2015 250F MOTOCROSS SHOOTOUT
P46
SHOOTOUT
COUNTDOWN
T
he Honda pretty much falls
into the same category as the
Husky in that it's a great bike
but needs more power. It's as sim-
ple as that. Honda made a lot of
cool changes to the CRF250R but
didn't really address what needed
addressing most: the motor.
Honda did modify the ex-
haust somewhat but that wasn't
enough. Last year, the Honda
finished third, squeaking ahead
of the Suzuki in our shootout.
This year, our testers, which in-
cluded a few new recruits, gave
the Suzuki the nod over the Hon-
da, despite the CRF250R get-
ting new air forks, engine-mode
select and a larger front brake,
all things that you would think
would keep the Honda ahead of
the Suzuki. Go figure. But when
it comes to the 250 class, power
is pretty much everything.
The new engine mode selec-
tor is great, we love it, but since
the Honda lacks power (mainly
from bottom to mid), we doubt
you'll ever leave the aggressive
position.
The new Showa SFF TAC air
fork works well, too, and is a
welcomed addition, for sure, but
it isn't good enough to com-
pensate for the bike's lack of
low-to-mid power—no fork is, for
that matter. On the flip side, the
Honda's motor is easy to contain
and has a very linear powerband.
The Honda has one of the
best suspension packages of the
group, and the shock is out-
standing. We love the Honda's
back end on rough tracks, and
overall it has no real handling
quirks, though a few testers said
that it has a slight understeer and
will shake its head from time to
time. Oh yeah, good luck install-
ing backers on the curvy side
number plates.
SUMMARY
Overall, the Honda is a sweet
machine. Suspension is very
good, it handles well, has excel-
lent ergos (though bars feel a
little high and the seat a little
low), has very good brakes and
is easy to ride. Experienced rid-
ers, however, will wish for more
power.
5
TH
PLACE
HONDA CRF250R
