Looking to buy a Honda motorcycle? If you’re looking for a Rebel, or a Monkey, or a Grom, your wait time might have just gotten longer. A press release on Honda’s Japanese website says we can expect more production disruption for several models, including the brand’s popular cruisers and small-cc dual sports.
Running the Japanese press release through Google Translate, here’s what you need to know: The Rebel 500 and Rebel 1100 and the Monkey and Grom production lines are shutting down, along with several other popular models such as the CT125, CRF250 Rally and CRF250L dual sport. The reason? There are many reasons! COVID-19 issues (still!). Shipping problems! Supply chain shortages! Changes to Japanese emissions regulations! At this point, Honda says it’s actually shut down orders on affected bikes in Japan. See the translated text below:
“Regarding Honda motorcycle products, from the autumn of 2021 until now, due to multiple factors such as lockdowns due to the new coronavirus infection overseas, congestion in marine transportation and harbors worldwide, and semiconductor supply shortages, product and parts arrivals have been delayed. and logistics delays are continuing and protracted, and the outlook for production and shipments from overseas remains uncertain.
“In addition, due to the application of the 2nd year of Reiwa exhaust gas regulations * to motorcycles for the Japanese domestic market from November 2022, orders for current models may reach the production plan for some models. , we will temporarily stop taking orders.”
Note that last point: This is a Japanese-language release, and it’s aimed at the Japanese market. It’s the CRF250L and CRF250 Rally affected, with no mention of the CRF300 models. In other words: This might not even affect production meant for Canada. However, production line shutdowns are never a good thing, and we would not be surprised if this had a trickle-down effect to global markets for next riding season, including ours.
