I don't have a CR but I can give you an opinion on a 2001 WR 125 - more or less the same bike. So far I'm very pleased with it. I haven't had a lot of riding time on the thing yet but so far so good. Even in enduro trim the engine makes great power, about the same as my 98 YZ 125 but with more bottom end. The only mods so far are a Doma pipe, higher bend bars and a cr wiring loom. It feels super stable at speed and agile in the tighter stuff. The build quality is better than I've ever seen on a jap bike. The components are top gear: braided hoses, nissin/brembo brakes, marzocci forks, quick adj clutch. It's a joy to work on as well. The seat unclips by hand and by removing one bolt you can take off the tank (complete with shrouds) in seconds. You can get the carb out easily without taking off the subframe. UFO make after market plastic and spares are not too far off japanese prices. A season of racing will be a proper test, but so far I love it.