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"   MORE MOTORCYCLE MANIA STORIES \u2022 TEST DRIVE: New Suzuki Boulevard C109R and C109RT  \u2022 Q&amp;amp;amp;A: Inside the Extreme World of Motorcycle Trials Riding    LOS ANGELES \u2014 Honda celebrates its 60th birthday this year. It&amp;#039;s built everything from robots to watercraft, cars, motorcycles and even a personal jet. It&amp;#039;s a dizzying range of mechanical versatility, so we decided to tap into two strains of the Honda gene pool recently for a day of fun testing the Ridgeline pickup truck and new CRF230L road-legal dual-purpose dirt bike to see if we could pick out any shared DNA.   In addition to individual seat time in each vehicle, we also combined the two: loading up the Ridgeline with the CRF230L. Then we headed to the Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area in Gorman, CA\u2014a 19,000 acre playground of rugged terrain. Yeah, that was a good day. \u2014Basem Wasef  The Truck Specs  These two very different machines have a common core: they are both focused on functional simplicity. The Ridgeline&amp;#039;s relatively late entry in the pickup truck market in 2005 wasn&amp;#039;t as boundary-breaking for the manufacturer as you&amp;#039;d think\u2014Honda built its first light truck, the T360, way back in 1963. The truck business has had plenty of ups and downs since the 1960s, especially these days. And the Ridgeline&amp;#039;s car-like unibody chassis intentionally steps away from the frame-on-body construction found in stalwarts from Ford, Chevy, and Dodge. The unibody allows for a lower center of gravity and a more refined chassis focused on improved handling.   Our 2008 all-wheel drive model was powered by an aluminum 3.5 liter V6 producing 247 hp and 245 lb.-ft of torque\u2014figures that are bumped a nominal 3 hp and 2 lb.-ft. for the mildly refreshed 2009 model. The 5-speed automatic&amp;#039;s gear ratios were quickened for 2009, though the Ridgeline&amp;#039;s 4,500 pound curb weight and relatively humble engine output still trails the output of many domestic V8s. But where the Ridgeline lacks oomph, it counter punches with car-like features. The 5-passenger cab with its folding rear seats is spacious and functional. And the bed houses a lockable, watertight trunk with 9 cu.-ft. of storage. Estimated fuel economy figures of 15 mpg city, 20 mpg highway aren&amp;#039;t stellar, but hey\u2014this is a big truck, not an Accord. The 2009 Ridgeline RT starts at $28,000, with the RTS priced at $31,105, and the top-end RTL hitting $33,980.  The Bike Specs  The CRF230L is a bit more single-minded than its &amp;quot;dual-purpose&amp;quot; label suggests. Built around an air-cooled, single-cylinder 223cc engine, the CRF230L is all-new for 2008. It combines an electric starter and trail-ready suspension with a powerplant tame enough for newbies. The carbureted engine is in no danger of humbling a sport bike, but on the other hand its even-handed, tractable power makes this a great beginner bike that happens to be offroad capable too. A seat height of 31.9 inches isn&amp;#039;t the lowest on the market (cruisers typically dip below the 30 inch mark), but the trade off is a whopping 9 inches of travel from the front Showa fork, and 6.3 inches of travel from the rear single shock. With a full tank of gas, the CRF230L weighs in at only 267 pounds\u2014it&amp;#039;s on the feathery side of most motorcycles. And that makes it even more appealing for less experienced riders or shorter riders. The 2009 CRF230L is priced at $4,499\u2014roughly one sixth the cost of an entry level Ridgeline.  The Ride and Drive  It&amp;#039;s a moderately tall climb up into the Ridgeline&amp;#039;s 5-passenger cabin. But once inside, the view is commanding\u2014save for that blind spot created by the truck&amp;#039;s large C-pillars. There&amp;#039;s a somewhat plasticky feel to the interior that is a bit disappointing. We&amp;#039;d call the cabin more purposeful than plush. Instrumentation is classic Honda\u2014that is, all business and not a bit of fluff\u2014consistent with the Ridgeline&amp;#039;s utilitarian personality.   Similarly unposh, the CRF230L is a back-to-basics bike that strikes a balance between pavement and dirt. But this is not a machine concerned with either saddle softness or trick components. Like any multi-purpose tool, the bike is elegantly simple. Dual sport bikes are built on a time-tested platform with ancestry reaching back to the glory days of &amp;quot;On Any Sunday.&amp;quot; And this Honda is no exception. Fire up the single-cylinder engine, and the 230L chugs to life like only a &amp;quot;thumper&amp;quot; can. The clutch releases with little effort, and the bike accelerates with only adequate zest. It can be argued, however, that it&amp;#039;s more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow. And in this regard, the CRF230L makes a solid case for itself. Pinning the throttle and letting the knobby tires and softly sprung suspension soak up bumps is downright fun.   The Ridgeline is similarly sedate during most suburban driving conditions. The engine is quiet and smooth. But you&amp;#039;ll have to hold the revs high to get a satisfying rush. Roll up the windows, and the cabin is hushed and civilized. The ride is supple too thanks to the four-wheel independent suspension. Yet when we loaded up the CRF230L and another bike into the Ridgeline&amp;#039;s bed, the rear did sag a bit\u2014that&amp;#039;s the price you pay for a car-like ride. The hour drive from Los Angeles to Gorman with the bikes in back was uneventful. But when we entered the Hungry Valley offroad area, we knew it was time to leave the Ridgeline and focus on the bike.   The CRF230L does surprisingly well over demanding terrain. Laying off the front brake and steering by sliding out the rear wheel, the CRF&amp;#039;s suspension shines on the ruts, mud, and ragged surfaces. It may not have the outright grunt to keep up with bigger displacement bikes, but as an entry-level motorcycle, it took everything we could throw at it.   Remember the Ridgeline&amp;#039;s interior we mentioned was a bit too utilitarian? Well, at the end of a long day of riding on a the thin vinyl seat of the CRF230L, the Ridgeline&amp;#039;s leather-lined cabin felt downright luxurious. With the seat heaters cranked and the 7-speaker system tuned to satellite radio, the Ridgeline&amp;#039;s interior became nearly limo-like, a welcome respite from the vibrating foot pegs and raw immediacy of the other Honda.  The Bottom Line  If these two very different machines illustrate anything, it&amp;#039;s that the Honda family tree has many branches. There may be genetic threads and design elements that connect these two, but the Ridgeline and CRF230L are vastly different machines with unique missions. Though the CRF230L is perfectly capable on public roads, it comes alive in the dirt. Conversely, the Ridgeline is really built for the highway, with its smooth riding suspension and quiet cabin. But like so many Hondas, both of these useful tools operate with a straightforward ease that speaks to Honda&amp;#039;s engineering-driven expertise.   RELATED STORIES \u2022 COMPARISON TEST: 5 2009 Full Sized Pickups  \u2022 FIRST LOOK: 2010 Honda Insight Hybrid  \u2022 ATV DRIVE: Another Kind of Honda-the 2009 Honda Big Red  \u2022 MOTORCYCLE TEST DRIVE: Honda Vs. Harley  \u2022 PLUS: Custom Chopper-The Intel Motorcycle   "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a12786/4290275/>