When I first learned that 2007 would be the last year for Honda's CR250R two-stroke, my jaw dropped in utter amazement. How in the world could a manufacturer simply abandon such a legendary machine? After all, the CR250R is the very same bike that Jeremy McGrath rode to his first 250cc supercross win, and it was also the first machine to complete a true backflip, courtesy of Carey Hart. Additionally, the Honda CR250R was the steed of choice for champions such as David Bailey, Jeff Stanton, Rick Johnson, Jean-Michel Bayle, Kevin Windham and Ricky Carmichael, who all recognized the bike as one of the greatest off-road motorcycles ever built. However, the recent proliferation of four-strokes and Honda's unwavering business plan have deemed the CR250R's days officially over. Still, I'm not quite convinced that this bike is obsolete enough to be completely written off. But then again, I'm not a financial analyst for Honda, either.
With the help of a belt sander, an angle grinder and a bald rear tire, Honda's 250R is quickly transformed into a first-rate freestyle machine.
Here is where I attempt to prove the remaining value of the bike and all two-stroke 250s, too. After picking up our test unit from Honda, I headed straight to Competitive Edge MX Park in Hesperia, California, for some setup motos. Honda's stock jetting seemed to fit the bill perfectly on this day, which was a welcome surprise due to the CR250R's notoriously picky carburetor. All day long, the crisp bark of the 250cc motor was a sharp contrast to the cacophony of rumbling thumpers that monopolize the tracks on a regular basis. Experienced two-stroke riders know that in order to ride this bike fast, you need a generous throttle hand and plenty of momentum-both of which the Honda craves. Aside from some light detonation (immediately fixed by a splash of mixed race gas in the tank), the engine made immense traction, torque and (most important) that sweet, endangered sound of straight-up two-stroke horsepower. Some minor adjustments of the suspension-I set the sag, sped up the rebound one click in the rear and stiffened the fork a click-landed my best settings, and the CR's aluminum frame provided the familiar combination of stability and confidence. By the end of the ride, I felt right at home on the red machine, and I don't think I could have gone much faster had I been on a four-stroke. Satisfied with the results, I feel that my hard day of track riding proved that the unchanged-for-'07 250R is still a great motocross bike.
Our 250R was one of many two-strokes seen at the Maxxis Endurocross.
Several more rides and two weeks later, I found myself sitting aboard the CR250R on the starting line of the '06 Maxxis Endurocross. What better way to prove the hard-core trail-riding prowess of a machine than in front of a large crowd? With the help of a trials tire mounted on an 18-inch rear wheel, a Works Connection glide plate, radiator braces and a set of Cycra hand guards, the machine was quickly transformed into a potent woods bike. Not only that, but it also managed to holeshot each one of my heat races with relative ease.
Balanced and predictable, the suspension and power are extremely well suited to tackling low-traction logs and massive rocks, with the lightweight action of the bike's nimble handling bringing the same feeling of control that the 250R displays on the MX track. I managed a third-place finish in the Open 16-25 age-group main event, and not even the smashed pipe could wipe the grin off my face at the end of the race.
Even when pushed to the limits, the Honda's suspension works absolutely beautifully.
It was at this point that I laughingly reminded myself that in order to truly evaluate the full capabilities of the 250R, it would be my duty to huck it into a sport that is still completely dominated by two-strokes: freestyle. After mutilating the subframe, seat and airbox of a bike that doesn't even belong to me, I swapped the trials tire for the stock 19-inch, replaced the bashed-in pipe and removed the hand guards. It should be noted here that the mechanical ease in which the CR can be maintained stands well above that of contemporary bikes (read: four-strokes). There are no valves to adjust, no cam chains to tighten and the chance of putting a rod through the cases on the 250R is about as likely as your being hit by a bolt of lightning while winning the lottery. The bike is simple-just a usable powerhouse inside of a well-designed chassis-and it doesn't take much to see increased performance through modifications. For example, cutting gaping grab holes in the airbox does wonders for throttle response!