Well, most of the 2003 models have been leaked to the press, and many people were surprised that Honda did not offer an electric start use-friendly version of their 450 four stroke. Or even put the electric foot on the popular XR 650R.

But Honda, being the sales leader in the world, knows who buys their bikes and what kind of bikes they buy. And the hard fact of the matter is that they sell a lot more trail/play bikes than they do race bikes.

Which brings us to the new 230F. It's obviously the heir apparent to the venerable XR200, which served a whole bunch of riders for almost 20 years. The bike will not be available until October of this year, so we haven't had the opportunity to sling a leg across the bike.

It has more displacement than the old XR 200, which should translate into more power. Considering the fact that the old XR had sweet power, the 230 should be more icing on the cake.

Anyway, until it does come out, here are some specs and photos to check out.

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