Moto Squid

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Jul 22, 2002
853
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The crf250r was just released this morning (11/3) for shipment. Mine'll be here tomorrow and I can't wait :yeehaw: But since I just dislocated my shoulder I'm only going to be able to set it up and not ride it. Then I get to drool all over it for weeks. :(
 

Pit Man

Member
Feb 16, 2003
14
0
bikewriter
TT Gold Member



Reged: 10/04/02
Posts: 1056

Guess I should post a ride report, huh
#757344 - 11/04/03 10:42 PM Reply Quote



Crazy busy at work but I got the chance to go out for about an hour. Mind you, I know full well what new-bike euphoria is. It makes you think your bike is the best no matter what so I'll keep this as objective as can be.

First thing I noticed is the rear suspension's static sag is much less than any bike I've owned. It's almost non-existant. But I set the rear up with 100mm of sag and we'll go from there. Take most bikes off the stand and let them sit, and they squat. The CRF250 doesn't. Maybe it's new-bike stiction. Who knows.

I've had good luck breaking in motors by not babying them. I run them hard but not for more than 10 - 15 minutes at a time. With the cold evening air, the CRF is letting me know it has a good motor. It is not dead down low like I thought it would be. Good oomph in conjunction with the weight. Once you get the rpms up, it has a strong and meaty range.

The bike's motor does not give you the floating sensation like a CRF450 does. You know how the 450 can come alive and spit you off the back in any gear at any time? The CRF250 is not like that in any respect. It does not feel that much lighter relatively speaking than my 450 but it's, what, 17 pounds less.

There is no early sign off or low-end bog. The motor is very good and I'm a believer of "if you don't notice it then it must be good." A lot of times a bike with what seems a killer top end is really a bike with absolutely no low or mid and a decent upper. The CRF250 has the power and torque and rpm and gearing exactly where it should be for a 250 four stroke.

Of course first gear is tall and top gear is low. That's what a mx bike is, right?!!

Handling and fit and all that is typical Honda great. I know for a fact the handling will not be the source of any complaints in turns or jumps or how it acts in midflight.

All in all it is really a great attempt at a "baby CRF450." I think the light weight and robust 250 motor is going to make this a fun and no-nonsense bike for the track and even the occasional tight off-road singletrack.
 

Moto Squid

~SPONSOR~
Jul 22, 2002
853
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I got mine uncrated and started tonight...looks and sounds awesome. Might have to sneak a little test ride when nobody's looking. sshhh don't tell the doc ;)
 

Yogurt

~SPONSOR~
Dec 25, 1999
218
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Please, I hope more people tell us more details about the CRF250. I'm currently selling my '00 CR125 (have been trying to for over a month) to purchase a CRF250. I can't wait any longer, so I think I'm gonna go up to the dealer tomorrow or early next week and put my money down and really get one! I'm so excited, I hope it all works out. But I hope there are more people out there who already have one, and can tell us some long term ride reports. My dealer told me they wouldn't be in until the end of the month, but that was over the phone, the sales rep could be less informed. I'm so excited, this will be my first 4-stroke, hope I like it. Keep the replies coming...
 

Moto Squid

~SPONSOR~
Jul 22, 2002
853
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lol, a long term review??? They've only been out for two days.....

Here's a pic
 

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nikki

Moto Junkie
Apr 21, 2000
5,802
1
COOOOL Moto Squid!! Now change your signature ;)
 

djj

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Apr 18, 2003
238
0
Illinois CRF250

Picked up my new CRF250 today and went riding at bufflao rock. The bike starts good, the tires suck (for mud and sand), the power is comparable with the 04 YZF250 I rode recently, 1st gear is high for the woods, bike feels like a toy compared to my berg and 450 KTM. All in all I think its going to be a really cool bike :thumb: .
If anyone has questions let me know, if Sunset ridge is open on 11-16-03 I'll be there . My son is getting a new RMZ250 so we'll have a good compaison
 
Feb 25, 2001
394
1
just cranked mine out for its first test ride...its my first 4-stroke and I was ALL smiles. NO more clutching it every 10 feet on the moto track. It has awesome power and a really snappy throttle response. VERY instantanious power when you flick the throttle it MOVES!
 

Danman

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Nov 7, 2000
2,211
3
I went in to get a plug for the beast today and I pull into the honda shop and I see a dude ripping across the parking lot on a CRF. I get inside and there were 2 new ones on the floor. They look nice. The shop is giving a demo ride after the Motorcross races tomorrow at the track. I may bring my gear and get in line. I realy would like the "X" though.
 

fox13fx

Member
Aug 27, 2002
7
0
the crf tires are the dunlop d 742 and d756 tires which are intended for intermediate terrain just like the stock tires that would come on any bike... plus you really cant ask for better stock tires than what honda provided... the bike should rip in anything...
 

jboomer

~SPONSOR~
Jan 5, 2002
1,420
1
I can vouch! Unless it's polished blue groove, the tires are great! I wore the edges off in a day of riding (hard pack clay), but they still hook up really well.
 

Yogurt

~SPONSOR~
Dec 25, 1999
218
0
I just picked up my CRF250 today! It's got the D742 front and D756 rear, couldn't ask for much better tires on a stock bike. I already cracked it open today, starting to break it in. So far I am very impressed with this bike. It is my first 4-stroke ever, and I believe I'm sold! I was just putting around the house with it today, very quick throttle response, pulls like a tractor. I was only going half-throttle on it, and I can tell it's faster than my very moded '00 CR133. Tomorrow it's gonna be a warm and partly cloudy 50 degrees here, and it's Vetern's day, no school! So what a great way to spend the day. I'll finishing breaking it in, and hit my small MX track, and post another review. Other impressions, include awesome Honda-esque ergonomics. Starting is a breeze. And the Showa suspension is very plush, definitely slices and dices.
 

Yogurt

~SPONSOR~
Dec 25, 1999
218
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OK, after I finished riding it around slow and easy. I decided it was good to go, and ready to ride my mx track. Obviously the night I bought it, I stayed up, took apart the triple clamps, and both wheels, and greases up the wheel bearings and steering stem bearings. I still gotta do the linkage yet. But otherwise this thing is almost ready to go outa the box! Compared my my CR133, it's definitely easier to ride, and much more powerful. The throttle response is instant, like a light switch. It flies just like my 125 almost, engine braking is almost non-existant. I thought I would have to adjust more to a 4-stroke, since it's my first one, but really, I feel pretty comfortable on it already. The starting procedure is great, choke if it's cold, hot start button if it's hot. Frankly, I don't think these 250F's belong in the 125 class. It's an unfair advantage, granted it weighs about 10lbs more and isn't quite as agile as a 125, but it's darn close! I'm sold on these here 4-bangers. Any questions? So far I only got one hour of track time on it.
 

Patman

Pantless Wonder
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Dec 26, 1999
19,774
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I have a question.

Will you be bringing it to Stillwater, OKLAHOMA so I can try it out next year? :)
 

Yogurt

~SPONSOR~
Dec 25, 1999
218
0
Patman, I was thinking about an even sooner trip to Oklahoma. It's snowing here today, only in Minnesota does it go from a Hi of 58 yesterday to 34 today and snowing like crazy! I can't wait for spring to come, it's too far away! I am seriously trying to plan a few riding trips south this winter! Tejas maybe???
 

Patman

Pantless Wonder
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Dec 26, 1999
19,774
0
I could put ya' up there "Deputy" ;)
Got a 1000 acre lease we can ride too :thumb:
 

Yogurt

~SPONSOR~
Dec 25, 1999
218
0
Ok, how soon?? I'm ready! Let's plan a DRN winter ride. How warm is Cooperland in December? Time to use the Organized Rides/Places to ride forum. I do plan on moving away from this state in another 2 years maybe. I wanna be somewhere I can ride all year long! Come on global warming!
 

Malden

Member
Feb 28, 2000
39
0
Heres my seat of the pants review after breaking in my CRF250.

Absolutely first rate highest quality manufacturing is evident in this bike. Coming off a 03yz250f this bike makes my yamaha look old school.

Rider ergos are sweet, bike feels thin. I am 5'10" and i will need clamps or offset mounts to get the bars up some more. Seat to footpeg distance is noticably shorter than my yamaha, i might need a taller seat.

Starting is funny. Sometimes i nail it and sometimes i kick and kick. I believe starting a 4 stroke is more of a function of getting used to the bikes "sweet spot."than anything else. Kind of like scratching your dogs belly in the right spot to make em kick. Once i got used to the yamaha I could start my yzf first kick every time. Honda kicks easy though. yz had a lot of resistance

Have not rode enough to seriously compare power but i noticed the yamaha had MORE low end torque when the throttle was cracked. A good analagy would be if you start off "carefully"on your lawn the yzf would tear it up even when you slipped the clutch. The crf could be started with no wheelspin what so ever. Hopefully the CR will make up for it on top... or with a sprocket change.

Cornering is where i felt the biggest difference was. The YZF was a steak knife but the honda is a razor. Feels much lighter and more conducive to taking inside lines. the yamaha felt like a schoolbus after the crf.

Honda brakes...awsome
clutch excellent
tires ...excellent
Crf is much quieter
grip seat ....nice
alum bars.. shame on honda and the others for putting steel on for so many years.

the crf smokes some when you warm it up????????? whats up with that??? I started another at the dealer to make sure it wasnt only mine. Service mgr said rings need to seat. my yam never did that.
I will post after i put some harder hours on the bike and get the proper springs for my weight. This bike has big shoes to fill because i really loved my yzf.....
 

nikki

Moto Junkie
Apr 21, 2000
5,802
1
Great review Malden!

My friend Stacy (buko138) picked up a CRF last night and I can't wait to ride it and compare it to my '03 250F. We're planning to ride tomorrow at her track so I'm real excited to see what I think. I've heard from many places that the bottom end on the CRF is weak which concerns me some because the strong bottom/off idle throttle response on the YZF is one of my favorite things about the bike. But I'm most interested to compare the cornering ability of the two bikes as I know corners are my weak spot and maybe the CRF can help me out there. I also rode a KXF a few weeks ago at my favorite MX track... so a full comparison ride report of the 250F's will soon be on the way!

We had a hell of a time getting the CRF started last night for its first start ever. At first, the compression was unbelieveable... but after about 50 kicks in a 30 degree garage, it fired up. We also noticed a little bit of smoke out the silencer the first few minutes, but it went away. Plus there is a high pitched "chirping" noise that we think we isolated to the bike sucking air. After the initial start, the bike was very easy to kick and started 1-2 kicks each time (and the compression wasn't as bad as maybe the rings seated some?). The bike has a nice long deep 450-ish bark when you crack the throttle in neutral. After sucking in plenty of exhaust fumes, we quit playing with the bike for the night.

Oh - and we measured the stock seat height to be 37.5 inches over the pegs. I'll put the same tape measure on my 250F tomorrow as I wanna verify if the CRF really sits 1-2 inches lower than the Yamaha. Plus we might break out some bathroom scales and put one under each tire to try to get a real weight comparison.... we'll also throw an '04 CRF 450 on the scales too and anything else thats laying around.... so stay tuned!
 

Dan105

Member
Aug 23, 2002
193
0
malden-- how can you say a 03yzf 250 has a lot of resistance kicking it over? I say this because I rode a 03 yzf250 a few months ago. The bike was running when I got on it so i didnt get to start it before I rode it. Well I stalled a few miles down the trail when I was turning around and when I went to kick it over I almost tore the dam lever right off!! It has the auto decompression so it kicks unbeleivably easy. I ride a cr250 so that is what I am comparing the compression to.
 
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