BIKE BUILD PT 2 | 1996 HONDA CR250
borrowed the Berg’s brakeline and
master cylinder, fitted a Ballard’s
270mm CRF disc and, just like that,
had a ridiculous front brake. It actually
stops with one finger. As soon as I had
that bad boy mounted up, I felt like I
could charge into corners just as hard
as on a newer bike and with the new
front-end feeling firm and stable, the CR
was one step closer to being finished.ROLLING ON FRESHIES
While the wheels weren’t buckled or
anything like that, I still had some
questions about whether the 24-year-old
rims and spokes would be in good
enough shape to leave alone. The spokes
were kind of fused in there and weren’t
coming loose so that part was good, but
I’ve had plenty of wheels break so I
didn’t want to take the chance.
I called up the guys at John Titman
Racing who import Excel rims and they
were more than happy to help. I decided
to keep the stock hubs, give them a good
cleanandthenrelacethewheels.JTRKeihincarbcamejettedforthejobJeremy McGrath 1996 replica graphicsactually offer this service. You send the
wheels to them, they re-lace them and
send them back fresh as a daisy.
I decided to change the rear to an
18-inch rim as I find that it’s just better
for me and the majority of my riding is
off-road so having the bigger sidewall
and cushion is nice. We mounted the
new rim with new spokes to the ’95 hub
and also a new 21-inch front rim. The
Excel rims are super strong and looks
awesome too. Then, of course, I added
my go-to set of tyres, the Pirelli Midsoft.
I would always look at the photos of
MC’s bike and could not help but
marvel at the handmade cone pipe.
That thing looked so trick but the
custom aluminium silencer, while
looking good, apparently only lasted
two or three races. Unfortunately for
me, neither of those items are easily
obtained so I decided to try my luck and
contacted Pro Circuit Australia for help.
To my delight, they said that they
would love to get a PC Works pipe and
silenceronthebikeandIhavetosay,II found a 2012 CRF Showa
front end for $500 delivered.
Oh man, was I stoked
was over the moon. It took six weeks to
show and when it did, oh boy, I could
not mount that thing up fast enough.
The raw finish of the pipe just looks
epic and sure, they are a little hard to
maintain, but I didn’t care because it
was the final piece I needed.
It bolted up super easy and the
sound, holy shit, it sounds so meaty
and strong!FIRST RIDE
After months of building and drooling,
I finally got the beast out onto the track
and I could not wipe the smile off my
face. I thought the bike was fast before it
blew up, but with a brand-new motor
and some go-fast mods by my mechanic
Drew, the CR goes like a rocket.
I could not believe the power and
torque that the bike has. On my
grasstrack, I can enter the corners in
third gear and it pulls me out of there
without even hesitating. I must have
put three tanks of fuel through the
bike in one day.
The only gripe I had was the clutch.
The pull was heavy and I am just not a
huge fan of cable clutches. I recently put
a Ballard’s easy-pull lever on there and
a new clutch cable but have yet to ride
it, it feels lighter so that’s a huge plus.
Other than that, I am super impressed
with this motor. Sure, it vibrates a fair72 | SEPTEMBER 2019 http://www.adbmag.com.au