Ever since I got to ride a Honda RS125 in the pouring rain in the AMA 125cc GP race at Laguna Seca many moons ago, I have been a huge fan of wee roadrace bikes. And when we saw pics of the new-for-2008 Moriwaki MD250H racer—”H” for the Honda CRF250X Single that provides power—it was love at first sight. Something about a simple little machine takes me back to the way Soichiro intended, before things got all multi-cylindered and expensive. Nope, they’re not incredibly fast machines, but if you like to go around corners, there’s not much out there that does it better than a stiff, little, 170-pound bike on racing tires. It helps if you’re 10 years old, but if you’re smallish like me, you’ll easily fit on an MD250H.
Word on the street was American Honda had an MD test unit lying around its warehouse. I had an in with the California Superbike School and, for once, it’s not all about me. It’s about my 15-year old man-child itching to step up from his already-outgrown Suzuki RM85 supermoto bike. He fits the MD, too, even though, at around 5-foot-8, he’s suddenly a bit taller than I am and still growing. Why not enlist him do double guinea-pig duty, testing both the Moriwaki and the California Superbike School’s Level 1 program?
Naturally, we rolled our eyeballs a little at the thought of old pros like ourselves having to be instructed by a guy who’s only written three books on roadracing and runs schools in, like, 20 countries, but the first riding session on the little Moriwaki—with its too-soft suspension and instant reactions—convinced my child it would be a good idea to pay close attention. Throttle Control is Lesson One at the California Superbike School. Keep the Moriwaki’s little motor purring along and it’ll carve up the Streets of Willow like few other motorcycles. Be jerky with the gas and you can run off the inside of the turn if you’re not careful. The Moriwaki is the perfect trainer for Keith Code’s “no-brakes” drill, too. Instead of rushing up to the corner and panic braking, like what goes on at many track days, the no-brakes drill has the opposite effect of raising cornering speed. With about 99 percent of its design brief being cornering, the MD250H couldn’t be a better fit for the Code curriculum. Another early lesson is the need to relax and let the bike do what it’s built to do. The little Moriwaki reacts to every twitch and seems to actually monitor sphincter tension. Even more so than most motorcycles, it goes best when governed least.
Purely in the interest of this evaluation, I begged my way onto the track during the lunch break. After being humiliated by various cornerworkers (who traded their labor for track time), a few special children sponsored by the CSS and a Code instructor on a KX450F, I began to remember the Streets course and also that I was just never that good. Big deal. The MD250H is a hoot to ride, with probably all the cornering ability of an RS125 but way less need to keep the engine in a powerband the width of a Ritz cracker. More power would be better, but this four-stroke doesn’t desert you entirely if you fail to keep it spinning. (On the other hand, the 250 doesn’t generate quite the cackling top-end buzz of a two-stroke on the rare occasions when you do get it right; we eagerly await the MD450H.) Anyway, by the time my brain cell was remembering how quickly little bikes like this one can get to full lean and how hard skinny slicks will corner, I was too pooped to continue. For me, more skill and stamina would be twice as good as more power on a tight circuit like the Streets. If you weigh more than 100 pounds or so, you’ll definitely need to firm up the suspension. And we’re told they all leak a little oil from the shift-shaft seal, just like our test unit. Aside from that, the Moriwaki is a jewel, with a fairing that pops off in about 2 minutes and lots of tasty hardware to keep nice and shiny, including a handmade frame and swingarm.
After lunch, the lessons continued, and my spawn continued to go visibly faster/smoother as his teen worldview segued from “whatever” into “what do I have to do to do this again?” Code’s patented two-step method says look for your turn-in point (a yellow “X” marks the spot) then your apex. Simple and effective.
Code’s school is pricey compared to most track days, but the student/teacher ratio is off the charts at just three students per (highly trained and carefully chosen) coach; the ratio is two-to-one at two-day camps. If Levels 2-4 are as effective as Level 1, I understand why the CSS has so many loyal followers. And I understand why so many of them are kids, most of whom are the best little roadracers in America.
As for the Moriwaki, it’s a great little training tool for the spoiled little bas, er, kid who has everything (or a fun trackday ride if you’re a smallish adult). It may even be a good investment if one of the things the kid has is great speed. This year, Honda served up $110,000 in contingency for an 11-race USGPRU series (usgpru.net)—$2K for a win! Add another $200 if you were rolling on Bridgestones or Dunlops. What a fine thing for America’s youth: lessons in racing and free enterprise all rolled into one. Why not pick up a couple of Moriwakis today? At selected Honda dealers for $11,699 each.
