Sometimes there is one part that makes a project bike. Without it the motorcycle is really not that good, or at least not as good as stock. Even if you go and make the rest of the machine better, that one thing can really hold the bike back, sticking out like a sore thumb. On a Honda CRF150F that part would be the rear shock. Softly sprung and overdamped, it is even worse than the similarly set-up fork. Race Tech went to the effort of making a fully adjustable, remote reservoir shock for the CRF150F, and matched it with a fork mod that turns the bike into a very happy, compliant and smooth-riding trail machine. These suspension modifications are worth the money and make a huge change to the way the bike works. So much so, now you start wanting a little more power with a side order of bling, too.
The suspension has gone from novice to intermediate, meaning it still isn't a setup you'd take to serious big bike MX tracks, but it will now handle pitbike-track jumps or average trail leaps a lot better. The Race Tech RSDH shock is a lot more supple on little bumps and has some progression in the damping to slow it down from slamming into a bottomed-out situation. The fork achieves the same via a cartridge emulator inside that tricks the fork into thinking it is a cartridge design, and therefore yielding more consistent damping.
On to the engine, and we have the typical modifications of the early four-stroke era. After all, the engine is just a compressor. More fuel and air, better flow and a faster spinning engine all add up to more power. How much? Well it is hard to say, but I'd guess it was a solid 25 percent increase out of the single-overhead-cam, two-valved motor. Try getting that kind of increase out of a race bike and still having it live for a long time! We rode this bike pretty hard on a few trail rides, and it never whimpered, even with 200-plus-pound adults flogging it. The best thing: The sound output from the FMF Q was still acceptable. When you have a bike this fun, the last thing you want to do is get riding areas shut down with a noisy exhaust system. And the key to all these engine components doing so well together is having a setup specialist, like Parapros, to make it all work together. For sure the bike has had some jetting work done inside the bigger carb. It even handled altitude without needing adjustment. Overall, the price tag may be a little high for a bike in the price range of the Honda CRF150F, but there aren't too many bikes out there at this size that are this fun and easy to ride (and electric starting)! And when you factor in the Baja Designs lighting, which is as good as any big bike's, you can ride it all night long, too.
Big fun, low seat height....
Big fun, low seat height. It's amazing what a good shock can do to make little red more trailworthy.
BBR Motorsports:
www.bbrmotorsports.com; 888.668.6227
Skid plate: $99.95
Rev box: $89.95
26mm Keihin carb kit: $299.95
Renthal:
www.renthal.com; 877.736.8425
611-01 Playbike-bend handlebar: $74.95
Dual-compound grips: $15.95
Maxima Racing Oils:
www.MaximaUsa.com; 619.449.5000
Maxum4 Extra 10W-40: $12.95
FFT foam filter fluid: $7.15
DOT-4: $6.16
Clear synthetic chain lube: $9.07
Race Tech:
www.racetech.com; 951.279.6655
Fork rebuild: $110.00
Fork oil US3, 15 wt: $59.98
Emulator FEGV3301: $159.99
Heavy-duty fork springs: $89.99
RSDH CRF150F rear shock: $799.99