SPOTLIGHT - HONDA BF225 FOUR-STROKE
Honda’s latest offering is a large displacement 3.5lt V6 that uses the company’s new BLAST™ technology. For those who don’t know, this stands for “Boosted Low Speed Torque” which means it’s controlled by a computer controlled spark advance system that propels the boat onto the plane in mere seconds.
BLAST™ simultaneously opens the throttle body, and this adjusts the air-fuel ratio to a richer setting and advances the ignition timing to produce immediate torque, which results in instant power.
Obviously this extra power out of the hole is advantageous to all boaters, be they anglers, divers or skiers, because the boat jumps up faster, which quickly gets the hull to a desirable planing speed. It also results in greater fuel economy.
I recently tested the new Honda BF225 with BLAST™ on a Haines Hunter 650R and found the new engine’s performance to be simply breathtaking. It jumped the big deep-vee straight up onto the plane with no effort and little noise. The Honda effortlessly rocketed the big hull right throughout the rev range to a top end speed of 43.8kts. That’s just over 80kmh!
CLASS LEADER
Honda has been a world leader in four-stroke outboard technology since 1964. This vision was defined in the words of company founder, Soichiro Honda, when he gave the following directive to Honda staff:
“Two things are most important. If they are not reliable, people’s lives can be endangered. Second, water cleanliness. What will happen to our oceans, lakes and rivers if all that exhaust gas mixed with oil gets pumped into the water? I don’t care if everyone else is making two-strokes. Honda has to make four-strokes.”
Honda’s Boosted Low Speed Torque air/fuel ratio and ignition-timing technology was first employed in the company’s BF75/90. It recently appeared in a redesigned BF40/50 and BF60, and now it finds its way into the new BF225.
The engine exceeds 2008 CARB emissions standards — the most stringent in the world — as well as US EPA standards for 2006, and voluntary Japanese domestic regulations. It also achieves the Outboard Engine Distributors Association’s (OEDA) three-star rating for ultra-low emissions.
Another feature is its use of Programmed Fuel Injection (PGM-FI) technology. Lean Burn Control technology allows combustion to operate on a desirably leaner air/fuel ratio. An O2 sensor, together with the ECU, precisely controls the air/fuel mixture for the best fuel economy at cruise setting. The mode in which Lean Burn Control is used during cruising to achieve greater fuel economy is referred to as ECOmo, which stands for Economy Controlled Motor.
The new BF225 is also NMEA2000 compatible, which means it can communicate with onboard electronics to deliver a wide-range of information to head-unit displays.
Honda backs its products with a professional worldwide dealer network and offers a five-year factory warranty for recreational use. In my view, Honda can quite rightly use the slogans “The Power Of Dreams” and “Four Strokes Of Genius” with the new Honda BF225 with BLAST™.
RRP is $26,399 for the long shaft model; $26,999 for the x-long shaft model; and $27,699 for the xx-long shaft model.
Visit www.hondampe.com.au to locate a dealer or for more information.