02 CR 250 riders, update us on ride reports

[a.ktmfan]

How is the bottom end response?
Jetting issues?
New gearing how is it working, do we need to consider a counter shaft sprocket change?
Suspension?
Etc..

 

[Dwayne]

I bought my 02 cr250 a week ago Sat and the next day raced it at Hangtown ,this past weekend I raced it at Hollister . I am a 235lb ( with all my gear on) vet novice and this bike absolutely rips. The suspension is perfect, the jetting is awesome. I have gone from being a mid pack starter to a holeshot king. The only bad thing about the bike was the tires I threw away the dunlops and slapped on a set of michelin starcrosses front and rear and that made the package perfect. This bike will outpull any other bike out there. A friend of mine drag raced me down a long straightaway on his hopped up 426 and I not only walked away from him but to onlookers it seemed as if he had just given up and was backing down but that was not the case. RC is gonna rail on one of these :p

 

[Buzz Bomb]

Dwayne, have you ridden a 2001 CR250? Is the 2002 a lot faster than the 2002 in your opinion? I've heard that it has more low end, but is about the same on top.

 

[Honda318]

theres noway a stock 02cr250 can walk away from a 426,the 02cr250 motor is so strong it has 2 less teeth than last years and dirt rider said the motor handels it well,dirt rider said it feels like it needs a tad more over rev but thats only casue it builds the revs up way faster than riders expect,dirt rider said its the bike to be beat for 02

 

[smarttoys]

This bike will outpull any other bike out there. A friend of mine drag raced me down a long straightaway on his hopped up 426 and I not only walked away from him but to onlookers it seemed as if he had just given up and was backing down but that was not the case.

I normally holeshot 426's on my '00 CR250 and I wouldn't say that it was an extremely fast bike. :think

I now have a '02 YZ250 and have ridden a '02 CR250 and I like the YZ motor and suspension better not to mention that I got a great deal on it. It has a lot to do with personal preference and setup though. I think they are both great bikes.

The Honda sure looks nice.:D

 

[IBWFO]

I have an 01 426 and bought the 02 CR 250. After I learned how to ride a 2 smoke again, I can tell you that it is going to be the bike to beat in 02. The brakes fit and finish are all typical Honda. The motor isn't as tame as the Yanaha but it does have some low end. The bike seems to have power everywhere. The bike is so light and the suspension is great. My buddy has the 02 YZ 250 and we both agree that the Honda is better in the suspension dept. The Yamaha seems harsh compared with last year. The Honda does have a "hit" compared with the Yamaha. The feel of the bike is awesome. The ability to manuver the bike is incredible. In coming up short on some triples I have yet to bottom the suspension. I have not done any jetting from stock and have checked the plug and it is perfect. I run Motul 60:1 with VP MR/2.
The bike turns like a dream, and I have found myself not even taking my foot off the pegs when going around some corners.
This bike is Fast and dares you to hit the whoops faster every time.
I changed the tires to Dunlop 756's and the chain to a DID and am thoroughly impressed. My buddy with the Yamaha likes his 01 YZ 250 better than the 02 and is hoping a suspension re-valve will fix the harshness.
I think we will be seeing a lot of Red on the Podium this year.
Regards:cool:

 

[Big Tuna]

Can't wait pick'n mine up tommorow:cool:

 

[motometal]

Stock chain=junk
Stock jetting=way rich on the bottom (put in a 25 pilot), somewhat rich on top, mid-not sure yet. 800ft elevation.
The bike has a tendency to foul plugs, even after leaner jetting. '00s and '01s are resistant to fouling plugs.
Very light feeling bike.
Top end-seems short on over rev compared to my '01, but part of this could be jetting.

Great bike!

 

[2 B]

Just rode my buddies 02 cr 250. All I have too say is PULL,PULL,PULL. This bike pulls. For a case reed design it has LOW END let me tell you. Holy s***. This bike is responsive,agile,very manuverable. Lay the bike over and it holds the line real easy. Bike didn't wash out nor did the rear end slide out from under me. Like my old Yamaha's . Did not feel the hit like everybody else says. Ran the bike stock and it is awesome. Maybe drop the gearing 1-2 teeth and maybe add a Flywheel weight(if ran in the woods). Besides that adjust jetting and ride the bike stock. Bike is smooth from idle to the top. This bike does not,does not have to be reved to the moon it flat out goes. 1st nice bottom,(maybe a little fanning in the woods if any at all but still good)2nd good,3rd pulls,4th unbelievable, 5th don't use very much. I would love to get this bike in the woods.it would be great. Don't know yet about all the electronic bulls***. Don't know how it will work if it gets wet or muddy(woodsracing). A smart man once said KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID.

 

[Coop37]

Dont cut the 2002 YZ250 short ! the suspension is stiffer "NEW" but when you get about 25-30 gallons of gas ran through it, it is perfect !!
My last years bike was perfect out of the box, on suspension, but after 25-30 gal of fuel, it was too soft, I had to put .44kg springs in the frt and a 5.0 kg in the rear.
As for drag racing, well we all know it is the rider there, I have no problem beating other brands to the first turn, on my 2002 YZ250. yet on the other hand there will be guys that will beat me 2 out of 10 times, so go figure?
My 2002 was way stiff at first, but I backed the compression off 3-4 clicks up front, and 3/8 turn out on the rear compression, for break in.
So if the 2002 CR250 suspension is great out of the box, chances are it will be to soft later?
Good luck

 

[smarttoys]

I agree with the excellent suspension of the '02 YZ. It's a little soft for my weight but only a little. I found it very plush and controllable after break in. I was able to go MUCH faster through fast whooped out straights than I was able to on my last bike ('00 CR). It corners great, has a great feel when jumping, the motor is outstanding. I never was a big yamaha fan but I'm very glad I bought the YZ.

 

[slideways11]

I agree with Coop. If the suspension is perfect for a 235 rider I dont want any part of it. I chec ked out an02cr250 and was not really impressed. I have an01cr250 with mx tech suspension and an Egorr top end and IMO it is better bike than the 02.
01cr250 02yz250 02yz125

 

[IBWFO]

The real test will come when you see what bike the true "Privateer" will buy.
Since the last three bikes I have owned were blue,(99,00,01 YZ) I'm not afraid to say that Yamaha is a great bike, but this year (02), I think Honda surpassed the rest. If Honda was satisfied with the frame they wouldn't have changed is so drastically this year.
I think the jetting, for sea level is pretty good. I am using 100% race gas mixed 60:1.(I know, I've been doing it for years and do a top end about once a month) Gearing could use a tooth on the rear, but thats all.
Suspension is plush yet doesn't bottom. I have gone in 3 clicks in on the compression on the front and set the sag @ 100mm. I do think a PC pipe and shorty silencer with one tooth on the rear will put the bike right where it needs to be. Now since I'm coming off of a pretty sweet 01 426 I would hesitate to say that this bike (or any other 2 stroke 250 could walk away from the 426, but stranger things have happened.
All the bikes are good, ride them and make your own choice.
I will tell you that with RC and Honda's R&D budget, they were not going to be outdone.
Only time will tell.
Regards:cool:

 

[Spokes574]

The 02 definitely needs more top end. I find myself shifting a lot on long straight a ways in comparison to my 01 cr. I am waiting for someone to try out the motosari reed cage or porting to see if that helps the top end.

02 turns better than my 01 and the suspension is great; it is firm without midstroke harshness, I had to turn the clickers out on choppy tracks( I will most likely put the ss7 oil in when I change the fork oil in the future since that made my 01 forks even better it should make the 02 forks better as well. The stock jetting is fine.

I do not think that the frame feels less compliant than my 01, it still has a very solid feel, but the suspension is much better. Enginewise, you need to shift a lot due to less over rev than the 01.

 

[IBWFO]

I have not been on a sraight yet that the CR couldn't handle, but I do have a problem with shifting under power, as opposed to my 01 426.
I tried to get the V-Force Reeds for the 02 250 but they said at least 2 months. I think that the PC pipe might help what you are talking about. The PC pipe and silencer (not the shorty) has always helped top end.
Are you going to go down a tooth on the rear? Most of the tracks here where I ride (Texas) seem to be shorter than most.


D:cool:

 

[smarttoys]

If you are looking for increased top end, I would recommend the FMF SST pipe and shorty silencer over the Pro Circuit set up. It seems that Pro Circuits tendency lately is to build pipes for increased midrange and not much else. That's how it was for my '00 CR. That may be different for the pipes they make for the '02 CR. I have found no drawbacks with the FMF SST setup on my '00 CR and now my '02 YZ. I really like the increased top end pull and doesn't seem to lose power anywhere. My $.02

 

[elvismx]

Ride report

Just broke in mine and rode it for the first time yesterday. Here's my .02-

1. Power: At first I thought that is was slower (especially on bottom) than my modified 96. That's when I noticed that while I was looking for more power, the next turn was always approaching me very quickly. It does feel like it could stand to rev out a little better. It still doesn't have the bottom end of my old bike. I think the reason it didn't feel that fast was that it didn't have much hit in the middle. Sort of like the 94 YZ in that it is "electric" feeling...a lot faster that it feels on the old Butt Dyno.

2. Jetting: Way rich on the bottom, it blubbers when the throttle is opened coming out of tight turns. This may account for the feeling of weak low-end, too. Haven't gotten time to experiment with the main (or really feel it out much, the track I rode is pretty small).

3. Handling: Very good. Turns well, no stability problems. It should turn better when I change the springs so the rear will stay up where it belongs. For a rider my size(see below), moving the bar back 10mm was a step in the wrong direction for Honda. I put my TwinWalls on it with TAG mounts (offset forward), and it still feels like the bars are a little too far back for me.

4. Suspension: Better than I expected, considering my size (6'4'', 240lb). When I get the springs later this week I'll have better feel for it.

Hope this has been useful.

 

[Saratoga]

Dwayne: I did not see you at Hangtown but I did see you race at Hollister. Holeshot King? You need to get the holeshot to be a self proclaimed king! As I recall, a 02 YZ 250 got the holeshot both motos that you were in with the gang. Were you in the top five? The other moto I saw, you were bringing up the rear.

Hey, just kidding. Please dont take me out next week at the Oatfield.

 

[IBWFO]

elvismx,
why don't you spring for the fmf sst pipe and shorty silencer, and let me know what ya think. lol

D:cool:

 

[elvismx]

IBWFO-
After changing springs (to .48s and a 5.5), I also installed a 49-tooth rear sprocket. WOW! It feels like a different bike. Other than the very bottom, it absolutely rips. My 96 still had more bark on the bottom, but I can say that I am thoroughly impressed. If the wife lets me put a new pipe on it any time soon, I'll post the results.

 

[MobyP]

l'm thinking of getting my after i settle my housing. Can you guys staying at Northern California give me some details about what price you paid for them and where at? l'm down at sunnyvale and I only know 2 places which are honda milpitas and honda ducati.

thanks

 

[Chris007]

I paid $5299 out the door for mine 02 cr250 but that was in Missippi at lake hill motors.

 

[Dwayne]

All American Honda of Santa Cruz is selling them for about 6300 out the door And if you call and ask for Mac at RedwoodcityHonda .He'll beat whatever deal anyone else will give you. Good luck

 

[motometal]

wow...there's a place in Iowa blowing them out for under $5000! 6300???