Dirt Rider Torture Test

Tim Weigand, Johnny Campbell,...

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JC and the team know enough about the relatively tame and tiny 250X to clobber the mod bikes DR torture tested in our June 2007 issue. But a gifted crew like the one Campbell works with is never sitting still, or satisifed with the way things are or were. Plus, we asked for race-bred bikes capable of trail riding. They knew they were trading some trail manners to drop the lap times on the GP loop. That '07 torture test winner was subjected to serious trail work including a muddy national enduro, and we could barely find a fault. For the '08 TT entry, the chassis prep, level of workmanship and attention to detail remain outstanding.

Novice off-roader Peterson is a 250F fan, and this bike was no exception. "Two words kept coming to mind riding this bike: balanced and plush. This bike did almost nothing wrong and felt extremely comfortable." Jesse Ziegler, who spent the most miles on the '07 CRF-X, was, for once, in agreement with PP. "Everything about the Campbell Racing '08 Honda is good. Its suspension and ergos are dialed with only the CRF450X's cockpit beating the little guy in comfort. And it did have the factory finish and accompanying dialed-in feel everywhere."

Dirt Rider Torture Test Ryan Orr Crf250x

When the going got rough we...

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Timmy Weigand

That suspension praise just kept popping up in opinions. Our heavy trail guys Kramer and Brian Cornelius called this the best suspension in the test. Yet lighter fast guys like WORCS pro Orr said, "Plush! The bike tracks Well n the straight chop and in flat turns. The bike also corners well." PC had the bike dialed in, with the front a little high and firm and the rear a little low and super plush, but it worked. We have the utmost respect for Precision Concepts off-road suspension. The guys know their stuff, and having the benefit of years of input from Honda's top riders helps. Stock Honda 250X suspension is tough to beat, but this bike smoked it.

The beauty of the stock X motor is that it has a lot of grunt from surprisingly low in the rpm range. The bike doesn't make the peak power of the WR (uncorked) or the KTM 250F, but in almost all trail situations it makes up for it with strong-everywhere pull. Since we asked that this bike be set up for racing, at a certain level torque and tractability are sacrificed for outright power. You just need more boost racing a smaller bike. Precision Concepts went after that with an '07 R cam, head porting, a Pro Circuit pipe and a 450 carburetor, for an engine hop-up bill over $2000. The result is smooth pull off-idle, great roll-on pull in the lower midrange and a ripper high-rpm crescendo compared to stock. There's just a soft area between the midrange and the high-rpm rush. Some riders felt this most when the engine struggled 84 to pull tranny gaps, though Lewis found it pulled the third-gear roll-on fine. Orr noted that, "The motor hits the rev-limiter too quickly. Then, when you try to shift up to get off the rev-limiter, the bike bogs down because it lacks power."

Keefer had to leave the bike in second for the entire Escargot test, since it wouldn't pull in third. But Jesse put all of our feelings together succinctly, "I really like modified CRF250Xs. After last year's bike, I wanted to buy one as soon as I saved my pennies or got that sweet raise. This year, I was almost equally pleased but not sure I'd drop more cash than last year's bike would've cost for this more-modified-motorwise beauty. It was a screamer with less torque and more top-end boost than I remember. I don't have a problem stretching a 250F out on an MX track or a GP course, but I think I'm happiest and bikes handle the best for me if I can short-shift them into a midrange torque. The Honda didn't really have a lot there compared to all the big bikes or even the meaty KTM 250 XC-F. I think I'd burn more clutch plates on this and spend more money down the road on top end parts."