Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Bull e tproofin g a motorcycle fo r a long two-day even t is just as im po rtant as the rest of the setu p. Honda's off-road racing team uses D.I.D linkless a-ring chains, Rent hal sprockets, and Answer Pro taper handleba rs , and, because of the team's success, I deci ded to use the same parts. I chose a CR Low Pro Taper ha nd leba r - using a universal clamp kit to replace the weak stock steel handlebar s, and it also provides so me muchneeded bar flex. IMS su p p lied me w it h its new Pro Series footpegs and a d isc-b ra ke fin to . protect the rear rotor fro m u n wanted co llisi o ns with rock s, ruts and roo ts . After I cu t down the Pro tapers from 32 to 30 inch e s, I h ad a to ugh time insta lling Acerbis' new Rally Pro handgua rd s becau se of the missing two inches. Tryi ng to fit a kill switch, com pres sion release lever, clut ch per ch, and an ISDE-required rear-v iew mirror (wh ich Acerbis su pplied) all on one side of the handlebar was nearly im possible, bu t in the end, I mad e it work by relocati ng the kill switch . O nce that wa s figu red ou t, the handguards wen t on very easily. Du nlop K752 tires are among the best in the business when the trails are moist a n d m uddy, so I did not hesitate to m oun t th em up on th e s toc k H onda rims. I also ins talled a Summers Ra cin g Co m po nents fork bra ce. Scott Sum me rs claims that the SCR fork brace impro ves suspension perfo rmance a nd steering acc u racy . In stall ati on is easy but a len g th y pro ces s . In st ru cti on s a lso require that the fr o n t fender be cut d irectl y above the fork bra ce to prevent any hang-ups when th e fork is co m- (Ab ove left) In searc h of better steering acc uracy an d im pr o ve d suspens ion perfo rmance, a Su mm ers Racing Co mponents f ork brace w as mount ed to the XR250's front suspe nsion. (Ab ove ri ght) Wider, IMS Pro Series l ootpegs provide better grip in the sl op. (Left) Since reliability Is a bi g part of the Six Days , the already bulletproof XR250 R motor wa s left alone. pressed . The brace too k a w hile to ge t used to wh en rid ing the bik e, but it does help especially in lon g ru ts, where it aids in keep ing the front end from drifting ou t of the groove. Su mme rs was right: The brace defin itely mad e riding the XR easier. Aft er I in sta lled th e Factory Effex ta nk g ra p h ics (go tt a lo o k goo d , y a know), the bike was loaded in the van, read y for im pound at Idaho City. Once there, the XR passed the sound test with flyin g colors, w hile so me of th e 400cc stro kers we re sent back to the pits unt il they cou ld co me back qu ieter. In fact, th e 49-stat e s pa rk-arres to r co re wit h which the bike orig inally came probably would have passed , but I decided that I would try it the following weekend in Washington. Th e Ida ho Cit y a r ea suffered it s wettest " inter in 15 years, and that definite ly pl a yed a hug e p art in th e 130 miles that comprised Saturday's route. The fir st 20 mi les were actually th e wettest and mudd iest of all, making life miserable for even the most expe rienced woods riders. The XR, ho w ever, performed we ll in the muddy terrain. The ai r-cooled motor had just enough power to tr actor th rou gh th e d eep m ud and slick soil, but not so much to ge t me into trouble. Immed iately after starti ng the first s pecial test, however, I wished I wo u ld have u sed the free-flowing spa rk arrestor instead of the res tricted mod el. A littl e ex tra grun t wo u ld ha ve been a h u g e h e lp ge tt ing ove r so me of t he tou gher obstacles that awa ited us ih the Idaho mountains. Su spen sion w ise, the XR co u ld no t have worked mu ch better. At first, I was a little ske p tlcal w he n the decision wa s mad e that I was to ride wit h stock suspension , bu t once I go t on to the gnarly tr ail s th at su rro u nd Idaho City , I was convin ced that the XR sus pens ion was worthy of su ch an even t. Riding over roc ks , logs, roo ts, w hoops and ru ts, I was comfo rtable, an d I did not get tired out like I th ough t I would. Some highs peed h it s were a bi t sc a ry , as th e y caus ed the bike to bottom ou t. Overall, thoug h, th e s us p e ns io n wa s a goo d com prom ise, becau se there were not too man y h igh -s p eed terrai n s ectio ns in Id aho or Washin gton . Choos ing lines is prob ably the most crucial aspect w hen ridi ng the XR250R in mudd y conditi ons . It h a s goo d power, but cha rg ing into d ifficu lt technical sections without studying the line first can ge t you into trouble fast, especia lly si nce th e bike sits lower to the ground than most bikes . This was the factor that ended my d ay early on Saturday, which also led to greater problems. More than a few times, I charged int o ruts that were just too deep for the XR to take on . In the end, I attacked a muddy rut that, in turn, attacked me, leaving the XR stuck for the better part of an hour. Engi ne-deep in wha t seemed like qu icksand, I sa t and watched as my competitors made it through th e same section ve ry cleanly just a little bit ov er to the left of where I had tried . Finally, another rider twice my size helped me pull the bike out of the goop, bu t it was not easy. It pretty much goes without saying that I ho u red-out that day. I finis hed out the rid e, but: in a panic eve ry time I got stuc k so mewhere , ' I wo uld abuse the clu tch When trying to ge t m y s elf u ns tu ck . Th is techniqu e mad e things wo rse, an d by the end of the d ay the clu tch was toast. Saturday night, I took advantage of t h e AM A ' s re -irnpo un d ru le a n d ins talled new clutch plates and springs before impounding for Sunday. Luckily, the re-impound ru le gives rid er s three hours afte r their s che d u led finishi ng tim e to im po u n d . I say " lu ck i ly" b eca u se r epla cin g th e cl u tch o n t he XR250R is n o p icni c. The kick starter, brake ped al, stock skid plate, and th ree oil lin es must be rem oved before yo u can even ge t to the clutch basket. O nce it was off, I shi m med the clutch sp rings wit h sp ark-plug washers to beef thin gs up an d was ready to race come Sunda y m orn in g . O ne hund red a n d eig h teen tra il miles lat er , I had finished as th e class winner for the da y. On impound da y in Bellin gh am, Washingt on , I put new clu tch plates and .springs in the XR, but while making the cha nge, I reali zed that the clut ch basket a n d hub had become ve ry badly grooved as a result of the ab use I ha d giv en it in Idah o. If time had permitted , I w ould h av e rep la ced the d am ag ed pa rts and sta rted fresh, bu t I was forced to p u t everythi ng back together. I also ins talled the 49-stat e spa rk-arrestor core, re jetted , a n d g ave it a g o Sa t urda y mo rn ing. Washing ton was much tighter, mu ch slicker, an d m uch tou gher than anyo ne had expected, but the XR's suspe ns ion was up to the task. The diffe re nt exha ust core made a hu ge d ifference in power, w hich made it a lot easier to ge t ou t of sticky situ ations. Becaus e the trail s we re so tigh t, mu ch like a Na tiona l Enduro, several riders gea red their bikes d own at the fi rst gas s to p of the tw o -da y event. I cou ld not. The XR cou ld've used lower gearing as we ll. As a resu lt, I had to use t he clutch more than I would have lik ed, which perhaps led to the clutch 's demise halfway through d ay two . Oth erwise, I was v ery im p re ss ed w it h the XR250 R's perfo rm ance in Washington - and in Idaho, for tha t matter . Th e severe condi tions in Id aho and Wa shington, however, certainly did re veal o ne weak spot in the XR250R's durability: the clutch . A beefier a fte rmarket clutch wou ld, no dou b t, he lp this problem , bu t for Jess-severe ridi ng conditions , I d on ' t foresee thi s bein g a g rea t concern . A fter a ll , Ho n da h a s relied on this sa me basic clutch design in all of its XRs over the years witho ut having heard too man y complaints. Needless to say, I wo n' t be go ing to Aus tra lia this year - a t least n ot as a me mber of the United States team. Ego ' asi d e, it wasn' t really the bike' s fau lt that I'm not go ing; no, that blam e wo uld have to be p la ced on th e rid e r' s right wrist. Maybe next year. . I was no t the only rid er put ting the 1998 XR250R thro ugh a torture test this year . Wo rld T ro p hy T eam m emb er Chris Smith rod e his Sum me rs Racin gprep p ed XR250 to fou rth overall at the Na t io nal Re liabil ity Ch ampi on ship Finale at Lore tta Lvnn's Dud e Ran ch in Tenn essee . The L~re tta Lv n n ' s e vent wa s lo nger and ju s t a s ' tou g h a n d m ud d y as the Idah o City and Bellingham Qualifiers, bu t Smith a nd his little XR beat the likes of Summers, Kawasak i' s Destry Ab b ott , a nd Ya ma ha's Randv Hawkins. Btit the true test is yet to come: the ISDE itself. Smith w ill tackle the Australian Six Da ys in overnber on the Honda XR250, and I have no d oubt tha t the little thumper will d o jus t fine un der Smith's gui da nce. I ju s t h o p e Smith brin g s a lo t of clu tch plates . I~ HONDA XR250R Specifications L ist Price , Displacement Engine type , $4649 , .249cc ,Air·cooled. sinqle-cylinder four-stroke Bore x S t roke , 73 x 59.5mm Compression ratio 10.2:1 Carburetion 30m m piston-valve Ignition r Soud-stete CD Transmission 6-sp eed Starting system ., kick Fuel capacity 2.4 9al. Wheelbase 55.1 inch. Rake/trail ,24.75 deQrees/ 9 1,44mm Seat height 36.0 in. Front tire 80/100·21 Rear tire 100/ 100-18 Front-wheel travel 10.6-in. Rear-wheel t rav el 10.6-in. Front brake .Disc Rear brake Disc Final drive Chain 13/4 8T 240 .3 Ibs. Cla imed dry weight WHAT IT COST Acerbis Pro Rally Guards . . . ..$89 Acerbis Pro Rally Spoilers .$20. 10 Acerbis Mounting K it for Pro-Tapers $32.32 Acerbis Mirror $ 18 Answer Pro-Taper Handlebar $Q9.95 Answer Universal C lamp Kit , $89.95 DID Linkless O -ring Chain . .$89 .99 Dunlop K752 Front Tire .: ',$59 .99 Dunlop K752 Rear Tire $69 .99 Factory Eftex Graphics $59 .Q5 IMS Pro Series Footpegs $92 . IMS Disc B r ak e Fin . , $29.10 K&N Filtercha rger Air Filter .$57: 1o Renthal 48-tooth Aluminum S p rock et $64 .95 SRC Fork Brace $199 .95 , 00 0\ 0\ ,..... '<:1" ,..... .... (l) .c o ...... u o 47

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