you be stoked if this was for a Limited Edition RC450R? Say, oh...I don't know, one of 400 available to the public for something around $2-3K more than a Production CRF450R?

Funny, some folks throw Honda under the bus; yet, they've got soooo much cool stuff coming for us Motoheads.
.kyle
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.kyle 3/10/2015 1:17pm
3/10/2015 1:17pm Edited Date/Time 3/10/2015 1:20pm
There is a chance the carbon subframes could be made a lot quicker than the current ally ones, which will save money (for Honda) by not needing so many workers.
The hot press method they mention is what BMW use to make the carbon roof for the M3 and they make a roof every 10mins.
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kiwifan 3/10/2015 1:21pm
3/10/2015 1:21pm
TeamGreen wrote:
As a note: would you be stoked if this was for a Limited Edition RC450R? Say, oh...I don't know, one of 400 available to the public...
As a note: would you be stoked if this was for a Limited Edition RC450R? Say, oh...I don't know, one of 400 available to the public for something around $2-3K more than a Production CRF450R?

Funny, some folks throw Honda under the bus; yet, they've got soooo much cool stuff coming for us Motoheads.
Dont they do a special edition CRF450 in the UK? I dont think it comes from the honda factory though does it?
TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 3/10/2015 1:22pm
3/10/2015 1:22pm
TeamGreen wrote:
As a note: would you be stoked if this was for a Limited Edition RC450R? Say, oh...I don't know, one of 400 available to the public...
As a note: would you be stoked if this was for a Limited Edition RC450R? Say, oh...I don't know, one of 400 available to the public for something around $2-3K more than a Production CRF450R?

Funny, some folks throw Honda under the bus; yet, they've got soooo much cool stuff coming for us Motoheads.
kiwifan wrote:
Dont they do a special edition CRF450 in the UK? I dont think it comes from the honda factory though does it?
That's the UK distributor's doing; if, I'm not mistaken.
HazemG
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HazemG 3/10/2015 1:23pm
3/10/2015 1:23pm
racerhansen wrote:
Hope this never goes into production. Imagine breaking one of those
Grieby54 wrote:
Exactly what I was just thinking. As if moto isn't expensive enough...
Beyond that, carbon fiber doesn't break in a forgiving fashion.. This could be dangerous.

.kyle
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.kyle 3/10/2015 1:25pm
3/10/2015 1:25pm
racerhansen wrote:
Hope this never goes into production. Imagine breaking one of those
Grieby54 wrote:
Exactly what I was just thinking. As if moto isn't expensive enough...
HazemG wrote:
Beyond that, carbon fiber doesn't break in a forgiving fashion.. This could be dangerous.

It depends on the resin used. You can buy flexible resins.
TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 3/10/2015 1:26pm
3/10/2015 1:26pm
racerhansen wrote:
Hope this never goes into production. Imagine breaking one of those
Grieby54 wrote:
Exactly what I was just thinking. As if moto isn't expensive enough...
HazemG wrote:
Beyond that, carbon fiber doesn't break in a forgiving fashion.. This could be dangerous.

Depends on the Resin/Fiber matrix.
GMalzee
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GMalzee 3/10/2015 1:30pm
3/10/2015 1:30pm
racerhansen wrote:
Hope this never goes into production. Imagine breaking one of those
Grieby54 wrote:
Exactly what I was just thinking. As if moto isn't expensive enough...
HazemG wrote:
Beyond that, carbon fiber doesn't break in a forgiving fashion.. This could be dangerous.

They make hockey sticks out of it, need lots of flex for those.
ledger
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ledger 3/10/2015 1:32pm
3/10/2015 1:32pm
racerhansen wrote:
Hope this never goes into production. Imagine breaking one of those
Amen to that !!
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MxKing809 3/10/2015 1:32pm
3/10/2015 1:32pm
TeamGreen wrote:
As a note: would you be stoked if this was for a Limited Edition RC450R? Say, oh...I don't know, one of 400 available to the public...
As a note: would you be stoked if this was for a Limited Edition RC450R? Say, oh...I don't know, one of 400 available to the public for something around $2-3K more than a Production CRF450R?

Funny, some folks throw Honda under the bus; yet, they've got soooo much cool stuff coming for us Motoheads.
Do NOT tease me..... is this happening?
.kyle
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.kyle 3/10/2015 1:32pm
3/10/2015 1:32pm
Grieby54 wrote:
Exactly what I was just thinking. As if moto isn't expensive enough...
HazemG wrote:
Beyond that, carbon fiber doesn't break in a forgiving fashion.. This could be dangerous.

GMalzee wrote:
They make hockey sticks out of it, need lots of flex for those.
Titleist make golf club heads out of (forged) carbon and I don't believe they break.
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Madmax31 3/10/2015 1:34pm
3/10/2015 1:34pm Edited Date/Time 3/10/2015 1:35pm
TeamGreen wrote:
As a note: would you be stoked if this was for a Limited Edition RC450R? Say, oh...I don't know, one of 400 available to the public...
As a note: would you be stoked if this was for a Limited Edition RC450R? Say, oh...I don't know, one of 400 available to the public for something around $2-3K more than a Production CRF450R?

Funny, some folks throw Honda under the bus; yet, they've got soooo much cool stuff coming for us Motoheads.
What cool stuff? The 5+ HP less than the competition, and same garbage clutch for years? So now they're doing something Husky and Beta doing, and they're special?
kiwifan
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kiwifan 3/10/2015 1:34pm
3/10/2015 1:34pm
TeamGreen wrote:
As a note: would you be stoked if this was for a Limited Edition RC450R? Say, oh...I don't know, one of 400 available to the public...
As a note: would you be stoked if this was for a Limited Edition RC450R? Say, oh...I don't know, one of 400 available to the public for something around $2-3K more than a Production CRF450R?

Funny, some folks throw Honda under the bus; yet, they've got soooo much cool stuff coming for us Motoheads.
kiwifan wrote:
Dont they do a special edition CRF450 in the UK? I dont think it comes from the honda factory though does it?
TeamGreen wrote:
That's the UK distributor's doing; if, I'm not mistaken.
I think you are right there buddy :-)

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ChrisB10
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ChrisB10 3/10/2015 1:37pm
3/10/2015 1:37pm
Is this for production or ad a works part?? Aluminum sub frames are light and cheap as is. Yeah carbon is stronger but not worth the $ for an average joe.
TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 3/10/2015 1:38pm
3/10/2015 1:38pm
TeamGreen wrote:
As a note: would you be stoked if this was for a Limited Edition RC450R? Say, oh...I don't know, one of 400 available to the public...
As a note: would you be stoked if this was for a Limited Edition RC450R? Say, oh...I don't know, one of 400 available to the public for something around $2-3K more than a Production CRF450R?

Funny, some folks throw Honda under the bus; yet, they've got soooo much cool stuff coming for us Motoheads.
Madmax31 wrote:
What cool stuff? The 5+ HP less than the competition, and same garbage clutch for years? So now they're doing something Husky and Beta doing, and...
What cool stuff? The 5+ HP less than the competition, and same garbage clutch for years? So now they're doing something Husky and Beta doing, and they're special?
While I can see that you have no love for Honda...

You're assuming those parts and that motor would remain production parts.

Note, I'm currently riding KTM's and Husky's.
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kiwifan 3/10/2015 1:43pm
3/10/2015 1:43pm
ChrisB10 wrote:
Is this for production or ad a works part?? Aluminum sub frames are light and cheap as is. Yeah carbon is stronger but not worth the...
Is this for production or ad a works part?? Aluminum sub frames are light and cheap as is. Yeah carbon is stronger but not worth the $ for an average joe.
Did you not read the words, mass production? Plus the CRF250 would share the same parts, so they would make a lot of these and therefore costs come right down. I guarantee you that IF this does make Production, then there is no way it would be more expensive than the current subframe.
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Sidecar 3/10/2015 2:06pm
3/10/2015 2:06pm


The factory edition we get here in the UK is an awesome bike. I'm not a Honda guy and I'm definitely not in the market for a new solo but these do make me drool a little.... By the way the tank is alloy not Ti like the full factory bike ran for a while.
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kiwifan 3/10/2015 2:21pm
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Sidecar wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2015/03/10/83303/s1200_image.jpg[/img] The factory edition we get here in the UK is an awesome bike. I'm not a Honda guy and I'm definitely not in the market...


The factory edition we get here in the UK is an awesome bike. I'm not a Honda guy and I'm definitely not in the market for a new solo but these do make me drool a little.... By the way the tank is alloy not Ti like the full factory bike ran for a while.
Very nice.....
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jtiger12 3/10/2015 2:25pm
3/10/2015 2:25pm
I don't think Honda is going to do anything to INCREASE their price per unit, even if it is cool. also, Honda went back to the 6 spring clutch in 2013 madmax. Same clutch that never had any problems on the 04-08 450s. I still have the original in my 07 with over 200 hours on a meter.
kiwifan
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kiwifan 3/10/2015 2:41pm
3/10/2015 2:41pm
jtiger12 wrote:
I don't think Honda is going to do anything to INCREASE their price per unit, even if it is cool. also, Honda went back to the...
I don't think Honda is going to do anything to INCREASE their price per unit, even if it is cool. also, Honda went back to the 6 spring clutch in 2013 madmax. Same clutch that never had any problems on the 04-08 450s. I still have the original in my 07 with over 200 hours on a meter.
If you read the article, it says mass made subframe, a mass made subframe would be cheap to produce
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HenryA 3/10/2015 2:48pm
3/10/2015 2:48pm
kiwifan wrote:
so how expensive are the Husky and Beta subframes? Plus if they are mass producing them then costs wont be that bad, plus the CRF250 shares...
so how expensive are the Husky and Beta subframes? Plus if they are mass producing them then costs wont be that bad, plus the CRF250 shares same subframe etc as the 450 (I am ummm 90% sure of that lol) so I dont think the cost will be as bad as what you think, plus these new subframes I suspect will allow a little flexibility but still be stronger than current subframes so less breakage.
Ktm 450sx Subframe = 330$

Husqvarna 450TC Subframe (3 parts) = 330$

So yeah, it's not necessary in a higher price range just because it's molded. But it's important to remember that the Husky subframe is some kind of plastic and not carbon fiber. And carbon fiber tends to be a bit more pricey than plastic.
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Rowlands 3/10/2015 2:51pm
3/10/2015 2:51pm
You can also buy a build-base replica here in the Uk.



kiwifan
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kiwifan 3/10/2015 2:57pm
3/10/2015 2:57pm
kiwifan wrote:
so how expensive are the Husky and Beta subframes? Plus if they are mass producing them then costs wont be that bad, plus the CRF250 shares...
so how expensive are the Husky and Beta subframes? Plus if they are mass producing them then costs wont be that bad, plus the CRF250 shares same subframe etc as the 450 (I am ummm 90% sure of that lol) so I dont think the cost will be as bad as what you think, plus these new subframes I suspect will allow a little flexibility but still be stronger than current subframes so less breakage.
HenryA wrote:
Ktm 450sx Subframe = 330$ Husqvarna 450TC Subframe (3 parts) = 330$ So yeah, it's not necessary in a higher price range just because it's molded...
Ktm 450sx Subframe = 330$

Husqvarna 450TC Subframe (3 parts) = 330$

So yeah, it's not necessary in a higher price range just because it's molded. But it's important to remember that the Husky subframe is some kind of plastic and not carbon fiber. And carbon fiber tends to be a bit more pricey than plastic.
the article clearly states it is a carbon fibre outer with a plastic inner, isnt that similiar to what the Beta and Husky is? Even if not it still is not a pure carbon fibre subframe, therefore not as expensive as you think
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hvaughn88 3/10/2015 3:40pm
3/10/2015 3:40pm
I think it's awesome. but I like all things CF. Hell, build the whole thing out of cf, haha
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endurox 3/10/2015 3:40pm
3/10/2015 3:40pm
TeamGreen wrote:
As a note: would you be stoked if this was for a Limited Edition RC450R? Say, oh...I don't know, one of 400 available to the public...
As a note: would you be stoked if this was for a Limited Edition RC450R? Say, oh...I don't know, one of 400 available to the public for something around $2-3K more than a Production CRF450R?

Funny, some folks throw Honda under the bus; yet, they've got soooo much cool stuff coming for us Motoheads.
Madmax31 wrote:
What cool stuff? The 5+ HP less than the competition, and same garbage clutch for years? So now they're doing something Husky and Beta doing, and...
What cool stuff? The 5+ HP less than the competition, and same garbage clutch for years? So now they're doing something Husky and Beta doing, and they're special?
kick starters on japanese bikes, kind of like hand cranking a F-1 or Nascar machine.

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