Honda Crf250r

Honda CRF250R

.04newrides

Good WUU

WORKING FOR THE READER HERE, CYCLE WORLD was the first U.S. magazine to hop a ride on the brand-spanking-new Honda CRF250R. Our ride took place at the world-famous (and as close as ever to being closed down) Carlsbad Raceway in Southern California. Watched by many of the cubicle captives who work in the nearby industrial buildings (ever-encroaching development has now surrounded the famous old track), we roosted around the hard-packed terra firma to deliver the scoop on the most anticipated motocrosser, four-stroke or otherwise, of 2004.

Apparently, it wasn’t just a case of shrink and sell when it came time for Honda to build a 250cc Thumper-crosser. With the little brother to the motoking CRF450R, word was out that the Red Riders were having a difficult time keeping the bigger bike’s high-performance tradition alive. Topping the list of troubles was the fact that there was less room within the crowded combustion chamber for the sparkplug. A solution came in the form of a smaller, 10mm plug, which was downsized from the 14mm plug used on the 450. Some basic concepts remain, such as the single “Unicam” riding atop the intake valves and reaching via rockers to the exhaust valves. Because all of the valves are smaller and lighter (as are most other engine parts), the engine spins all the way to

13,000 rpm, 2000 revs higher than the 450. At 12.5:1, the 250’s compression ratio is also a bit higher than that of the 450.

Chassis-wise, the 250R is the flagship for Honda’s fourth-generation aluminum frame. Still semi-double-cradle in design, the ovalized rectangular spars were revised to maintain up-and-down stiffness while allowing more side-to-side give. Also, the inertial mass point was lowered and the center of gravity was pushed forward for an even more nimble feel. So, what’s WUU? We’ll get to that in a moment. From the first lap on the track, all we can say is, “Mission accomplished.” As for any rumors you may have heard about the CRF250R being slow, forget it! Put simply, it wails. It’s also an easy starter, more so than any other 250cc Thumper. The engine

feels torqueier than other midi-MX Thumpers, sort of like a Yamaha WR250F, but without the sluggishness. Lug it, and the CRF-R reacts as though it has some flywheel weight. Snap the throttle open, though, and the engine responds as though there isn’t any flywheel.

The engine sounds torquey, too, building revs off the bottom at a slightly slower speed than other 250cc four-strokes, but pulling just as hard. How hard? Some test riders suggested the factory racers should take pay cuts to ride this bike in the 125cc class! And when it hits its 13,000-rpm rev ceiling, the engine is making at least as much power-if not more-than anything in its class. One word of caution: We rode this bike at sea level on a hardpacked track, which are optimum conditions for power production.

The chassis, meanwhile, is all that the motor is and then some. Which brings us to WUU, test-riderspeak for Whole Unified Unit, as in the bike isn’t a separate thing; you are the bike, and the bike is you. The CRF is more like that than even the ’04 CRF450R, which also sets new standards for an offthe-showroom-floor bike.

The engine’s wide, easily managed powerband, combined with the new frame, gave the 250R magic-carpet-like performance around the semirough Carlsbad circuit. On the downside of “The Freeway,” for example, it’s typical to pick a line and hold on. The CRF, however, was so comfortable that testers could simply change lines when necessary. Braking was a thought-free process, because not so long ago, riders worried about not getting stopped for the U-turn at the bottom of the big, bad hill. Now, the inside line is an option and not a dream. WUU allows you to think where you need to be and, somehow, the bike goes there. The Showa fork and shock are balanced, plush and progressive, smoothing out rough sections and making mistakes non-issues. We didn’t need to click, adjust or fiddle in any way between faster and slower riders. We just pinned it and rode it. The CRF is fast, fun and forgiving.

After we lucky magazine hacks do a full test on the CRF250R and a 125cc-class shootout, we’ll be able to give you the full story. But on this day and at this track, no one complained about anything, not even the handgrips! -Jimmy Lewis