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Honda CRF250X Review |
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Honda CRF250X Review |
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-- Honda CRF250X Review - Page 1 /
Page 2 -- By Trevor Hedge  Honda’s
entry into the performance four-stroke enduro market was a long time
coming but the wait proved worthwhile. Honda’s CRF250X was
introduced in 2004 and has steadily improved ever since. The latest
model is slimmer between the knees than the original and boasts new
bars, upgraded disc rotors and instrumentation, a new chain guide
that Honda claim has five time the service life of its predecessor
and CRF branded bark-busters help protect your levers and fingers in
the tight stuff. The compact 249cc four-stroke single has fantastic bottom end drive. Despite a piston and crankshaft assembly that weighs less than a decent steak, the CRF250X is remarkably tractable down low and proves extremely resistant to stalling. This is one little thumper that has no need for a big rev in order to make quick progress. Even on standard 14/53 gearing first gear was rarely required. Negotiating terrain that your average dirtbike rider would describe as quite challenging the CRF250X had no problem pulling the standard gearing, even up some extremely challenging hill-climbs. More than once when negotiating some tight single trail I hit the throttle a little too hard and found myself having to use plenty of body language to try and keep the CRF250X pointing the right direction as the front wheel climbed its way into the air. The bottom end pull is really quite incredible for a 250cc four-stroke and it caught me out quite a few times. The bottom end torque builds into a strong and useable mid-range with plenty of over-rev available should you need to hold a gear between corners. Like all hard-core enduro machines the CRF250X requires plenty of maintenance. Oil changes after every long and hard ride are wise preventative maintenance. The engine only holds 850ml of oil so refilling the crankcase is hardly going to break the bank and an oil filter costs under $15. For safety’s sake the piston and rings should be changed every 15 hours by the book. That can be pushed out to more than 50 hours of enduro style riding if you are reasonably gentle on your machinery. While to the uninformed this type of maintenance schedule seems to border on the ridiculous it really is fairly much par for the course right across this class of motorcycle. A piston and ring set retails for around $100 so if you are a capable mechanic it is fairly cheap maintenance. If you need the services of a mechanic then the bill inclusive of parts could be as high as $700. The Honda has however gained a reputation of wearing out valves a little earlier than the competition. Many people suggest replacing the titanium exhaust valves with stainless steel items but this can trade one problem for another as eventually the stainless valves damage the cylinder head. Some tuners are using some fairly exotic valves to cure the problem and are reporting good success. Valve clearances should be checked every 15 hours to ensure maximum life from the top end. Of course the absolute best thing you can do to ensure maximum longevity from any dirtbike engine is to ensure that it breathes clean air. A hinged air-box lid enables quick access to the air filter without the need for any tools. A smart rider in really dusty conditions would go as far as carrying a spare pre-oiled air filter on any long ride in tortuous conditions. Again, this is cheap insurance and saves you money in the long run. All machines such as the CRF250X are equipped with washable foam filters and will last for dozens of uses if cared for properly. Anyway, enough of the maintenance lesson, let’s get back to the CRF250X. To say the five-speed gearbox on the Honda is smooth and light is understating just how hot knife through butter the shift action is. A newborn could shift gears on the CRF250X without hurting their toe. Likewise, the clutch is so light it is a wonder it actually works. Starting the machine is as easy as pressing the button. I never got around to trying the kick-starter back up however I purposely left the ignition on whenever I was stopped in order to try and highlight any deficiencies in the electrical system but found none. Honda supplies a trickle style battery charger with the machine which makes it ridiculously easy to keep the battery in great shape during long periods of downtime. Get the dealership to wire the connector for the charger into a space accessible by the air-box door which means when parking up you don’t have to lift a spanner or screwdriver to put the machine on charge. It’s easily done and to be honest should be a routine part of any good dealerships pre-delivery routine for a CRF. If the machine is only for off-road use well away from houses and holidaymakers then also get the dealership to remove the baffle in the standard muffler and jet the machine to suit. The ease of use follows through to the ergonomics. The controls fall perfectly to hand and despite never owning a CRF250X jumping aboard was like being reunited with a lost love. The wide footpegs offer great purchase and even the seat is relatively agreeable. I did suffer a little arm pump that would see me experimenting with the positioning of the Tag T2 handlebars if after spending plenty of seat time and actually gaining some real dirtbike fitness the bar position still posed a problem. Continue to Page 2... |
-- Honda CRF250X Review - Page 1 / Page 2 --