The Engine Honda Designed... Then Locked in a Drawer

In 2010, Yamaha shocked the motocross world by flipping the YZ450F engine backward putting the intake in the front and the exhaust out the rear. But years later, Honda's CRF chief engineer Yasuhiro Yokoyama dropped a bombshell: Honda had already drawn the exact same engine, fully ready for a prototype, and intentionally buried the files. 🔧 FREE download — I built a Ride & Maintenance Log to help you track your engine hours and stay on top of service (the stuff that keeps your bike alive, not just running). 11 pages, fillable on your phone or print it. 👉 https://mxexplained.gumroad.com/l/mai... And if you want your bike to actually HANDLE — sag, springs, clickers, the whole setup in plain English — the full guide "Dial It In" is here: 👉 https://mxexplained.gumroad.com/l/dia... Why would Honda design a game-changing reverse engine and then lock it in a drawer forever? From the physics of mass centralization and straight-shot downdraft intake to the catastrophic $80 million bankruptcy of Cannondale’s MX400, the reverse cylinder came with a graveyard of failed attempts. In this video, we break down how Yamaha turned a "cursed" engine design into a champion, why Honda chose dual exhausts over a backward engine, and the secret engineering blueprint that Honda built, verified, and walked away from.