Sure, you could still win on the old
bike; Mark Samuels' SLR Honda Team
has proven that in WORCS and NGPC
(National Grand Prix Championship),
but even Samuels said it took a lot
of work to make the older Honda a
championship-winning motorcycle.
Not anymore, he says, "The new one
makes our lives much easier now."
As for tighter GNCC- or enduro-style
racing, we have no doubt the RX will
be, compared to the older bike, more
competitive. We spent a good chunk
of time aboard the new RX on some
good ol' California-tight and twisty
trails, and we loved it—especially when
ridden aggressively. It works much
better in agro mode than it does in the
sight-seeing mode. It wants to go, go,
go all the time.
The RX's suspension is tuned well
for a variety of terrain; it's cushy,
compliant, and well-balanced. But as
speeds pick up, a more aggressive
and heavier rider will probably want to
stiffen things up a bit. The RX's sus-
pension seems tuned for an interme-
diate-level rider around the 180-pound
mark. Anything faster and heavier than
that, stiffer springs might be in order.
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 9 MARCH 1, 2022 P83
More bottom-end
and torque make the
CRF250RX even easier
to manage on a wide
range of terrain.
