Australasian Dirt Bike – June 2019

tiredfrompullingontheclutch?Were
thebrakestoosensitiveordidtheyfeel
justright?
Bec:Whenstartingandstoppingthe
bike,I onlyeverusedthefrontbrakeas
thisfeltmorecomfortabletome.It was
easytoslowdownandtocometoa
smoothstopusingthebrakeand
clutch.I hadtousetwofingersforthe
clutchtogeta goodgriponit and,
despiteusingit allthetime,myhands
andfingersnevergotsore.Asa
beginner,thebikewaseasyto
manoeuvreandgetthehangof quickly.
Everythingwascomfortable,andit was
somuchfun,I can’twaittodoit again.

SUSPENSION
ADB:Howdidthesuspensionfeel?Was
it comfortableand/orwasit toostiff?
Wasit toosoftorspongey?
Bec:Onthebiketrack,therewere
bumpiersectionsandsmallinclines.
Atfirst,I washesitantasI didn’tknow
howI wouldgoonthebikebutevery
lapI gotfasterandmoreconfidentasI
knewthebikewouldprovidea soft
ride.Aftera fewlapsonthetrackwe
didsomeridinginthepaddocksand
overa fewrockpasses.I wentslowly
overtheseandthoughtI’dfalloffand
thatit wouldbereallybumpy.Thebike
wentstraightthroughandI feltvery
sturdyonit,thesuspensionwasgood,
andI hardlyfeltanyof therocks.

Gotsomethingtosayaboutthisyarn?

[email protected]

Moreimagesandinfoatadbmag.com.au

TRAIL TEST I HONDA CRF250F

If you’re looking for

a reliable ride that

can take a beating

but still gets up and

motors then, maybe,

the CRF250F could fill

that XR-shaped hole

in our farmer’s hearts

Electric start will be welcomed by farmers

Snailcams are dated but easy to grip with a shifter

Tank is steel, not plastic despite appearances

70 | JUNE 2019 http://www.adbmag.com.au

Farmer’s

whip

While on a gap year many moons ago,

my brother (Bec’s husband) went and

worked on a farm in Mt Surprise, Qld.

When the station hands found out that

he knew someone on ADB they

bombarded him with questions about

when the XR was coming back and why

had Honda got rid of it.

These farmers used XRs to chase

scrub bulls through the bush on hot

summer days as, being air-cooled, they

wouldn’t overheat. They would ride up

alongside the bull and grab its tail to

slow it down or corner it between trees

using the bike as a shield, so they

needed durable dirtbikes that could be

stomped on, charged at and

cartwheeled as well.

While the CRF250F doesn’t have the

power of an XR400 it has similar, if not

more, power than the XR250. It’s

air-cooled, reliable and bullet-proof

with an electric leg that looks like it

could survive a nuclear blast. It’s

certainly better equipped for chasing

scrub bulls than the CRF230F or $6099

CRF250L. So if you’re looking for a

reliable ride that can take a beating

but still gets up and motors then,

maybe, the CRF250F could fill that

XR-shaped hole in our farmer’s hearts.