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A closer look at the motorcycle El Chapo used to escape prison

Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, better known by his nickname, El Chapo, stands five-feet, five-inches tall. This defining trait – his nickname, not coincidentally, can be translated as "Shorty" in Spanish – is an important detail in his escape, as the tunnel that stretched a mile underground that led the drug kingpin to safety measures just one inch taller than Guzman's height. Clearly, this was a well-planned and executed escape. The tunnel that was custom-sized to perfectly fit El Chapo started at an abandoned building in the middle of an empty field and ended in a tight shaft that led to the shower stall in Guzman's jail cell. In between those start- and finish-points was an impressively dug-out hole in the Earth, complete with ventilation shafts, wiring for electricity and lights, and rails on the bottom to serve as tracks for a custom-built motorcycle that El Chapo apparently rode to freedom. There are specific traits that could be useful in figuring out what kind of motorcycle we're looking at. All of these facts are well-known to anyone who's been following the story of how the most notorious criminal in Mexico could escape from a maximum-security prison in broad daylight. Especially considering that this event marks the second time since 2001 that Guzman has arranged his own prison break. There's one detail, though, that has caught our attention. A close look at the images released by Mexican authorities shows us a motorcycle that's been heavily modified specifically to work underground. We can't be certain, based on the grainy shots and limited viewing angles of the pictures we have access to, but there are some specific traits that could be useful in figuring out what kind of motorcycle we're looking at. For starters, there's the engine. It's a single-cylinder, air-cooled powerplant, canted slightly forward. The exhaust exits on the right side of the bike, when looking from above, and there's a short chain guard on the opposite side. Granted, that doesn't narrow it down all that much. A look at the shape of the fins on the cylinder and the shape of the head, though, makes us think this may be one of Honda's ubiquitous CG-series of engines. A quick look at the bike's frame shows a single downtube, dual shocks and a steel-tube swingarm. That means it's probably not of particularly recent vintage, but we can't really pinpoint exactly what model it may be.

Honda to dub Fit-based as HR-V for North America

You may remember it as the Urban SUV (pictured above) from when it debuted in concept form at the Detroit Auto Show last year, or know it as the Vezel as the production version was unveiled for the Japanese Domestic Market at the 2014 Tokyo Motor Show. But when Honda starts exporting its new Fit-based crossover - or better yet, building it in Mexico for North American consumption - it will be called the HR-V.
This news comes courtesy of Honda enthusiast forum Temple of VTEC. When contacted by Autoblog, Honda spokesmen declined to comment on the veracity of the report, saying only that it would "announce the name in the near future," but the handle fits with what we know about Honda's history with compact crossovers. The previous HR-V (which was not available in the States) was a high-riding, squared-off crossover built between 1999 and 2006 and based on the Fit's predecessor, the Honda Logo.
While the HR-V moniker might not have name recognition in North America, it would in Europe where Honda also hopes its new crossover will find eager customers. It will also fit in nicely below the CR-V that will continue on as the HR-V's larger stablemate.