VOLUME 56 ISSUE 49 DECEMBER 10, 2019 P79
CRF250R
HONDA
T
he Honda is a bike with a lot
to offer with electric start,
selectable map switch,
Showa A-Kit-style coil-spring fork
among its prime offerings. After
dropping a place to fourth in
last year's shootout, Honda was
looking to regain some ground
in the 250cc four-stroke divi-
sion. Among a number of all-over
changes, Big Red focused on im-
proving low-end power and made
revisions to the chassis of the
2020 CRF250R, and while some
enjoyed the high-revving power
and flickable nature of the Honda,
the results of their latest revisions
proved to be somewhat polarizing
on our test riders. In our overall
scoring, the Honda received one
number-one pick, but the rest of
our testers ranked it in the bottom
half of the field, leaving it to col-
lect fifth in our shootout.
Handling and suspension per-
formance were the shining points
of the Honda. The A-Kit-style
49mm Showa SPG fork provides
a planted feel and smooth perfor-
mance everywhere, from braking
bumps to big hits. Most found it
a little soft in its stock form, but
adding a few clicks of compres-
sion provided great holdup and
helped get rid of headshake at
speed, which was an issue for
some riders.
The Honda proved to be very
flickable by nature, able to slice
through corners like a scalpel,
handling everything from sandy
turns to rutted hard-pack with
effortless precision. Ergonomics
also play a role in the Honda's
handling prowess. The CRF is
very easy to move around on with
