Another '95 CR250 build

OKIE984
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40
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Okarche, OK US
Edited Date/Time 12/14/2019 11:22am
I've decided to quit lurking and actually join the forum.

I always liked this generation honda and tried desperately to talk my dad into helping me buy a '97 cr125 back when they were new. (I was 13yrs old). I had an '89 kx125 at the time. My first bike was a '92 xr100r i got new for christmas of '92. I still have that bike too.
By '99 my dad bought a brand new '00 cr125 and i started
Racing at that point. I got an '01 cr250 shortly there after and ran both beginner classes. By 2003 i switched to yamaha and had an '02 125 and 426. Went to motocross schools with the likes of Trey Canard while he was on 80's and rode with alot of local experts. When I quit racing and went to school in late 2003 I had just moved to expert class as they called it then.

Now im at a place in life where ive got my oldest son riding and I'm going to start ripping it after a 13-14 year hiatus!

Ok in all my lurking i see a lot of bikes that look decent but then most of them turn out to be not so good and they just get fully rebuilt anyways. I want to build a "Modern Steely" so i just found the cheapest bike that looked as it had never been raced. The one i found looks horrid before removing plastic, but the pegs aren't sagging and the suspension is tight.
Motor turn over is a plus but ill be going completely through it.
I've already bought a complete front end from an '05 crf.

One question for now though. The swingarm has a big dent in it and i cant find anything on any of the later cr's shock and swingarms working on these.
Should i just find another swingarm and 96 shock or would i be happier with another setup say like 2000-2001 model stuff (if it will work)?






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JWACK
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NM US
3/7/2017 1:55pm
Congrats on getting back into it! Lots of work ahead. I don't think the 00+ swingarms will bolt up. It has a completely different linkage set up. A 96 shock with the high speed and low speed adjustments would be a nice upgrade to go with the crf front end.
OKIE984
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Okarche, OK US
3/7/2017 6:10pm Edited Date/Time 3/7/2017 6:11pm
Swing arm is not the wnd of the world but i dont want to apend good money on this 95 shock if there is something better i can run. Is there any major advantage of a later shock over a '96?
Is there another shock out there from a later bike that will work or modify to work. I was wrenching for a living but am now diesel engine shop foreman and am extremely knowledgeable with machining. Have a huge machine shop at my disposal (where i work). Almost anything can be built.

MCfan4life
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5731
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Location
Qld AU
3/7/2017 9:32pm
OKIE984 wrote:
Swing arm is not the wnd of the world but i dont want to apend good money on this 95 shock if there is something better...
Swing arm is not the wnd of the world but i dont want to apend good money on this 95 shock if there is something better i can run. Is there any major advantage of a later shock over a '96?
Is there another shock out there from a later bike that will work or modify to work. I was wrenching for a living but am now diesel engine shop foreman and am extremely knowledgeable with machining. Have a huge machine shop at my disposal (where i work). Almost anything can be built.

Build another shock! Laughing Kidding

You won't fit a swinger later than 96.

Unfortunately a LOT of EOM parts are already dried up for these bikes. What's the plan with it? Original 95 replica or something different? Purple shrouds are hard to find but there are some out there if you keep an eye out for them
OKIE984
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Okarche, OK US
3/8/2017 5:39am Edited Date/Time 3/8/2017 5:40am
OKIE984 wrote:
Swing arm is not the wnd of the world but i dont want to apend good money on this 95 shock if there is something better...
Swing arm is not the wnd of the world but i dont want to apend good money on this 95 shock if there is something better i can run. Is there any major advantage of a later shock over a '96?
Is there another shock out there from a later bike that will work or modify to work. I was wrenching for a living but am now diesel engine shop foreman and am extremely knowledgeable with machining. Have a huge machine shop at my disposal (where i work). Almost anything can be built.

MCfan4life wrote:
Build another shock! :laugh: Kidding You won't fit a swinger later than 96. Unfortunately a LOT of EOM parts are already dried up for these bikes...
Build another shock! Laughing Kidding

You won't fit a swinger later than 96.

Unfortunately a LOT of EOM parts are already dried up for these bikes. What's the plan with it? Original 95 replica or something different? Purple shrouds are hard to find but there are some out there if you keep an eye out for them
Not planning on building an original. All ufo plastics etc. I plan on riding, racing, and crashing the hell out of it! Dont like the latter but it comes with the territoryTongue

Thats why I thought this bike fit my needs and not a nice original. If im going to mod one why spend extra on a nice one to just pull stock parts off.
So i guess ill be looking for a '96 shock.

I contacted Ufo directly and they said that they would do any plastics in any special colors as long as there was an order of 100 pieces. Example- flo yellow '92-'93 honda or another example like having a 2014 honda done in the '93 flo red. Just need to get a 100 piece order togetherCool
Might be something the forum can get together on!

The Shop

OKIE984
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40
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Location
Okarche, OK US
3/10/2017 9:44pm
Update- I picked up a '96 shock off FleaBay and bought a new Clarke stock fuel tank.
Im going to go ahead and pull the engine, tear it down and inspect its condition before buying any more body/chassis components.
I've been looking at those Wrenchrabbit engine kits, are they any good? I cant find anything bad about them. Should i still buy factory honda crank seals regardless?

I straightened the subframe and ran the airbox through the dishwasher. Note- By doing this the Wife was pissed! But it sure cleaned it up nicely.


JWACK
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Location
NM US
3/11/2017 6:56am
Hot rods cranks don't have a great reputation for lasting very long. I've had 2 fail within 10minutes of install. And others that have lasted many hours. With that being said, I would put genuine Honda crank and seals in. It's a bummer to rebuild an engine you just built because a part failed.
OKIE984
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40
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Okarche, OK US
3/11/2017 1:11pm
Mail man came! Its going to be NEON!!! Maybe..... i saw the flo yellow number plate for sale and couldnt pass it up.
I think I'll see if Evo-mx or somebody else will reproduce the graphics instead of wasting these. If i dont use these graphics ill probably just build an Eric Kehoe flo red and white replica. I think those look sick.

Banana_oil
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455
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10/20/2011
Location
Gothenburg SE
3/12/2017 2:19pm
Nice build and soo nice with neon colours! Unfortunately those colours can't be printed digitally as they are flourescent. back in the day they used silk screen printing with real flourescent paint which is too expensive for low quantities.

I have a neon yellow & blue tecnosel seat cover that I may sell. PM for pics if you are interested.
Rockinar
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9/16/2016
Location
Katy, TX US
3/12/2017 3:38pm

I just got my 96' 250 frame back from powdercoat. Engine is done, just need to start putting it back together. DO NOT use one of those Wrench Rabbit kits, Wiseco or Hot Rods. Buy new OEM or have your crank rebuilt by someone reputable. I used Ken Oconnor racing for cylinder rebuild and crank rebuild. Cylinder came out great. It looks brand new. My Biggest issue was with the swingarm. The one that came on the bike looked great, but up on closer inspection it had a crack in it. Fine for trail and fun riding. I would not jump it though. I had to buy like 3 swingarms off Ebay to get a good one. Also radiator louvers are rare as hens teeth. Not sure what I'm going to do there. My rims were in good condition, but some total idiot down the line epoxied the tires to the rims. So the rims got ruined trying to get the tires off.


Before powder





After



OKIE984
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Okarche, OK US
3/12/2017 5:50pm
Rockinar- if i can find some radiator gaurds like devols then id sell or trade the to ya. They have all the tabs still.



Slosh 112
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Location
Mackay QLD AU
3/14/2017 3:58am
OKIE984 wrote:
Not planning on building an original. All ufo plastics etc. I plan on riding, racing, and crashing the hell out of it! Dont like the latter...
Not planning on building an original. All ufo plastics etc. I plan on riding, racing, and crashing the hell out of it! Dont like the latter but it comes with the territoryTongue

Thats why I thought this bike fit my needs and not a nice original. If im going to mod one why spend extra on a nice one to just pull stock parts off.
So i guess ill be looking for a '96 shock.

I contacted Ufo directly and they said that they would do any plastics in any special colors as long as there was an order of 100 pieces. Example- flo yellow '92-'93 honda or another example like having a 2014 honda done in the '93 flo red. Just need to get a 100 piece order togetherCool
Might be something the forum can get together on!
Don't hold your breath on trying to organise a group buy, seen so many never get off the ground haha. Although you have one of the most popular brand and year bikes on this forum so could get lucky. If you could get a group buy sorted for someone to make super good quality Plasticwerks factory front number plates or 96 CR250 radiator louvres & airboxes and you would have a hundred takers.
MCfan4life
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Location
Qld AU
3/17/2017 1:45pm
Go OEM for your crank. Can't beat genuine Honda quality and their complete crank assembly's aren't THAT expensive.
OKIE984
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40
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3/4/2017
Location
Okarche, OK US
3/19/2017 4:54pm
Sooooooo I bought another '95. This way I'll have a practice bike and a race bike. I can build my neon machine and have a Eric Kehoe replica!
I rode it again today to figure out how i want to set it up. I'm 6'3" so I'm going to lower the foot pegs on both bikes and install tall seat foam. Ill probably pick up another set of crf forks and triples too and move the bars forward.
What pegs are best for these to obtain lower height? I like my brothers yz450 so I want to shoot for those egronomics.

I will say its got some serious low end and mid range but no topend. I dont like that and dont remember my 01 cr being that way. I like it to have a more serious mid range punch and pull hard in the top.
To me its like a 500 low on power. FMF pipe and the silencer i think is an maybe older an R304. Did fmf have a round silencer? I can't remember.
Both bikes will get a PWK and reeds.




MCfan4life
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3/19/2017 8:29pm
OKIE984 wrote:
Sooooooo I bought another '95. This way I'll have a practice bike and a race bike. I can build my neon machine and have a Eric...
Sooooooo I bought another '95. This way I'll have a practice bike and a race bike. I can build my neon machine and have a Eric Kehoe replica!
I rode it again today to figure out how i want to set it up. I'm 6'3" so I'm going to lower the foot pegs on both bikes and install tall seat foam. Ill probably pick up another set of crf forks and triples too and move the bars forward.
What pegs are best for these to obtain lower height? I like my brothers yz450 so I want to shoot for those egronomics.

I will say its got some serious low end and mid range but no topend. I dont like that and dont remember my 01 cr being that way. I like it to have a more serious mid range punch and pull hard in the top.
To me its like a 500 low on power. FMF pipe and the silencer i think is an maybe older an R304. Did fmf have a round silencer? I can't remember.
Both bikes will get a PWK and reeds.




Another one? Welcome to the CR steel frame obsession club Cool

Footpegs...I don't know of any particular brand that are "lower" as such. You may have to move the mounts. I can tell you that late model YZF pegs bolt straight on. OEM ones are Ti and you can usually pick them up lightly used pretty cheap!

Power...these motors ripped up top! They are tractors that rev to the moon. It could be a number of things like worn power valves or heavy carbon deposits on the power valve etc. But these motors certainly didn't lack top end.

It's a PC silencer you have there. The old style with the stinger. They're sought after so see if you can resurrect that one. If you want to sell it let me know Wink

PC silencers were round while FMF ran oval silencers.
OKIE984
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Okarche, OK US
3/20/2017 5:37am
wsc96 wrote:
Looks like Fastway make pegs that will suit - https://fastwayperformance.com/footpegs/footpeg-products/evolution-iii-…

Have you decided what you'll use for the taller seat?
CEET makes a taller seat foam ao ill try that.

I also saw those fastways just wondering if any had experience with them. Since MCfan4life stated that YZF pegs work then i should be able to find something to lower easily.
My sons Yz85 pegs look to fit also if the pin diameter is the same. He has 2 extra sets of stock for some reason. So i reason yamaha ran the same pegs across the bike models.

MCfan- I figure its a combination of powervalve/ reeds/ carb needing attention. The guy i got it from only knew that it supposedly has a new Oem honda bottom end and wiseco piston. It feel like it has excellent compression so maybe thats true. I noticed the left hand case is cracked so ill probably pull it down and weld it up. Then ill know what it looks like inside.
I will say this, they really do turn sweet. We plowed alittle ground and made a couple of good rutted lines. With a half bald rear tire and junk front i could still drag the bars after 13 years off a bike!
wsc96
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Fantasy
451st
3/20/2017 10:16am
I haven't had any experience with them yet but I'm intending to purchase a set so Ive been reading up on them and people seem to be happy with them from what I've seen. As I'm tall and have big feet, I'm hoping that they'll serve two purposes. One they'll lower the pegs to give me some more room and two that they'll extend the distance between pegs and gear shift lever/rear brake pedal.

I raced CR125s during this era so enjoy seeing these 90s Honda builds. Good luck with it.
OKIE984
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Okarche, OK US
4/12/2017 10:13pm
Alittle update- Been buying parts left and right! The wife is constantly calling to say you got another package today! (In her nagging voice) "How much did that cost!?"
She wants a bike now so its all working out......

Alittle flo yellow from across the pond...


Banana_oil hooked me up with this custom Technosel seat cover. Thats a new ceet medium density tall foam underneath. About an inch taller.


I bought a front hub off ebay and chucked in a lathe at work and smoothed it up. Powdercoated translucent blue.


Bought some new gold excel's and dubya bulldog spokes and nipples. Assembled the front wheel tonight.
Just my opinion obviously but i think it looks damn sexy!




1
OKIE984
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40
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Okarche, OK US
4/24/2017 11:14am
I went ahead and bought some '94 shrouds so i could go ahead and use the graphics i initially picked up. Installed the seat cover with the taller CEET medium density foam. It needs to be fast so I got a blue billet gas cap for good measure! LOL seriously though that cap is nice but its HEAVY!.....

Here's a taste of the color combos for now....

banshee
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18
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4/25/2017
Location
AU
4/25/2017 12:22am
Nice mate im building the same bike by the looks of it but I need a seat cover like yours.......

OKIE984
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40
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Okarche, OK US
4/25/2017 3:21pm
I got the seat cover from banana_oil and its supposedly a one off cover.
I'll have a flo yellow front plate, fender and fork guards. My side panels and rear fender will be white.
I had to trim quite abit of the graphics to get them to fit and line up how i liked between the shrouds and fuel tank.
FTB
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AU
4/26/2017 5:30am Edited Date/Time 4/26/2017 5:31am
wsc96 wrote:
I haven't had any experience with them yet but I'm intending to purchase a set so Ive been reading up on them and people seem to...
I haven't had any experience with them yet but I'm intending to purchase a set so Ive been reading up on them and people seem to be happy with them from what I've seen. As I'm tall and have big feet, I'm hoping that they'll serve two purposes. One they'll lower the pegs to give me some more room and two that they'll extend the distance between pegs and gear shift lever/rear brake pedal.

I raced CR125s during this era so enjoy seeing these 90s Honda builds. Good luck with it.
I have, they're great. BTW, I have a size 15 foot.

Love the Yellow. I have Mad Mike Jones's 96 race bike here ATM, it was stolen a while back and rattle canned so I'm doing a resto for my mate that owns it.
OKIE984
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Okarche, OK US
5/22/2017 9:16pm
A couple more shots of progress. I've got several boxes of new parts to put on and will add more when I get a chance to install them. As I get the chassis to the rolling finished state i'll take the forks and shock to my guy and have him massage them over.




wsc96
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AU
Fantasy
451st
5/24/2017 1:19pm
Looking good!
OKIE984
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40
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Location
Okarche, OK US
5/29/2017 11:10am
Its a rolling chassis now! Still quite a few bolts to replace but for now it will do.
Im wondering about motor combos. I have a PC pipe and the repacked R304, v-force 3. Im going to go with a sudco carb. Debating on porting myself or having it done. Raising compression and put it on race gas or leave it pump gas. $$$ is not an issue but im overweight and even though im getting in better shape i'll still be heavy compared to 99% of riders out there. Hp is a must.
Any ideas or suggestions are welcome!









Mx746
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533
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11/30/2010
Location
Marietta, GA US
6/2/2017 8:31am
modern forks and clamps? digging this build!
avmechanic
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209
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2/13/2016
Location
Langley BC CA
6/2/2017 9:09am
The bike is looking awesome. Nice to see something different from the Mcgrath replica. The flo plastics are looking great along with the wheels. Enjoy the build. Thanks for sharing.
Greg

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