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/128310
Honda [RF250X Race Ready? Y might recall a few issues ago tha t we rod e the new Honda CRF2S0X "e nduro" bike ou for the first time . Honda introd uced the all-ne w head light-clad CR 2SOcc thumper to the magazines in Arizona , and after a full day of riding o n mostly single-track trails, I came away extremely impressed with the machine . In fact , I was so impre ssed that I made some drastic changes in my plans to race o ur test bike three days later in Nevada for the op e ning rou nd of the WO RCS se ries in Mesquite. I finally found myself sitting on the start line, wedged in there among 46 other 2SOcc Bclass ride rs, ready to do battle in the one-hou r-plus race that I soon found out would provide a wide variety of terrain. Before the race, I had zero time to work o n the bike. It still eve n had Arizo na dust o n it. Ali i cou ld do was slap o n so me numbers and go, whic h was all right w ith me. After all, Honda claimed that the" X" co uld be raced right off the show room floor, and I wa nted to see i!that was true . T he X is ve ry quiet in stock co nditions, w hich is great for riding o n the trai ls but not when you're surr o unde d by 46 other 2S0cc two-stokes - I simply co uld not hear t he mot or. I knew the bike was running, howeve r, when I overrewed the thing and cou ld start fee ling some vibration. I just told myself to shift whenever the bike sta rted vibrating. When the guy with green flag said it was okay to go, the litt le Hon da leapt off the line much quicker than I had anticipated, and I actua llygot a good jump. But by the time I got to the first turn, I got ou tpu lled by six or seven two-strokes and about that sanne number up the first steep and sandy climb tha t steered us off the MX track and on to the trails. Clearly, the two-strokes had the high-speed advantage ove r the X, but in the slowe r stu ff, the X would show its true co lors. The rough course brought out the best of the X's suspension and chassis, and since pure horsepower was now no longer a huge factor, the X felt right at home battl ing against the "big" boys. As the trail became more and more technical, I could then take advantage of the X's very useful bottom-end and midrange power. Sudden ly, I found myself stuck in a huge, mud -Induced bottlenec k. Luckily for me, I felt I could no t have bee n on a better bike for the situat ion, as we pushed, shoved and crept along one inch at a time. Throughout the race, I saw many bikes overheat and start billowing steam, but never the X. I also saw many bikes stall out and hold us all up as they tried to kick-start their melting four- and two-strokes. The X only stalled a cou ple of times on me , but I'd just hit the electric starter and continue on. The X IS clutch did get a little toasty and sloppy, but I co uld easily adjust that on the fly thanks to its q uick, adjust clutch . The X's smooth motor mad e it easy to get ove r the slippery roots we enco unte re d, and there was plenty of power available to pull itself o ut of the bogs. I eventually crossed the finish line in 14th place, and I was content with that . Not once during the race , except maybe fo r the start and the hill,did I feel that the X held me back or cost me any pos itions. Sure, the X cou ld use more power overall , but for a stock 2SOcc fourstroke , it's a ru nner. So I guess Honda was right - it is raceable. To cast your vote, log on to www.cyclenews.com. WEb INSiYE Cyclenews,com reader poll question of the week Will anyone beat Chad Reed and Kevin Windham th is season in an AHA Supercross? A. Yes B.No On-line poll results from last week With Valentino Rossi just completing his first test on the the Yamaha MI MotoGP bike, how many races do you think he'll win this year? None 2-3 8-12 KIT PALMER 40 301 175 (2.98%) (22.41%) (13.03%) I 4-7 12-16 Total Replies : www.cycle news.com 34 745 48 (2.53%) (55.47%) (3.57%) 1343 CYCLE NEWS • FEBRUARY 11, 2004 103