Letter of the Week - Uncorking a Playbike

Dear Dirt Rider,

I just bought my wife an '05 Honda CRF100, and man, does it seem like it is plugged up—oviously due to California emmissions regulations.

What recomendations might you have? I've heard to take the baffle out or replace the silencer with a BBR pipe—very pricey—and open up the air filter.

Having owned an '87 XR100 when I was younger, when I jumped on the '05, I was amazed at how slow and restricted it felt. I don't expect it to be a power house, but come on! Even my wife notices it.

Thanks for your help,

Paul

Paul,

Remember how everything was bigger and faster when you were little? Well that is the case with the CRF/XR 100. A pipe isn't the answer. I know; we just tried a BBR one on a Mini Rider project bike.

Power on that bike will get a little better with a slightly (one size) bigger pilot jet, but aside from a big bore kit, there isn't much to do without going into great expense. The pipe is a lot louder (bad for our sport!) and really doesn't do anything for the speed or much for the power, though it may sound like it does. We ran the BBR pipe with the stock baffle in it, but we also ran the bore kit.

You'd be amazed how well these bikes actually do work. And if I were going to suggest anything I'd suggest a riding school. Why? Well I can ride a CRF100 just about anyplace because of my ability level, which means—even stock—the bike isn't the problem. Don't take this as a backhanded slam, but as a way to get the most out of a bike that may be down on performance compared to others. What bikes like this do is force riders to get better and make up for what the bike lacks. The advantage here is that the rider isn't fighting a bike that is too much, which can hinder the learning process.

So go out and ride and have fun, after all that is why the CRF100 is called a playbike!

Jimmy Lewis

See our Playbike Comparison online under Offroad Bike Tests, or click here: www.dirtrider.comhttp://www.dirtrider.com/tests/141_0408_playbike.