Every year new motocross bikes hit magazine pages and showroom floors across America. Shortly after they're released to the masses (and often before they're available), companies like MX race team powerhouse Pro Circuit get to work developing products to elevate the newest dirt bikes from stock to saaaaweet.
This year, we're lucky enough to jump on board with Bones and the Pro Circuit team as they develop suspension and engine settings for one of the most anticipated bikes of the year: The 2010 fuel-injected Honda CRF250R.
Jim "Bones" Bacon in the PC...
Jim "Bones" Bacon in the PC rig. He can almost revalve a shock with his mind. And he was cool enough to come out the race and cheer for me.
During our first testing day,...
During our first testing day, the crew from Pro Circuit was hustling. It's no wonder they can dial in settings for all the new bikes almost before your dealer even has them prepped-these guys are part of a well-oiled machine.
Pro Circuit doesn't really need an introduction. Just look around any Amateur National or AMA Pro Supercross or Motocross pit and you'll see plenty of PC pipes, engine badges and accessories. The company is synonymous with horsepower and their Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team has the trophy collection to prove it.
Since I'm a big fan of the CRF250R, I've been assigned the job of riding along on this joyride of race bike development. I'll be a test mule (as will a 2010 CRF250R) as we build a race bike all the way from basic upgrades to...well; we don't know where we're going yet. The cool part is we're taking you along for the ride.
There she is. Ain't she purdy?...
There she is. Ain't she purdy? A full set of PC graphics makes the stock stickers look bland. The hints of race-prep anodized goodies help. Yes, that's Glen Helen's Talladega in the background.
The Pro Circuit Ti4r race...
The Pro Circuit Ti4r race exhaust system is the end game of a moderate engine build for stage one. Pro Circuit put their high-compression piston and ported head on the bike for starters. The valve train is all stock and cam profiles are still in development (aka: Stage Two).
We (and by "we" I mean Pro...
We (and by "we" I mean Pro Circuit technicians) slapped on the PC linkage arm and went through a few sets of fork/shock combos until I felt like the bike was working best for all 5'10", 175 pounds of the Vet Intermediate-skilled me. The rear end is lowered a bit with the link-arm and it seems to calm the bike down while eliminating any stinkbug feel. On acceleration, I had some serious chattering in the rear. The shock responded well when we opened up the rebound a few clicks to get the tire back to earth but it wasn't perfect.
A lot of readers ask us what they should do to their bikes. The questions almost always go like this: "I have $blank and I want more power from my bike and I want it to handle better for my size and speed. What should I do first?"
When it comes to the 250F game, this is even truer. You dirt bikers want power first. A lot of riders are older guys and gals that regularly line up against 450s (like me) and are sick of bringing a knife to a gunfight. Some are kids looking to beat their buddies to the first turn. And some are riders that hardly race but still want to clear that out-of-corner double a little easier on their weekend track day.
We left compression settings...
We left compression settings alone for the most part. Bones' setup worked very well at Glen Helen. That makes sense since they use the circuit weekly for race team and customer setting development.
These triple clamps are stock...
These triple clamps are stock offset but they look cool and offer some rigidity benefits to the front end. I appreciated the suspension settings and mods we came up. After our setup day and another day on the bike alone, I raced it and the chassis was more relaxed than stock and easier to huck into big bumps. It still turned well but the biggest improvement was the way it liked to charge into bumps and move through them. What you can't see behind the number plate is a Pro Circuit modified steering damper. The model I tried (ultimately going back to the stocker) only valved towards center.
Here are some more bumps the...
Here are some more bumps the PC bike gobbled up with the help of Bridgestone 403/404 knobbies. But really, I just wanted to show a picture of myself in front of Yamaha's Tim Olson (#61). He eventually and calmly passed me on the way to the +30 Intermediate championship but I was in front at one point. This is proof of that.
I definitely fall into the first category. I ride 250F's because I don't really like hanging on to 450's. But those big bikes sure push me around when the gate drops. So, as stage one of our Project Pro Circuit CRF250R I took Jim "Bones" Bacon and Mitch Payton's first set of suspension and engine mods to the MTA World Vet Championships and gave them a go.
Here are a few quick pics of the bike after the weekend and a couple days of testing and setup. I'll be compiling a complete story as for the magazine when we either A. run out of things to do or, B. Bones and Mitch get sick of me hanging around the shop or, C. I sign a big contract with the Pro Circuit team and do sick Nac-Nacs and One-Handers for the ladies all day.
Click on the pics for some inside info on the mods we've done so far. And stay tuned to Dirt Rider Magazine and dirtrider.com for more of this build up. As always, leave questions and comments below and I'll try to get back to you in a timely manner.
Honda should make their foot...
Honda should make their foot pegs this wide and grippy for 2011.
The PC Honda CRF250R was a...
The PC Honda CRF250R was a confidence-inspiring ride as the race day went on and the Glen Helen bumps grew.
What about the motor!? Well,...
What about the motor!? Well, this doesn't exactly look like it but it's a top-five start at Glen Helen against a gate full of 450s. The bike was consistently pulling strong down the long start straight and hanging with the big bores. It really comes alive in the mid and just goes. The PC mods pumped up the mid-to-top on the bike. Now, I'm looking for some bottom to complete the package.