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/128308
Finally, a Handa CR designed for off-road use. With the CRF250X, Honda proved tha t a full -on off· road race bike can be environme nta lly fri endly and competitive - right off the showroom floor. ~FFSTORY AND PHOTOS BY KIT PALMER A GOES OADiNG - SERiOUSLY hen Honda announced a while back that it had a 250cc off-road bike coming down the pike and that it wou ld be based on the CRF250R motocrosser, it hardly sparked an interest around here. After all, Yamaha did the same thing with the WR250F that was based on the YZ250F, but the WR didn't thrill us nearly as much as the yz thumper did when it first carne out - at least in stock condition. Yes, you can get the WR to wo rk pretty well, but not before some serious tinkering in the garage. Even then ... So when Honda invited us to Carefree, Arizona , to sample the all-new CRF2S0X "en duro," we were skeptically optimistic. But prior to our riding the bike, the Honda folks boldly guaranteed us that we 'd "love" the CRF2S0X, claiming the bike has incredible power, has the stability to handle the high-speed deserts out West and the W 22 JANUARY 28 , 2004 • agility and bo ttom-end to tackle t he tight and twisty stuff in the East - in ot her words, GNCC racing. And they even had the nerve to say it could do allof these things right out of the crate! Shame on them. Shame on us, as it turns out . After just one lap around the tight and twisty 10-mile loo p Bruce Ogilvie, Steve Hengeveld and the Honda crew set up for us, we discovered just how wrong we were, because the CRF2S0X is everything Honda said it would be - and more. But first, a little about the " X." Honda was quick to assert that th is isn't just a CR with lights. We soon learned that only a few parts on the X are interchangeable w ith the CRF2S0R and that nearly everythi ng on the bike has been modified with the serious (and even the not-so-serious) off-road racer in mind. The aluminum frame has been designed to be more com pliant, the Showa suspension has been CYCLE NEWS It's not just a CR with a headlight revalved and equipped with lighter spr ings to provide a more plush ride , the rear linkages have a less rising rate than the rnotocrosser, and the rear wheel is a more flat-resistant IB-incher. In the motor department, the X has a new camshaft for a wider powerband and increased torque, and there's more flywheel weig ht, too. The exhaust system is all new and inco rpo rates a built-in spark arrestor, and , yes , you can breath a sigh of relief - the X has an e lectric starting system. Honda also kept the manual kick starter for back up. Honda engineers would've liked to put a six-speed gearbox in the X, but since the engine is based on the five-speed motocross engine, they were pretty much forced to stick to the five-speed, though the gear ratios are generally wider than the CR's. They admitted that they could've squeezed one more gear in the compact cases, but 40 t h Anniversaru that would've required smaller and weaker tranny parts and decreased reliability . Other off-road-friendly changes include a larger 2.2-gallon fuel tank (with reserve), an odometer, a powerful 3S-watt halogen headlight that feat ures a clear lens fo r wider illumination, a tiny and bare ly notice able integrate d LED taillight on the rear fender, a road -race-tested T-ring-sealed chain (that Honda claims is stronger than conventional a- ring chains), and a sidestand . Also, the handlebar holders provide three different mounting positions. The X also comes standard with some of those "cool " things that are found on the CRF2S0R, like aluminum Renthal handlebars , a non slip seat cove r, and a quickadjust clutch perch. And to top things off, the CRF2S0X is "Green Sticker-able. " The X meets all the EPA standards for 49 -state bikes, plus the separate California model meets the