97 CR250 - What to do?

[419]

I rode/raced a friend's 98 CR125 and liked the handling of the bike, but wanted more power. I found a good deal on a 97 CR250, so I bought it. Can I expect similar handling from a 97 CR250?

I know neither of these bikes have been critically acclaimed for various reasons - mostly frame/suspension for the 250. What would be on the "mandatory mod" list (offset triple clamps, suspension revalve, etc.) to address these woes? What products/service providers would be recommended?

The 97 CR250 i bought currently has '98 forks with Gold Valves and Applied clamps with less rake (I think).

Thanks for the knowledge!

 

[bikepilot]

They really handle quite well IMHO. The suspension was a little off and people blamed the frame for the harshness, but other than that they were very good. Its hard to know what should be modded without knowing what's already been done to the bike. But I would start by setting the bike up for me, ride it and fix whatever I didn't like. No reason to go replaceing stuff without first riding to see if you find it an issue. The CR250 and 125 have very similar frames (the 250 has better suspension components) and should handel similarly given the amount of additional weight, hp and rotational inertia the 250 has.

For the suspension, I think there are small "compression" springs in the forks. These can be replaced with different ones that will make the forks much more supple over small bumps. I know this is true for my 01CR250R, and belive the 97 used the same forks.

good luck

 

[419]

Thanks for responding, bikepilot.

Well, I don't know very much about how the bike is set up beyond the '98 forks with the Gold Valves and the Applied clamps (not sure of the offset, but I know they aren't stock). I am 5'11" and 190, and the previous owner is bigger than me. He had installed stiffer springs in the fork and the shock, but I'm not sure how much stiffer. I haven't even been able to ride the bike outside of the backyard or set the sag or anything yet (the bike is about 100 miles from me away right now).

From looking at some older threads I found recommendations ranging from setting the sag at 105mm and raising the forks in the clamps to running away from the bike while I still can. ;)

I didn't know if there were any popular general mods/tricks that other owners had applied?

 

[mx_361]

Hey man,

I had a 97 CR250 and when set up well they didn't handle to bad but no where near the level of a 125. The suspension was VERY sensitive and I was always fighting it. The forks flat out sucked most of the time but the shock was pretty good. Still, having owned one, I would look elsewhere if I could. The suspension was that big of a pain. If you do get one spend some coin on having the suspension freshened up and valved/sprung for you. It will make owning the bike tolerable. And watch the motor mounts. Mind would come loose often and they ate up the aluminum mounts to the point it caused a gap. Then when you tightened the bolts it would cause stress on the frame that lead to the frame cracking up on the undercarriage. The motor kicked ass.

MX361

 

[oldfrt613]

Fixing the forks on the '97 is a must. The bike with the stock suspension is a swap monster. I remember running through the same lines on the track and the bike would do something different every time, a real handfull considering the motor was so good. Once revalved, it was a good bike. Offset clamps made it even better.

 

[agrass582]

You can't beat the handling of a 125, whichever it may be.

 

[bikepilot]

Fixing the suspension really isn't hard and has probably allready been done quite well with the gold valves and springs. I'd say set the sag and ride it. If you find it not to your likeling then fix the issue. Worst case you could send it out for a re-valve + softer comp springs and then you'll have some of the best forks in the busines. I wouldn't slide the forks up in the clamps initially with the lessend offest clamps as this will probably reduce trail enough to make the bike very unstable. Again, I'd ride it and go from there. If it pushes and is stable, raise the forks in the clamps or reduce rear sag......


good luck, don't let the naysayers get to you, they are very good bikes and vastly more capable than 99% of riders in the world.

 

[oldfrt613]

I agree with bikepilot. I rode and raced a '97 for 3 years, and won races on it. Its a good bike - better than most riders. Reworked forks and offset clamps round out a great package. I had no reliabilty issues with it.