Brian Szumski

2018 Honda CRF250R Review

All-new and much improved

The Honda CRF250R has seen plenty of changes since the bike's inception in 2004, but the newest-generation model is arguably the most significantly changed CRF250R Honda has ever produced. Perhaps the most significant and noteworthy difference is the new dual overhead cam (DOHC) engine. This marks the first time Honda has gone away from the single overhead cam (SOHC) Unicam engine on its small-bore motocrosser, and, as an added bonus, the all-new engine is electric start-equipped. Honda's goal with the new engine design was to increase power, especially in the higher rpm. A few other unique features that are immediately visible are the two completely separate exhaust systems from port to muffler.

2018 Honda CRF250RBrian Szumski

The majority of the rest of the bike mirrors the current CRF450R, which was all-new in 2017 and has become the best-selling motocross bike in the past year. The CRF250R receives a Showa 49mm A-Kit-style spring fork, which replaces the Showa Separate Function Fork (SFF) Triple Air Chamber (TAC) unit that was spec’d on the 2017 model. Other changes include a new frame, downdraft intake, titanium fuel tank, and bodywork that mirrors the CRF450R.

The new engine features two entirely separate exhaust systems from port to muffler and is a DOHC design.Brian Szumski and Jason Zindroski

Engine

The changes Honda made to the bike are immediately noticeably on the track. The new engine delivers power unlike any other CRF250R that has come before it and is remarkably improved. The power delivery is much stronger than the previous-generation bike on the top-end. Therefore, it works best when ridden in the higher rpm. The midrange hits hard, but one area where the new engine is not as good as the old engine is on the bottom-end. However, that is one of the few areas where the previous engine excelled and most 250F riders tend to ride in the upper rpm anyway.

The new frame and bodywork are very similar to the CRF450R, which was all-new in 2017.Jason Zindroski

The throttle response is extremely snappy, which despite the mellow bottom-end power, helped when accelerating out of soft corners. Hondas have always been praised for smooth shifting, and the all-new engine proves to be no different, and the clutch pull is very easy and smooth as well. The new CRF revs much higher than the ’17 model and has better over-rev, which makes it easy to maintain momentum and not having to shift when going up the hills and attempting to clear bigger jumps.

Left: Electric start is a welcome change on the new CRF250R. Right: The left side of the handlebar is where the kill switch and map-selection buttons are located.Jason Zindroski

The bike comes stock with three map settings: Map one (stock), Map two (smooth), and Map three (aggressive). Map one had great top-end but a fairly mellow bottom-end. On the other hand, map three improved the bottom-end power but not as much as I would have liked, and had a bit less top-end power. Map two was mellow and didn’t appeal to me as the conditions we rode in were fairly deep for most of the day. Overall, Honda’s all-new DOHC engine is significantly improved over all of the previous Unicam engines, especially for faster riders and those who like to spend their time in the upper rpm.

The new CRF250R corners excellently.Brian Szumski

Suspension

The new Showa 49mm spring fork is a tremendous improvement over the previous Showa SFF TAC fork. The new spring unit offers a fine balance between comfort and performance feel. With the stock suspension settings, the bike wanted to stand up in rutted corners and the front end seemed to wash out in flat corners occasionally, so the Honda technicians raised the fork 1mm up in the clamps, which helped the front end hook up better and not tend to wash out as much on the flat corners. They also went two clicks stiffer on the fork compression to get better hold-up and prevent the fork from riding too low in the stroke. Aside from having a better feel on the track and unlike the fork on the ’17 bike, the new fork is easy to dial in with no air pressure gauges necessary.

The bike feels very light and nimble—both in the air and on the ground.Brian Szumski

The shock has a plush feel that absorbs everything well. Honda recommends 105mm of sag as a baseline setting, but the bike seems to work better with a little more sag. I went as low as 109mm per the recommendation of one of the Honda technicians, which made the bike feel more stable at high speeds. Overall, the new Showa suspension components are a huge improvement over the previous setup and is a win-win in the front and rear.

The new Showa 49mm spring fork offers a good balance between comfort and performance.Brian Szumski

Chassis/Handling

Hondas are known to handle well, and this is another area where the all-new 2018 CRF250R is even better than before. Although the bike gained approximately 6 pounds with the electric starter and an additional cam and header pipe, the bike feels incredibly light on the track. The new frame plays a major role in the improved overall handling as the bike feels extremely agile and nimble both on the ground and in the air. The swingarm is a little shorter than the past models, which helps the bike get better traction in every area, and the seat is a little flatter, making it easy to move forward or backward on the bike. As far as brakes are concerned, the bike has a good balance between being strong and progressive but not overly touchy. The handling is yet another major improvement on the new CRF250R, which comes as no surprise given that it shares many of the same chassis components as the highly praised CRF450R.

The all-new 2018 Honda CRF250R is a complete package that is a blast to ride.Brian Szumski

Conclusion

The 2018 Honda CRF250R is an incredible bike and is unquestionably the best 250 four-stroke motocross bike Big Red has ever produced. The all-new engine revs to the moon and loves to be ridden in the higher rpm while the Showa spring fork performs great and is easy to dial in with just a few clicks. Even though the bike gained some weight, the new chassis design makes the bike feel lighter and more agile than ever before. With more bottom-end power, this bike could be one of the most well-rounded 250 four-stroke motocross bike ever produced.

The 2018 Honda CRF250R is all-new from the ground up.Jason Zindroski
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