~
..
,
.......
•
,
"t
~
r-
co
-..
~
CN
....
v
..0
S
v
....
0.
v
Cf'J
Som e of the major features of the 1988 Honda CR250 include a low er center of gravity, narrower profile and different shock linkages.
The low er routing of the exhaust pipe has many advantages, such as
allowing for a larger airbox and better shock cooling (new reservoir).
New bikes: 19 88 Honda CR lineup-
Honda's latest
plan of attack
By t<;it Palmer
Honda's unveiling of the company's latest
lineu p of 1988 CR motocrossers reveals
some moderate alterations and some exciting changes. There will be the standard, four
CR models available in 1988
incl u d i ng the sl igh tl y re~
fi d
vampe d C R 80 , t h e re me
CR 125and 500, and an all-new
16
CR250.
By far, the most radically changed
of all the CRs is the 250. The most
obvious change is the rero uting of
the exhaust pipe. Instead of routing
the exhaust pipe in the traditional
path above the cylinder, the CR250's
pipe routes along the right side of
the cylinder, just above the engine
case. It then tapers down and snakes
around behind the frame and underneath the airbox. Ju st pas t the
airbox, the pipe immediately heads
upward, behind the right side panel.
Honda feels there are many advantages in this new routing. First of
all, the pipe itself mounts lower in
the frame and gives more roo m for
the radiators to be dropped as well,
thus lowering the motorcycle's overall center of gravity.
With the new routing, the airbox
can be made larger to improve
breathing, and the motorcycle 's
midsection is now much slimmer.
T~e pipe itself has increased wall
thick ness.
Other motor changes include new
port specs and different exhaust
power-valve timing. The exhaust
valve opens slightly earlier than
before, and the valve stroke has been
increased, exposing a larger port
area.
Other motor changes include a
ligh ter flyw heel for quicker revs, a
stronger lower-end bearing and
p isto n , and a len gth en ed intake
track.
Transmission-wise, the CR250 has
slightly di fferent gear ratios, and a
larger countershaft. T he co untershaft sprocket cover on all CRs is
larger.
T he suspension and frame are all new on the 250. The frame is now
ligh ter than before but, according to
Honda, is stronger, too. The area
around the swingarm pivot is beefed
up, and the new design lowers the
bike's center of gravity by 25mm. The
bike maintains the removable subframe section.
