CYLINDER WORKS BIG-BORE 2014 HONDA CRF270R
PROJECT BIKE
P74
completed with our
bike, horsepower had
been increased to five and
torque to four ft.-lbs., ac-
cording to the CW rep.
The end result? A re-
ally fun-running CRF250R.
Veteran Cycle News test
rider Jason Abbott was very
impressed with the bike,
saying he could easily no-
tice the stronger bottom-end
power and increased and
broader torque. "They were sig-
nificant," he said.
The 2014 Honda CRF250R
already made decent power over-
all, especially in the first half of the
powerband, but nothing like this.
The increased displacement of
the 270cc kit was again extremely
noticeable and very welcomed.
At first, Abbott did not feel
much of a benefit on top, but the
more he rode the bike, the more
he began to notice a difference.
"You really have to get on it and
let it rip on top before you start
noticing it," Abbott said. "It's just
that when you rev it out like you
normally would on the stock bike
it feels about the same, but then
you realize there is more, and
that's when it really kicks in."
Stock gearing is a little too low
for the 270 kit, so we swapped
out the stock 49-tooth rear
sprocket for a 48T, which helped
make the bike pull smoother out
class? For sure, but more
so on tight and rough tracks
than on fast, smooth and
hilly tracks. You'll last a
lot longer on the rough
tracks and have more fun
doing so. Abbott also said
that he thought the 270
would make a great off-
road bike because of the
increased bottom-end and
torque.
No one said racing dirt bikes
is cheap and neither are these
mods. There's no hiding that fact.
We figure our CRF270R had at
least $2000 worth of mods done
to the engine alone, but if you're
willing to spend that kind of
money, we think you'll be happy.
For how long, though, we don't
know, but we have no reason
to believe that this kitted Honda
won't last a long time. The CW
270 big-bore kits do seem to be
well built, however, and the Iowa-
based company has a very good
reputation. And if you're wonder-
ing, Cylinder Works makes big-
bore kits for all of the Japanese
250F motocrossers, new and
many old.
For more information, visit
www.cylinder-works.com, www.
hotcamsinc.com, www.vortexc-
di.com, www.injectioneering.
com, www.mototassinari.com
and www.fmfracing.com. CN
of the turns and better place the
shifting points. Abbott, however,
said that he would even consider
gearing it up a little further to a
47T for longer tracks, saying that
he felt the Honda would not have
problems at all pulling the taller
gearing.
The 270-kitted CRF250 we
rode didn't sound all that much
different than a stocker with a
modified exhaust, just a really
good running one, so you ethi-
cally challenged racers out there
will like that. But everyone will
appreciate the fact that you don't
have to run high-priced race gas
with the 270 big-kit, as it was
specifically designed to work
well with no less than 91-octane
pump gas.
So, can the 270 Honda com-
pete against 450s in the vet
The heart of the CW big-bore kit -
$650 will get you a new cylinder,
piston and top-end gasket kit.
