GP’s Classic Steel #73: 1983 CR60

For this week’s GP’s Classic Steel, we are going to step into the wayback machine to take a look at Honda’s short-lived dabble into the 60cc class with the 1983 Honda CR60R.

In 1983, Honda became the last of the Big Four to enter the 60cc mini cycle game. While admirable for a first effort, it was not up to unseating the omnipotent Kawasaki KX60 in’83.

Today, the mini bike class is largely the domain of ultra-trick KTM’s and Cobra’s. The little 65cc two-stroke rockets look like 5/8ths scale versions of the machines campaigned by the national stars and feature all the latest in motocross technology. Beefy, long travel suspension, hydraulic clutches and disc brakes front and rear grace these major mini machines. In many cases, the average seven-year-old has access to a bike that is tricker than a full works bike from twenty years ago. In America, the mini cycle class is serious business.

In the early seventies, this was the state of mini cycle development in America. A lawn mower motor, rudimentary frame and (if you were lucky)an inch or two of suspension were the best you could hope for.

Of course, this was not always the case. In the early days of moto in America, most mini bikes were home crafted specials consisting of a lawn mower engine and (if you were lucky) some rudimentary suspension. In this era of backyard specials, purpose play bikes like Honda’s original XR75 were actually considered competitive race machines. The little four-stroke from Honda was fast enough to run with most bikes of the time and far better built.

On the dyno, the CR60R’s 42.5mm x 41.4mm reed valve mill produced a claimed 11.5 horsepower from its 58cc’s. While the motor pulled well and revved out cleanly, it was down on power at every point on the curve compared to Kawasaki’s rocket-fast KX60.

In the late seventies, the atmosphere around mini cycle racing started to change, as the Japanese began to work on purpose built mini racers of their own. By 1980, all the Big Four Japanese manufacturers had 80cc mini racers in production and Suzuki and Yamaha had even branched out into the 50-60cc class. The new YZ50 and RM60 were no play bikes, and featured powerful two-stroke mills tuned for racing. The YZ50 even came equipped with a scaled down version of Yamaha’s patented Mono Cross rear suspension system. With the introduction of these entry level race machines, pressure began building on Kawasaki and Honda to come out with gateway machines of their own.

Believe it or not, in the seventies, the XR75 was Honda’s mini race bike. With Jeff Ward at the controls, the little thumper was actually competitive for a time. Eventually, however, lighter and more powerful two-stroke mini’s would relegate the Honda to play bike status.

After introducing their first Honda CR80R Elsinore in 1980, it would take Big Red three more years to introduce their own 60cc mini racer. The all-new CR60R would forgo the liquid cooling of its big brothers, but would get the Pro-Link rear suspension and all-new works bike styling from rest of the ’83 CR line. With its orange mist plastic and electric blue safety seat, the littlest CR looked every bit like a shrunken down version of Donnie Hansen’s ’82 RC250. While there was no doubting the littlest CR looked like a winner, the real question was, did it have what it took to take down the class champ, Kawasaki’s rocket motored KX60?

In 1980, Yamaha took the mini class to the next level with their all new YZ50. Looking every bit like a scaled down version of Bob Hannah’s Factory Yamaha race bike, the little YZ made Santa’s wish list the world over.

Some of the Honda’s power deficiency was probably do to its smallish 22mm carb (The KX60 used a 24mm mixer). It gave the bike great low-end power and response, but limited top-end pull. In’84, Honda would up the size to 24mm in an effort to catch up to the Kawsaki.

The gold standard: Perhaps no bike in history has been as dominant in its class as Kawasaki’s little KX60. For more than two decades (and with little more than BNG as improvments), the little green-meanie owned mini class racing in America.

By 1983, there were really only two legitimate contenders for the 60cc motocross crown-Honda and Kawasaki. Suzuki’s little RM60 had not changed since its introduction four years prior and was firmly entrenched in the seventies with its dual shocks and short suspension travel. The Yamaha similarly had fallen behind the class leaders, with a mellow motor and nearly two inches less travel than the long legged Kawasaki. If there was going to be a new champ at the top of the 60 class, it would have to come from Honda in ’83.

In 1983, Honda introduced an incredible line of motocross machines that were top to bottom, the most competitive Big Red had ever offered. Everything from the CR60R to the CR480R was at or near the top of the class in performance.

For the ‘83 CR60R, Honda started completely from scratch with an all-new design. The bike used a sturdy semi-double cradle design for the frame and mated it to Honda’s patented Pro-Link progressive rear suspension system. Up front, the CR used a set of leading axle Showa forks which punch out 7.1 inches of travel. For power, the Honda mini used a 58cc, reed-valved, air-cooled, single, flowing through a close ratio six speed gearbox and manual clutch. In ’83, the CR60R was every bit the modern motocross weapon.

Button Fly: Nearly all of the development on the ’83 CR60R was done by Honda’s mini Factory rider Jimmy Button. After a somewhat tepid first outing, and a much improved ’84 effort, Jimmy helped Honda develop a totally new liquid-cooled CR60R for the ’85 season. According to Jimmy, the new 60 was extremely trick and poised to unseat Kawasaki at the top of the class. Oddly, Honda would pull plug on the new bike at the last minute (with the bike already developed) and mothball the 60 program in America at the end of the ’84 season.

On the dyno, the CR60R’s 42.5mm x41.4mm reed valve mill produced a claimed 11.5 horsepower from its 58cc’s. On the track, it produced a solid spread of ponies that pulled well for a mini and revved out to a pleasant top end. There was not a lot of hit or explosion in the powerband, and the bike was easy for first timers to handle. Power was on par with the Yamaha (itself bumped up for ’83) and superior to the novice friendly Suzuki, but not in the same league as the rocket-fast Kawasaki. In 1983, no other 60cc machine could hang with the green machine. The Kawasaki barked to attention in the mid-range and roosted on the other machines in the class on top-end. In any test of speed, the KX was head and shoulders above the others.

That ship has sailed: By ’83, the RM60 had become decidedly behind the times. Basically a 1979 motorcycle with BNG, the little Suzuki was a decent beginner machine, but no racer.

With the front suspension, the Honda once again played second fiddle to the mini Kermit-crosser. At 7.1 inches of travel, the CR60R was significantly better than the stubby YZ and RM, but nearly an inch below the 8.0 inches offered by the ’83 KX. Even worse, the CR’s stock forks were set up on the extremely soft side and were prone to harsh metal-to-metal bottoming on big hits. On small chop, the forks performed decently, but were still a step behind the long-legged Kayaba’s of the KX60.

While the CR’s front suspension offered a competitive 7.1 inches of travel (more than the RM and YZ, but less than the KX), its action was too soft for anyone but an absolute novice.

In the rear, the CR was much more competitive with the KX. The Pro-Link rear offered a competitive 7.9 inches (same as the KX) of travel from its none-adjustable Showa shock. It did a better job of absorbing bumps than the Kawasaki’s Uni-Trak, with its biggest advantage being on rebound, were the Kawasaki was too quick and prone to kicking. As for the other two, both the Yamaha and Suzuki were far outclassed in ’83, with antiquated designs and lackluster performance. In’83, The Honda Pro-Link was the King on mini class boingers.

In the rear, the all-new CR offered a scaled down version of Honda’s patented Pro-Link rising rate rear suspension. While it lacked the remote reservoir and adjustability of its big brothers, it provided the most controlled ride in the 60 class.

Handling on the littlest CR was much like that of its big brothers. The soft forks settled quite a bit in turns and gave the mini razor sharp manors in the turns. On the faster parts of the track, however, the CR60R was a bit of a handful. Its soft front suspension dove under braking and led to nasty headshake coming down from speed. On a bike intended for small and inexperienced riders, this was not an enviable trait. While the CR’s 27.2 inch seat height was less than the Kawasaki, its overall weight was significantly more. At 120 pounds, the Honda was a full seven pounds heavier than the Kawasaki, a huge difference on such a small machine.

In the mid-nineties, Cobra Motorcycles USA entered the mini cycle game with a purpose built race bike to compete with the home brewed PW50’s dominating entry level racing at the time. With the introduction of Cobra and the increased involvement of KTM in the early 2000’s, the mini cycle class finally started to see some innovation again after over a decade of stagnation.

In 1983, Honda jumped into the deep end of mini cycle racing and got eaten up by the Team Green juggernaut. The ‘83 CR60R was a decent first effort, but it was underpowered, under suspended and overweight. Compared to the awesome KX80, it offered a better rear shock, but little else. In ’83, the KX80 was the only game in town for a mini pilot on the move. It offered the most suspension, the most horsepower and the lightest weight. It was a Ferrari in a class of Camaro’s.

Today, racers in the 65 class have access to the absolute latest technology on their mini racers. Powerful motors, dual disc brakes, race bred suspension and even a hydraulic clutch make are common place on these pocket rockets.

In ’84, Honda would redesign their 60 class racer with a bigger carb, more horsepower and longer travel, but it would not be enough to hold off the most dominant machine in motocross history. By 1985, only the Kawasaki would remain in the 60 class. Instead of trying to compete, three of the Big Four would literally secede from the class and leave the little KX60 as the only serious option for racers. What would follow would be over twenty years of total domination by the green machines.

In 1983, Honda introduced an all-new racer for the pint sized motocross set. The $728 CR60R offered decent performance, but was not up to unseating the mighty Kawasaki KX60 as King on the 60cc racers. Offered for only two years, the CR60R remains an odd failure in a decade full of big wins for Big Red.

Today, the Honda CR60R remains a collector’s item and interesting footnote from one of Honda’s greatest eras. At a time when it seemed like Big Red could do no wrong, they packed up their toys and went home. With a new bike developed and ready to go (and very good, according to Honda CR60R development rider Jimmy Button), Honda chose to quit rather than fight. It was an odd end, for one of the coolest mini racers of the 1980’s.

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