For years the MXA wrecking crew and loyal Honda riders have been moaning that Honda’s engineers have steadily detuned the engine, abbreviated the powerband and neutered the handling to the point where new Hondas weren’t as good as old ones. Finally, for 2001, Honda came to its senses and took a step back to the good old days.
HOW DOES THE 2001 HONDA CR250 FARE?
The good: The best aspect of the 2001 Honda is the powerband. Gone is the punchy, one-dimensional, short-lived powerband of recent years, and in its place is a mid-and-up rev engine of old. Now, a CR250 rider doesn’t have to shift every 25 feet; he can hold the engine on and make it to the end of a straight. The power is broader, easier to use and less taxing.
The bad: It may sound like blasphemy, but now that Honda returned to the engine of old, maybe they will consider going back to the frame of old. The aluminum frame is too rigid, vibrates like a runaway washing machine, transmits jolts from the suspension and makes working on the bike difficult. Honda does not have good enough suspension to use a frame design that hampers suspension performance.
The forks: For 2001 Honda went to the next stiffest spring (0.44 kg/mm) and lightened the compression damping. Good move (especially for riders under 160 pounds), but the forks still exhibit mid-stroke harshness, a dead feeling and a tendency to hang down in their stroke. Our solution is to add one 0.45 spring to increase the spring rate slightly and then adjust the oil height to give us a feel we can live with. Faster or heavier riders will need to change both fork springs for something heavier.
The verdict: Honda deserves kudos for the new powerband, 20-inch or 21-inch front tire option and improved handling, but they still need to work on the harshness of the frame and suspension (what else is new?). This is the best aluminum-framed Honda ever, and since the newest steel-framed Honda was made in 1996, it’s your best choice to ride red and like it.
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Photo Credit: Ray Archer