P44
2021 250cc FOUR-STROKE MOTOCROSS SHOOTOUT
SHOOTOUT
HONDA
CRF250R
A
nd then there was
one. Each year the
250 class is a breed-
ing ground for technological
advancements and mechani-
cal progression. So without
any updates for the new
year, it's no surprise that the
Honda CRF250R finds itself
trailing the pack for 2021.
The original red ride did in
fact get some small changes
in 2020, but the only differ-
ence between this year's
bike and last is the frame
sticker that says 2021.
On the track, the Honda
is not exactly what we'd call
a back-of-the-pack-kind-of-
bike. It does everything as
expected, just nothing that is
overly exciting. Compared to
the others, the engine seems
down on overall power,
sometimes stifled, if you will.
It has a lackluster bottom end
and likes to be revved high
like a two-stroke. Our testers
critiqued the motor, saying
that it "had a small sweet
spot where it would make
good power," but adding that
this area was hard to find in
order to turn consistent fast
laps. The handlebar-mounted
selectable map switch is a
nice feature from Honda and
offers the rider three unique
modes on the ECU: stan-
dard, smooth and aggres-
sive. All riders noticed that
the CRF did come alive a bit
more when ridden in the ag-
gressive map three and kept
it there for the majority of our
test days. The dual headers
and exhausts can be a bit
deceiving, too. At times the
tone of the exhausts makes
it sound like you are going
faster than you actually are.
The Honda comes sus-
pended by Showa A-Kit-style
coil-spring forks. Despite
6
TH
Place
