Honda Returns Montesa Cota 4RT 260R & 4RT 301 For Casual & Series Trials Riders

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The Montesa Cota lineup for 2023 includes the 4RT 301RR Race Replica variant sporting the same livery as that used by Repsol Honda team member and world champion Toni Bou. (Photo courtesy of Honda.)

Honda has brought back the 4RT 260R, 4RT 301, and 4RT 301RR (Race Replica) models to its Montesa Cota trials motorcycle lineup for 2023. Montesa is a subsidiary of Honda that designs, develops, and manufactures bikes in Barcelona, Spain. The 4RT 260R, an option well-suited for casual trials riders, carries over several updates from 2022, including a larger aluminum muffler that boosts low- and mid-range torque delivery by 5%. The 4RT 301 and 4RT 301RR are competition-level offerings. The 4RT 301RR, which includes an option for a carbon-fiber clutch cover and an exhaust protector, features the same livery as the bike used by Repsol Honda team member Toni Bou, winner of 32 indoor and outdoor world titles.

Talking Engines

The 4RT 260R is powered by a liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, 4-valve, single-cylinder engine with a displacement of 259 cc; the 4RT 301 models have 298-cc engines, which Honda notes is the maximum displacement allowed in the FIM Trial World Championship. All new Montesas benefit from a specially designed crankshaft and a lightweight 3-ring piston with a flat top, providing benefits like reduced vibrations, improved sealing and durability, and more efficient combustion at low rpm. They also have programmed electronic fuel injection (PGM-FI), enabling the “surgical power delivery” vital for trials riding, Honda says.

Chassis, Suspension & More

The Montesa Cota models differ in color schemes—the 4RT 260R with Red, the 4RT 301 Blue Metallic, and the 4RT 301RR White—but share numerous performance, protective, and safety features, including an optional, non-street-legal lighting package that makes riding in darker settings safer. To better protect the engine against hazards associated with trials courses, such as rocks, the bikes are equipped with an aluminum skid plate with rubber cushion. A flared-out rear fender is onboard for protection against mud and water as riders traverse transfer sections.

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Both the 4RT 460R and its 4RT 301 and 4RT 301RR siblings have a long a kickstart lever that Honda says riders can count on for easy one-kick starts no matter where they are on the course. (Photo courtesy of Honda.)

Racers can also access a dual-map electronic control unit (ECU) via a handlebar-mounted switch, letting them select between two modes to adjust engine power delivery for sections with poor traction or those with better grip. A lightweight aluminum muffler, wheel hubs, and frame and swingarm contribute to easier steering and overall excellent handling, while a short rear-brake pedal provides greater freedom of movement and helps avoid impacts, Honda says. Handling gets an additional boost from the 39-millimeter Showa telescopic front fork, which has preload-, compression-, and rebound-damping adjustability and 6.2 inches (157.5 millimeters) of travel, and the rear Pro-Link single Showa shock providing 6.7 in. (170 mm) of travel.

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Source: Honda