TRAIL TEST I HONDA CRF250F
LOOKS
The CRF250F looks, to the untrained
eye, like a CRF230F with fuel injection.
It’s a similar size (about three-quarters
of full-size) with a low seat of 883mm
and conventional suspension. However,
after a quick squirt up the driveway, it
was obvious the CRF250F is
significantly different.
It has more power than the 230F right
through the rev range and the EFI
makes it more responsive. Having EFI
also means starting is a breeze. There’s
no long waits to go riding on those cold
mornings or if you’ve had a tip-over. It
sports a smaller fuel tank than the 230F
(down to 6L from 7L) but Honda claims
the EFI system actually gives it more
range than a 230 (there is no speedo so
testing this is difficult) while also
reducingweightuptop.
At105kginmygearitseemedunfair
formetotestthisbikesoIemployed
theservicesofmysisterin-law,Bec.Bec
hasbeenkeentogetintoridingever
sinceshestumbledacrossmybrotherat
aB&Sandfoundouthewasrelatedto
theEditorofADBmagazine.
Shehadherfirstcrackonadirtbikea
fewyearsagoatourfarmandwas
bittenbythebug.She’sbeeneagerto
learnhowtorideadirtbikeproperlybut
wedon’tusuallyhavebeginnerbikes
floatingaroundatthemagazine.That
wasuntilHondarevealedtheCRF250F.
SoIkittedBecoutinsomefresh
threads,handedherthereignsofthe
CRF250Fandsentheroffintothe
paddockstogetacquaintedwiththe
user-friendlytrailbike.
ADB:Whenyousatonthebike,didit
feelcomfortable?Wastheseattootall
andcouldyoureachtheground?Did
thebikefeeltooheavy?
Bec:Thiswasonlymysecondtimeonabike, but I felt in control and very
comfortable. When I went over bumps
the seat was well padded and provided
a soft landing. The seat was at a perfect
height because, at 170cm tall, I could
still get both feet on the ground, which
made it easy to balance the bike. It
didn’t feel top heavy when stopped or
when riding but, after my little stack, it
was harder to pick up than a 110 or 150.
It actually felt really heavy but after a
few goes at it Mitch showed me the
right way to pick a bike up (by the
bottom grip) which made all the
difference! Turns out it wasn’t that
heavy after all (120kg wet, up 7kg on the
CRF230F).
ADB: Was the power manageable? Did
you ever feel out of control?
Bec: When twisting the throttle, the
powercameonstraightaway,makingit
easytomanagethespeedbecausethere
wasnolag.AttimesIwouldaccidently
twistthethrottleoverbumpsandspeed
up,butIslowlygotusedtocontrolling
myhandoverbumps.Thegearswere
easytochangeandhelpedwith
managingthespeed.
ADB:Didthepowerallowthebiketorev
reallylowwithoutstalling?Wasthe
throttletootouchy?
Bec:Goingaroundallofthecornersfor
thefirsttimeIwentreallyslowandthe
bikewasabletorevreallylowwithout
stalling,whichisgreatforabeginner.I
alsowentreallyslowlyovermyfirst
rockpasswithmyfeetontheground,
usingtheclutchandthrottletomove
slowly.ThiswaseasierthanIthought,I
didn’tstallthebikeorloopoutbecause
thethrottlewaseasytocontrol.The
throttleonthebikewaseasytogetthe
hangofandthepowerdeliverywas
reallylinearbutstrong.
ADB:DidyourhandsorarmsevergetHonda CRF250F
SPEX
ENGINE
TYPE Air-cooled SOHC
CAPACITY 250cc
BORE AND STROKE 71 x 63mm
COMPRESSION RATIO 9.6:1
FUEL METERING Keihin PGM-FI injection
FUEL TANK 6L
TRANSMISSION Five-speed, constant mesh
CLUTCH Wet, multiplate
DIMENSIONS
WHEELBASE 1420mm
SEAT HEIGHT 883mm
GROUND CLEARANCE 286mm
WEIGHT 114kg dry
SUSPENSION
FRONT Telescopic fork, 240mm travel
REAR Monoshock with pre-load adj., 230mm travel
BRAKES
FRONT Twin-piston caliper, 240mm wave
REAR Single-piston caliper, 220mm wave
RUNNING GEAR
HANDLEBAR Non-tapered alloy
FRONT TYRE Pirelli Scorpion XC 80/100-21
REAR TYRE Pirelli Scorpion XC 100/100-18
PRICE AND CONTACTS
PRICE $6499 plus on-roads
WEB hondampe.com.au
PHONE 1300 559 846
WARRANTY Six months parts and labourThe250Fsportsa220mmreardiscbrakeEnginehas2kWmorethanageing230FmillGrippy footpegs should do the job68 | JUNE 2019 http://www.adbmag.com.au
Frame runs twin top tubes with braces on both size to the SOHC engine