CR250 engine performance. New VS. pre-2002

[Daisycutter]

I've been told that the 2002-2006 CR250's don't generate the same power as the 1992-2001 models (Forgive me if I'm off a model year).

Is there any legitimate evidence to this claim? Is the difference (if any) significant or even detectable to the rider?

I'm looking at CR250's, and finding a nice 2001 is tough. Yet I don't wanna sacrifice too much power if I go newer. I'm coming off a 2001 CR500 that I race competitively.

 

[ellandoh]

all i can say is i love my 03. ive ridden other bikes and naturally i prefer mine which proves nothing except im used to mine. i can also say that ive ridden my buddies 01 and i thought as far as motor goes they feel the same except i really liked my overev more

take that fwiw

 

[+30]

cr250's

I do some amateur racing when I can on my 03 cr 250. I was lucky enough to holeshot a large group of 450's on an uphill, so the bike can pull. That being said, the bottom is below average to say it nicely, there is a long list of guys on this board who have tried many things to get it back and a good many of them suceeded.The 03 -04 and possibly 05- 06 but i cant verify havent ridden... forces clutch abuse.Some have done a carb swap from mikuni to kehin pwk airstrike various results but mostly positive. Eric Gorr's motorwork is popular for the 03-current to correct the bottom, but he can do any personal profile you want. I have ridden friends 01 cr stocker with the same gearing as my 03 and I was envious. The 01 motor pulls nicely down low,but I feel my 03 pulled a little harder on top...,,btw my 03 has a fmf gnarly just to try to get a little extra bottom. It helps bottom but kills overrev. I hope to get the motorwork soon and ditch the gnarly pipe. Races are won in the turns, bottom is where its at for better lap times. I would say if you can get an 02-03 for a good price, do the motorwork and you have a nice racebike for a fair price. The switch to steel clutch plates actually helped my cornering a bit due to the added flywheel effect and they are cheaper as a kit as well. I like the dirt digger, for some reason the ebc kit glazes over on me- but then on my unmodified cr the clutch is always in play.happy shopping. coming off of a cr 500 you will have to ask someone to point out which one is the clutch lever i suspect you may not have ever used it

 

[john stu]

i had a 2002 cr250 with the mo-better porting,v-force,jetting,ect and i rode my buddys 97 cr250 (stock) and it would eat mine for lunch even though mine had more over rev and my bike was way better than it was stock lol

 

[ellandoh]

i had a 2002 cr250 with the mo-better porting,v-force,jetting,ect and i rode my buddys 97 cr250 (stock) and it would eat mine for lunch even though mine had more over rev and my bike was way better than it was stock lol

that is very interesting :think: i think ive drag raced every other make and model out there at the dunes . from a dead dig, roll on, every which way you slice it, never ever been "eaten for lunch" as a matter of fact id say i won 90% or more. this includes the big thumpers and also includes beating the snot out of a 96 cr supposedly the bulletproof motor and the one all others are compared to

 

[2-stroke diehard]

that is very interesting :think: i think ive drag raced every other make and model out there at the dunes . from a dead dig, roll on, every which way you slice it, never ever been "eaten for lunch" as a matter of fact id say i won 90% or more. this includes the big thumpers and also includes beating the snot out of a 96 cr supposedly the bulletproof motor and the one all others are compared to

I am undefeated at my local riding spot with my '03 CR250R against 250 MXers and a YZ426, the biggest thumper I have come across. People don't think the '03+ bikes feel as "powerful" because the low end power is weak, but the dyno shows the '06 is 48 HP stock. It's all midrange, and the top end falls shorter than othe others, but man it hits hard at peak! I don't think the '06 is significantly different from the '03. I have a Pro Circuit Works pipe/Shorty silencer, jetting and UNI filter and run a mix of 100/93 octane and my bike feels like an absolute rocketship, it must be well over 50 HP. The low end is somewhat better, and the mid/top is way better with the PC pipe.

If you can get a good deal on a recent '03+, I say go for it. The bike is excellent overall, just needs free breathing and maybe a V3 cage for added low end. I just adjust my driving style to keep it nailed and don't have problems with it, other than it being a little too fast for my experience level! :ohmy:

 

[ellandoh]

diehard, you are right , imo people are decieved by the power of the new cr's, jetting doesnt hurt either ;)

got mine with fmf fatty, and put vf3 on it , contemplating the mo' better this winter that'll get her salty :boss:

 

[+30]

ellandoh

ive got a vfrce d2 vlv, have you had the delta2?is the v3 changed much? or should i just continue to order reeds for the v2.?

 

[ellandoh]

never had the d2 and i know of nobody that has the d2, would guess that if you got better throttle-response upon installing the 2 thats all you can ask for, thats basically what i got with the 3 along with a smigeon of bottom

 

[john stu]

that is very interesting :think: i think ive drag raced every other make and model out there at the dunes . from a dead dig, roll on, every which way you slice it, never ever been "eaten for lunch" as a matter of fact id say i won 90% or more. this includes the big thumpers and also includes beating the snot out of a 96 cr supposedly the bulletproof motor and the one all others are compared to

"i rode my buddys 1997 cr250" he doesn't eat me for lunch because im a better rider but when i rode his bike after riding my 02, mine felt like a really fast 125 compared to his bike....sure mine will hang with him in a drag race but his bike has so much more low end ,i bet my 02 has a little more mid (and i mean a little)but down low his has way more and is sooo much easyer to keep on the pipe but over all i like my bike better for the suspension and fit i would love his engine in my 02 frame .......i sold my 02 cr250 not enough balls for me (down low anyway and throttle responce down low)sure you can clutch it all the time i did that for the three years i had it but if i wanted my bike to run like a 125 i would have bought one i now ride a cr500af just twist and go

 

[ellandoh]

my bike must be abnormal then because everyone claims the 01 is great and the 02 up have no motor. i take my regular riding partners 01 for a little ride probably 10 times looking for the big deal and i find nothing to leave me wanting :think: .........i dont get it??

although the 03 is supposed to be the best of the 02-04s .....oh well :blah:

 

[darringer]

In response to Daisycutter's original question, the '02 and up motors make more power than the '01 and earlier, but in a very different manner. I have both a '99 and '02 cr and the '99 hits like a hammer right off the bottom and pulls very hard through the midrange, then flattens out on top. The '02 never really has any real "hit", weaker bottom than pre-'02, but very good pull through the midrange and top. When drag racing with a friend who still has an '02 cr, the '99 will keep up as long as it is short-shifted to stay in the meat of the powerband. But it comes at a price. The '99 vibrates quite a bit more, and traction is hard to come by on slick surfaces because of the hit. However, there is no need to use the clutch out of a corner if you're a gear high. It will still pull nicely. But it is alot more work to ride at speed than the '02. Even after playing with the suspension with spring rate changes and re-valving, th '02-up frame geometry still works better. My '99 is light-years better than it was stock, but for me I'd still want the '99 motor in the '02-up frame. Even though I have to clutch the '02 out of some corners, and am still getting used to the motor differences, I would take the '02-up 9 times out of 10.

 

[Daisycutter]

Sweet. Thanks.