A Base 50 engine is a generic term for engines that are

reverse-engineered Reverse engineering (also known as backwards engineering or back engineering) is a process or method through which one attempts to understand through deductive reasoning how a previously made device, process, system, or piece of software accompl ...

from the

Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...

air-cooled Air-cooled engines rely on the circulation of air directly over heat dissipation fins or hot areas of the engine to cool them in order to keep the engine within operating temperatures. Air-cooled designs are far simpler than their liquid-cooled ...

four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...

single cylinder engine. Honda first offered these engines in 1958, on their Honda Super Cub 50. Honda has offered variations of this engine continuously, in sizes up to , since its introduction. The Honda Super Cub has been produced in excess of 100,000,000 units, the most successful motorized vehicle in history. With multiple manufactures utilizing clones of the Honda 50 engine for current mopeds, scooters, small motorcycles and power sport machines, it is the most produced engine in history. The engines are usually identical in form, fit and function to Honda 50cc engines and the parts are usually interchangeable with genuine Honda parts. The term Base 50 has originated from the importation of modern styled, small

Pit Bike A pit bike is a small motorcycle, used primarily for recreational purposes, stunt riding and motocross racing. Pit bikes are characterised by small, air-cooled engines, and are rarely used for professional racing, instead being intended for use i ...

s that use the Honda CRF50 as a ''base'' for design. Base 50's have also been known as Chondas, a slang term due to influx of Honda clone engines being primarily from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. The name, a

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

of "Chinese" or "clone", and "Honda", is seldom used in direct sales marketing.

Intellectual property infringement

Honda has a presence in China and shares manufacturing facilities with local industry, as required by Chinese local content trade law. Despite this, Honda has never pursued infringements regarding patents or intellectual property specifically regarding the Honda 50 or Base 50 engines, as the patents for said engines exceed 30 years. Honda has pursued legal action against Lifan regarding other business practices, including Lifans use of Hongda for marketing motorcycles. Honda also won a patent lawsuit in 2007 regarding a separate infringement for the sale of the Lifan LF100T motorcycle

References

{{reflist Engines Honda motorcycles

engines An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...