06 Honda Crf 250

Buzz is a weird thing. Public attention is drawn to Ben Affleck when it comes to his personal life, but nobody goes to see his movies. New motorcycles aren't all that different when it comes to buzz. Common sense would tell you that the all-new aluminum-framed KX250F and YZ250F would be the subject of all the pit chatter. Not so. The twin pipes on the CRF250 double-trump everything else on the public's radar. How do we know? That's simple. Every time we take our 2006 KX250F and 2006 CRF250 to a local track, the Kawasaki only gets a casual glance, while a mob gathers around the Honda.

Buzz is a weird thing. The KX-F and YZ-F are totally new from the ground up. No buzz. The CRF is externally the same, save for the twice-pipes. Mega buzz. Why? Is it just the twin pipes? Or is it the new front hub, ignition mapping and re-designed piston? The answer is none of the above. The real reason for the attraction is that the CRF250 is a Hondaplain and simple. People love the red machinesalways have, always will. And good, bad or indifferent, the 2006 Honda CRF250 is red.

Q:WHAT IS THE TRUTH ABOUT THE TWIN PIPES?

A:The back story on the twin pipes has taken on a life of its own. Originally, the twin pipes were designed to reduce the sound level. Then, at the initial CRF250 introduction, sound was downplayed and power was named as the reason for the dual-muffler system. Now, there is no mention of sound reduction or added power in Honda's press kit. Instead, Honda is stressing that the twin pipes were added to improve handling.

So, was it for sound, power or handling? Sound is the obvious answer. We'd guess that the power and handling benefits were corollary.

Q:HOW CAN TWO MUFFLERS IMPROVE THE HANDLING?

A:That's a good question. By putting one muffler on each side of the frame, the weight is more balanced and, since the twin mufflers are smaller than one large muffler, they can be located closer to the center of gravity. According to Honda, going to the twin pipes gave the CRF250 a two percent improvement in roll characteristics, an 18 percent reduction in pitch figures and a 28 percent improvement in yaw response.

What is Honda talking about? Grab a toy bike and while keeping the engine in the same spot rotate the front wheel up and down. That's pitch. Now take that same toy bike with both wheels on a flat surface and lean the bike until the handlebars touch the ground. That's roll. Lastly, take the bike, and while holding the front wheel on the ground, move the rear of the bike from side to side. That's yaw.

Q:CAN YOU FEEL PITCH, ROLL AND YAW ON THE TRACK?

A:Yes. There is no doubt that centralization of mass has become the cause celebre with motorcycle designers in the last few year. Honda did move the muffler weight closer to the center (although it should be noted that the twin muffler system is one pound heavier than the single muffler system) and they dropped the radiators 5mm to help.

Q:CAN YOU FEEL THE CENTRALIZATION OF MASS ON THE TRACK?

SUB-MID

A:Yes. You can feel it. The CRF250 is light and nimble. Are far as we're concerned, the greater and lower the centralization of mass, the better.

Q:IS THE 2006 CRF250 QUIETER THAN THE 2005 CRF250?

A:Yes and no. We tested the system, using AMA Pro Racing standards, and the twin-pipe system is quieter at the low rpm of the AMA sound test, but approximately one dB louder than the 2005 CRF250 exhaust setup at speed. Paradoxically, the 2006 Honda CRF250 is quieter when tested and louder in real life.

Q:IS THE 2006 CRF250 FASTER THAN THE 2005 MODEL?

A:Yes, but only a tiny bit. You'd think with a different cam, revised ignition map, new piston shape, changed exhaust port and bigger carburetor that the 2006 CRF250 would feel like a completely new machine. Sorry to burst your bubble, but the 2006 CRF250 runs just like the 2005 CRF250. It's still a little soft down low, although a hair stronger than last year. It pulls hard in the middle (if you want to go fast, you best keep it there). On the top-end it hits the rev limiter before you can get any benefit from the overrev.

It may be hard to believe that Honda made a boatload of changes to end up with a bike that is only marginally faster than it was the year before, but it's true.

Q:CAN IT BE MADE FASTER?

A:Of course it can. You could add an aftermarket pipe to the 2006 CRF250 and get the same gains that you got with the 2005 modelexcept that the twin-pipe is going to be rather expensive. We expect a lot of Pro racers to turn their twin-pipers back into singles, but that negates the whole point of buying the 2006 model in the first place.

Q:DID HONDA GET THE GEARING RIGHT?

A:No. The CRF250 suffers from more than just a gearing problem. What Honda needs to do is replace third gear, just like they do on the Team Factory Connection race bikes. Third gear on the CRF250 works bikes is closer to secondwhich eliminates the big gap between second and third.

Those of us who are not on the factory team will have to add one tooth to the rear sprocket. Going to a 52-tooth rear sprocket will bring third gear closer and help the engine bridge the nasty gap between second and third more easily.

Q:ARE ALL THE RELIABILITY ISSUES GONE?

A:So far our 2006 CRF250 doesn't have the appetite for oil that our our 2004 and 2005 CRF250's had. We still check the oil after every moto and replace it after every third racesince the quantity of oil in the engine hasn't changed for 2006. The only nagging reliability problem we've had is the clutch. Abuse it and you'll be spending a lot of money on clutch plates. We suggest you invest in some stiffer clutch springs right away.

Q:IS THE 2006 LIGHTER THAN THE 2005?

A:Yes and no. You would think that weight would be a cut-and-dried issue. A bike is either lighter or it's not. Unfortunately, with the 2006 CRF250 it's not that simple. As it sits on the showroom floor, the '06 is a half-pound heavier. But the rolling chassis, minus the exhaust pipes, is actually lighter.

Q:HOW DOES THE SHOWA SUSPENSION FEEL?

A:Unbalanced. For all the work Honda did balancing out the weight on the 2006 CRF250, they missed the boat with the suspension. Don't worry, though, it's fixable with a set of springs, a screwdriver and a 14mm wrench.

Forks: The 2006 CRF250 Showa forks are undersprungjust like in 2005 and 2004. Every MXA test rider preferred stiffer 0.48 fork springs and lower oil height. This is a quick and easy fix that works remarkably well. We ran the compression and rebound at nine clicks out.

Shock: We struggled with the rear shock. The bike felt high in the rear even though the sag was set at 102mm. Our solution was to turn the low-speed compression 2-3/4 turns out. We ran the compression and rebound at nine out.

Q:HOW DOES IT HANDLE?

A:Really well (once you change the Dunlop 742 for a 739 if you ride in hard terrain or 756 if you ride in soft terrain). Why do we say this? The 742 is such a specific-use tire that it only works well in AMA Pro Supercross conditions. Anything else and it slides across the track. The 742 doesn't help the CRF250 front end sticknew rubber does.

Once we sorted out the suspension problems and lowered the forks until only 3mm was sticking above the top triple clamp, we loved the way the CRF250

handled. It was good at holding a line through corners, light in the air and stable down the straights.

Q:WHAT DID WE HATE?

A:The hate list:

(1) Fork springs: Just like last year, Honda delivers the CRF250 undersprung. Get 0.48 kg/mm fork springs, drop the oil height 10mm and enjoy the improvement.

(2) Gearbox: The gap between second and third gear can only be fixed with a lot more horsepower or lower gearing. A rear sprocket is cheap and easy.

(3) Front tire: Honda could switch to a 739 or 756 as their OEM front tire with the stroke of a pen. Why short-circuit all the centralization of mass work with a

narrow-focus front sneaker?

(4) Clutch: Because you have to use the clutch more on a 250 four-stroke than a 450, the plates don't have as long a life span. Switching to stiffer springs helps delay the inevitable.

Q:WHAT DID WE LIKE?

A:The like list:

(1) Twin-pipe: Even though we don't believe all of Honda's marketing messages, we do like how the twin-pipe looks. In the fashion conscious world of motocross, that sells motorcycles.

(2) Quality: We think that the reliability problems of the CRF250 are overpartly because of Honda's efforts and partly because the consumers are

getting more savvy about the importance of

checking the oil.

(3) Fit and Finish. There is just something about a Honda. Everything fits perfectly. The ergonomics are spot-on. The brakes, levers, clutch perch and footpegs are all topnotch.

Q:WHAT DO WE REALLY THINK?

A:The twin pipes on the CRF250 are getting all the buzz. We think that it is misplaced. We wish Honda had spent some of that twin-pipe money on stiffer fork springs, a better front tire and a close-ratio gearbox. One pipe or two, the Honda CRF250 is as good as it ever was.

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