Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127222
rearwards, Also, to improve strength, the stem diameter was increased from 26mm to 30mm wi th a larger base bearing. The rear Pro-Link suspension is slightly refined. Di££erent Del ta shaped linkages are used for a new ratio and the shock received some minor valving mods to complement the new linkage ratio. The Showa shock is fully adjustable with 21 rebound and 22 external compression dampi ng settings. Wheel travel remains the same with 13 inches at the rear and 12 in ches u p fro nt. Disc brakes are fou nd front and rear. Bo th discs a re slotted wi th a . twin-pisto n cali per supplying the : power up fro nt and a single-piston ca liper doi ng the trick at th e back. Mos t of th e ot he r changes to th e chassis ar e to im prove th e m o torcycle's durab il ity. Bo th the rea r hub and rim are beefed up, as well as the chain guide. T he rear master By Kit Palmer N in e teen eighty-nine wasn 't exactly a ban ner year for th e Honda C R250. Although it was arguably the best bi ke in its class, less-tha n -m argin al suspension charac teristics kep t the '89 CR from being a clear-cu t wi n ner. In stead, its flawed forks ena b led the, competi tion to close tothe point that the C R had to beat the other guys o££ with a stick, rather th an lett in g it assume its rightfu l p lace at the to p of the quarter-liter mou ntain, a ll a lone and unchalle nged. What's new? One of the major problems with the '89 Showa fork was a poorly designed bottoming system, which, if it worked properly, wou ld've prevented the fork from bottoming harshly. To compensate for the bottoming. system's ine££iciency, mid-stroke damping h a d to be increased more th an the engineers had intended and the result was a harsh and unstable ride. For 1990, though, Showa redesigned the bottoming system, so tha t lighter and more progressive damping cou ld be used throughout the stroke without excessive bottoming. Last year's fork also had p ro b lems with heavy stiction. To help remedy th is, Showa shortened the sli der bushi ngs by five mi ll imeters a nd . tapered them to reduce bi nding fr ic t io n , a nd used spec ia l low friction oi l in th e tu bes. The new fork has 14 externa l compression damping setti ngs. Frame geometry has a lso been cha n ged to he lp give the CR better straight-line stability. The fork caster angle changed from 28° 12' to 28°03 '. trail from 4.92 inches to 5.02, and a new aluminum steering stem was re located qmm When we first rode the new Honda CR250 (above), we just didn't want to get off of it, Much of this had to do with the new Showa fork (right). A redesigned bottoming s ystem and new bushings and oil, has allowed for smoother and more progressive damping. New plastic and color (bottom) give the CR a new look for the '9 0 s . cylinder has been relocated to the inside of the frame for better protection, and the rear frame joint has been moved inwards to lessen boot contact. P lus. the footpeg location has been changed by widening and raising them by 3mm. The single cylinder, water-cooled, two-stroke. 59.2-pound motor wasn't ignored: it received the fine-tooth comb treatment, such as a lterations to the Honda Power Port exhaustvalve system, di££erent porting, and adding weight to the crankshaft. The porting changes are relat ively mi nor: th e ex ha ust port wa s closed .5mm and the tra nsfer port opened .5mm. To match the new porting specs, the compress io n ra tio was sligh tly lowered . T he cyli nde r bore is Ni kas il-pla ted , A lighter p ull on the cl u tch lever has been ac hie ved by s w itc h i n~ to lighter clutch springs, and durabi lity ha s been increased with th e addition of one eac h fric tio n a nd stee l p lates. The close-ratio five-speed transmissio n remains the sa me. Other changes to the motor include increased cran kshaft mass and stronger crank pins, reed-valve guide integrated wi th the carburetor insu lator, and a lower compression . ratio to match the new porting specs. The motor itself was raised in the frame by 3.5mm. Carburet ion is supplied by a 38mm flat-slide Keih in and now breathes through a new airbox, which is designed for easier maintenance and more efficient air intake. The 1990 CR has a new loo k with redesigned body parts, incl udi ng th e gas tank. radiator shrouds, fenders and side panels. Althoug h the H onda is still co lored red, it is now lighter and brighter th an befo re. T he frame is now painted white. Is it any better? Firs t of a ll, just sitting on th e CR a n d feeli ng ou t the con trols an d seating posi tio n mak es you wa n t to fire the thi ng a nd tear up the track. T he handlebars have a very neutral bend a nd th e levers a nd gr ips are by far the best in th e busi ness. T he seat, which is 10 % denser than last year's