2016 HONDA CRF250R
FIRST RIDE
P66
pumps start at around $50-$60.
(Honda sells it for around $60). A
top-of-line air fork pump sells for
over $200.
The shock, on the other hand,
is pretty much dialed in right
from the factory. Just set the sag
and you're ready to go. The back
end is very plush, yet you never
have to worry about bottoming.
Like the fork, the shock is very
adjustable. It features rebound
and compression damping
adjustments separated into low-
speed and high-speed, and, of
course, you have spring preload
adjustment.
The Honda is still a very good
handling machine. It works well
on rough tracks and is very
stable at speed, but the front-
end can twitch now and then.
It carves a tight line in the turns
and can rail the outside berms
almost as well. It's a small-feel-
ing bike with outstanding ergos;
we can't imagine anyone not
feeling comfortable on this bike
as soon they throw a leg over
it. Even with its dual mufflers,
which certainly add weight,
the Honda feels light and agile
on the track. Heck, that's the
whole idea behind the dual muf-
flers, right? That's what Honda
says, at least. But, then again,
the CRF250F feels just as
agile with an aftermarket single
muffler system. We're still not
fans of the dual muffler design,
compared to single mufflers,
they add weight, they're more
expensive and time-consuming
to repack, they're more suscep-
tible to damage, and they make
installing number-plate backers
twice as hard.
Overall, there isn't really any-
thing that the CRF250R doesn't
do well. It has a great chassis,
great suspension and a motor
that will please a wide range of
riders. We're glad to see that it
has more power now and more
fork adjustability, and both with-
out an increase of price. Bottom
line? It's better. CN
Despite getting a fair amount of changes, the MSRP hasn't changed, remaining at $7599.
