1996 Honda CR250
By Donn Maeda
Photos by Kit Palmer
nowing full well that they
already had a good thing going
with the 1995 CR250, Honda
opted to refine the bike for '96, rather
than trashing it and starting from
scratch. And you know what? Refinements are about all that the CR250 needed to keep it at the head of the 250cc
class pack in.'96.
Th'e new color scheme is the first
thing that most people notice, but in
actuality, there's much more than meets
the eye., Of all the "refined" bikes that
we've tested through the years, the '96
Honda CR250 is perhaps the most
improved of the bunch. In this case, a
little really does equal a lot.
K
ON THE STAND
Hondas have always been known for
their awesome motors, so we'll start
there. All that was done to improve the
engine were a few minor modifications the exhaust port was narrowed slightly
from 44.4mm to 43.7rnm, and the bore of
the Keihin carburetor was enlarged to
38.3. Honda claims that these small
changes result in better low-end and
midrange power, as well as greater peak
power. A SO-tooth rear sprocket replaces
the 49 of last year,
In the cases, a new shorter shift shaft
is claimed to reduce the amount of friction and provide smoother shifts under
hard acceleration. Last year, we had
troubles with our test bike's kickstarter
gear breaking repeatedly, and are glad
to hear that Honda has beefed up the
troublesome gears considerably for '96.
The biggest change for '96 is in the
suspension department. Kayaba's huge
46mm inverted cartridge forks grace the
front of the machine, and are complimented by an all-new shock out back.
The forks also boast larger internal cartridges, which are up in size from 25 to
28rnm. What's the advantage of a larger
cartridge? The greater volume of oil
flowing through the unit improves
damping characteristics and offers a
wider range of adjustability. The larger
fork diameter adds nothing but greater
rigidity and stability - even though the
legs are considerably larger than their
predecessors, they are only a tad heavier.
The shock is equally as trick. The
Kayaba unit boasts 7mm more travel
than last year's, bringing the stroke up
to 323rnm, and - like the forks - a new
larger piston pumps inside the shock
body. The big news are the high- and
low-speed compression adjusters. For
the first time, Honda riders can fine tune
their suspension to the same degree as
the factory riders. Is it a blessing or a
