Throughout our year with the bike we tried three distinctly different aftermarket mufflers. The stock muffler (with only the pea shooter, not the whole insert removed) is hard to beat for all-around ridability and for being so quiet. The Akrapovic gave the bike more low-end snap and mirrored the stock pipe everywhere else-always a little louder. The Leo Vince kept the sound level nearly as quiet as stock, even in the upper Rs, and smoothed and boosted power everywhere. Then the White Brothers' E2, which was the loudest of the pipes we tried, had both snap and lots of power on top, as well as being really tight in the build quality with solid, not wraparound, band mounting.
We were continually impressed with the improvement the Pro Circuit suspension brought to the bike in compliance, plus it gave the Honda a lighter, nimbler feel. Combined with the Scotts steering stabilizer, it made the bike way easier to ride. Some may scoff at the final prices for modifications and replacement parts on this bike, but considering most of the damage was done at one brutal 24-hour race, it could have been a lot less. And the improvement for the modification's cost was well worth the price.
The DR 24-Hour was actually a breeze for my Long Haul baby, whereat every rider was impressed with its performance and even more shocked by how much time was on the machine without much maintenance. In total, the valves were checked about 10 times. We had to adjust each exhaust valve one time. Three clutches were used up, all replaced as a precautionary measure. And other than a clutch lever pivot bolt seizing up, there weren't any other failures to speak of. We did the usual preventive maintenance and noted that the rubber seals around bearings did a good job keeping grease in and water out. Bolts were never too small for the job and always had enough thread area to prevent stripping. And when they did, such as the brake pivot bolt (not removing the circlip) and the rear valve cover bolt (bad alignment), it could have easily been prevented with a little more caution on the mechanic's part. The CRF still had a very tight feel in the engine performance and the chassis. That is one thing we are finding with older aluminum frames: They don't get sloppy.
At the teardown we were especially impressed with the lack of rust and corrosion on pivot and mounting bolts. And once we got inside the engine, it was unbelievable. The only real signs of wear were on the lower portions of the piston skirt, which were well-polished. The hone marks were still on the cylinder walls and the rings even measured well within end-gap spec. The clutch basket was hardly galled, surprising considering all of the abuse the CRF has been through. Inside the tranny, the gears and shafts looked great, with only the slightest rounding on a couple of the dogs. All normal stuff. A tribute to the Honda HP4 oil we kept fresh through the test. The valves had very little, if any, visible wear on them and only a light coat of carbon, which was less than some 30-hour motors we've seen lately.
We did find a problem on the shock. The aluminum spring preload ring had seized on the shock body. Being that this is the second time we've encountered this, we're looking to stay with the steel ones on future projects or look into a lube that prevents this from occurring.
All in all, this bike way surpassed our expectations, especially in light of some of the earlier-year model CRF concerns of shortened valve and piston life. And from what we can detect, most of the transmission issues, which only happened to a very minute amount of units, all had a few things in common. They were very fresh bikes that were being used for high-speed road riding-generally with suspected low tranny fluid levels. It would be safe to add an extra 50-100cc beyond the recommended capacity and don't rely on the check hole for an accurate level check. We'd figured we could easily get another 200 hours on the bike, which in the real world is a lot of time.
We were sad to see this bike go, but it opens up the door for some fresh meat in our off-road Long Haul fleet. That means more riding, and we're all about that! Cramming another 200-plus hours on another bike is going to be fun. We hope it goes this smoothly!
Running Tally
Hours on Bike: 215
Modifications Cost Total: $2840.25
Rear fender: $45.53
Right and Left radiator shroud: $56.23 each
Right and Left sidepanel: $30.03, left; $50.42, right
Cycralite front fender: $43.95
Probend hand guards: $109.95
Maintenance and consumable parts: $2131.11 (not including tires)
Pro circuit T-6 Clutch Cover: $149.95
2 oil changes with Honda HP4: $29.76
IRC M5B rear tire $77.95
(3) Countershaft seal: $7.13
(3) Countershaft O-ring: $2.47
(3) Countershaft sleeve: $10.02
Michelin M12 90/90-21: $85.22
Michelin Bib Mousse M15: $164.53
Michelin S12 140/80-18 : $94.53
Michelin Bib Mousse M14: $164.47
This polish on the piston...
This polish on the piston skirt was the extent of 215 hours of use.Caption14