THIRD PLACE
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 3 JANUARY 19, 2022 P89
The Honda
CRF250R is the
most changed of
'22 and, as a result,
moved up a few
notches from last
year's shootout. It's
an all-around better
motorcycle.
CRF250R
HONDA
>
The 2022 Honda CRF250R
is the bike that everyone
has been asking about. Our
email inboxes and social
media comments are full of
questions asking what it's
like. It is the only 250 to be
completely re-done for this
model year, and it's leaps and
bounds better than what it
was just a year ago. The Honda
finds itself three spots up
and on the podium for 2022,
moving from sixth to third.
Granted, Jett Lawrence
did win the Pro Motocross
Championship on the 2021
Honda, which finished last in
our shootout. That just goes
to show that shootouts aren't
the end-all-be-all and that
money, resources and more
money can make any bike
perfect for you. For our tests,
though, we are riding the bikes
in their true stock form, how
they'd be when you buy one off
the showroom floor.
Back to the new bike. We're
super happy with Honda's
updates to the 2022 CRF. It's
lighter, smoother and better
in almost every way compared
to last year's model. This could
be our favorite bike of the
bunch on any given day. But
riding these bikes back-to-
back-to-back means you easily
identify areas of improvement.
All of our test riders praised
the CRF250R's motor due to
its friendly nature and overall
rideability. Honda successfully
reworked their engine to
provide more crucial bottom-
end power. It also has a much
more linear pull from bottom
to mid. The meat of the power
is considerably more useful
and has higher ranges than
the '21. Second and third gears
are functional now! The former
generation's engine was like
riding a pipey 125 two-stroke
rather than a linear four-
stroke. Now riders can enjoy
