This week's Classic Steel is a look back at the 2002 Honda CR250R

tblazier
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tblazier
Edited Date/Time 2/1/2013 12:36am
Classic Steel #42 The 2002 Honda CR250R
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stangkag
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stangkag 1/31/2013 11:56am
1/31/2013 11:56am
I remember drooling over these at the dealer!!! Pretty nasty smoker right here
thrillbillie91 1/31/2013 12:25pm
1/31/2013 12:25pm
heres my 125 that year when nr new.....changed half way through the year after the ktm jammed open on me Blink

definitley the best generation of the chassis
rg4
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rg4 1/31/2013 12:33pm
1/31/2013 12:33pm
The first thing I said after reading the article was "wow man." As always....... great write up. I loved how you reviewed the bike and also put the 2002 CR250R into a historical context for the reader.
tblazier
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tblazier 1/31/2013 12:44pm
1/31/2013 12:44pm
THANKS RG

The Shop

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thrillbillie91 1/31/2013 1:01pm
1/31/2013 1:01pm
rg4 wrote:
The first thing I said after reading the article was "wow man." As always....... great write up. I loved how you reviewed the bike and also...
The first thing I said after reading the article was "wow man." As always....... great write up. I loved how you reviewed the bike and also put the 2002 CR250R into a historical context for the reader.
yeah totally agree, very interesting to look back at the classic models

funny how honda seemed to go backward with their two strokes engines
Bry745
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Bry745 1/31/2013 1:05pm
1/31/2013 1:05pm
I had one of those. Not the greatest 250 motor, but it handled well.
Hut
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Hut 1/31/2013 1:10pm
1/31/2013 1:10pm
Most Beautiful run of bikes ever! That engine makes good power with the stock pipe just fine, That mikuni is a booger to keep in tune though.
Wolfman
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Wolfman 1/31/2013 1:12pm
1/31/2013 1:12pm
Reynard Mods breathed on mine. Turned it on to a rocket ship. Raced an ex pro on a kx500 the next weekend, holeshot him both motos. One week later the engine blew and I went back to stock.
JW381
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JW381 1/31/2013 1:46pm
1/31/2013 1:46pm
I have an '04, and I can't argue. Great chasis (I like it pretty much all around better than my '09 YZ), great handling, a little bit of a tame motor. I don't fully agree that mine drops off on top, but that could have been a difference between '02 and '04.
Motocross83 1/31/2013 3:14pm
1/31/2013 3:14pm
Great article, brings back a lot of memories as this was my first brand new bike and my first 250. The trip to our local Honda dealer with my dad on the day of collection.... gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. I was originally after the 2001 model but the bank wouldn't give me the loan until a few months later than I wanted/needed. So I had to wait and eventually ended up with the 02.

Up until that point I'd only ever ridden 125s and everyone I spoke to at my local track were giving me these horror stories over how scary the 250 2 strokes were compared to the 125. Well of course the first time I rode it I honestly thought my previous 98 YZ 125 felt faster. I couldn't believe how slow it felt (later I got my first YZ 250 which was a wake up call and quite a shock in comparison).

But over time I got more out of it, made adjustments, improved as a rider etc; in fact more than any other bike I think by the end of the year I had made more progress in my riding ability than all the years previously. It may have been a dog but the 02 CR 250 was a joy to ride for me. The handling was inspiring - ergonomically it was superb and it had great suspension. Other than the motor I have fond memories of it.
Brent
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Brent 1/31/2013 3:38pm
1/31/2013 3:38pm
I sold mine for a CRF, I wish I had that bike back now...
Lightning78
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Lightning78 1/31/2013 4:21pm
1/31/2013 4:21pm
Brent wrote:
I sold mine for a CRF, I wish I had that bike back now...
SO DID I!!! Banging my head on the wall EVERY day.... I absolutely loved that bike and after a year, had it so dialed I could get away with murder on it. Never have I trusted a bike as much as that one and had it till 05, then I got a CRF450 in which I THOUGHT was better and I was faster for a while but lost that excitement.

That 02 CR250 if jetted and fitted with the right intake/exhaust combo was a rocketship, now I know it seemed slow with an anemic bottom end, BUT if you rode it like a 125 and kept it screaming, that bike was FAST up top you just had to keep it there.

I remember my buddy having all kinds of issues with this stepup at Perris and he was much better of a rider (ex pro) on a 03 YZ250 and had to do it in 3rd. I went out and hucked in 2nd pinned from the inside with zero problems, that bike screaming could do 3rd gear jumps all day in 2nd from the inside, that bike never ran out of power on top. I miss my 02CR and one day will find it and buy it back.
Lightning78
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Lightning78 1/31/2013 4:23pm
1/31/2013 4:23pm
Here's my 02 JUST before I sold it....man I loved that bike.

JW381
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JW381 1/31/2013 4:23pm
1/31/2013 4:23pm
I'm thinking about trying this setup with the 09+ front fender and number plate. Looks pretty slick! The '02+ CRs are hands down one of the best looking MX models of all time, as many have previously said. They just look like a dirtbike should.
Lightning78
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Lightning78 1/31/2013 4:30pm
1/31/2013 4:30pm
I had a 97 CR250 at the time and was out at elsinore before this bike hit the dealerships, luckily it was a weekday and Transworld (Donn, Ross etc) were parked next to me and had just gotten the magazine bike. I told them I was considering buying that bike and asked for a test ride (assuring them I wouldnt crash or goon it), they let me ride it and in 2 laps I was SOLD on it

It was awesome of them to let me ride it
JW381
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JW381 1/31/2013 4:35pm
1/31/2013 4:35pm
Lightning78 wrote:
I had a 97 CR250 at the time and was out at elsinore before this bike hit the dealerships, luckily it was a weekday and Transworld...
I had a 97 CR250 at the time and was out at elsinore before this bike hit the dealerships, luckily it was a weekday and Transworld (Donn, Ross etc) were parked next to me and had just gotten the magazine bike. I told them I was considering buying that bike and asked for a test ride (assuring them I wouldnt crash or goon it), they let me ride it and in 2 laps I was SOLD on it

It was awesome of them to let me ride it
That's sick! My dad had a used '97, and that was a POS thru and thru.
bonseff
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bonseff 1/31/2013 4:45pm
1/31/2013 4:45pm


Here's mine, its a blast to ride but boy do I wish it had more grunt down low. Its my fault tho, I am a Honda guy and knew that going in.
Lightning78
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Lightning78 1/31/2013 4:48pm
1/31/2013 4:48pm
I didnt mind my 97 very much, to me, had FC suspension and an adjustable Devol linkage........other than rigid as hell it wasnt that bad for me, ............. until I rode that 02 and it was lights out for the ol 97.

Pit Row

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Lightning78
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Lightning78 1/31/2013 4:51pm
1/31/2013 4:51pm Edited Date/Time 1/31/2013 4:52pm
JW381 wrote:
I have an '04, and I can't argue. Great chasis (I like it pretty much all around better than my '09 YZ), great handling, a little...
I have an '04, and I can't argue. Great chasis (I like it pretty much all around better than my '09 YZ), great handling, a little bit of a tame motor. I don't fully agree that mine drops off on top, but that could have been a difference between '02 and '04.
Like I was saying, if you were able to keep it screaming I never felt it run out on top, it was an awesome half of an engine...haha

So light too....so so light, I could do the Scott Summers lift and pick it up with ease.
mxdude105
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mxdude105 1/31/2013 5:06pm
1/31/2013 5:06pm
Great article. The 02+ Honda CR two stroke still looks fresh today, a testament to how far ahead they were in design at that point.
JW381
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JW381 1/31/2013 5:08pm
1/31/2013 5:08pm
JW381 wrote:
I have an '04, and I can't argue. Great chasis (I like it pretty much all around better than my '09 YZ), great handling, a little...
I have an '04, and I can't argue. Great chasis (I like it pretty much all around better than my '09 YZ), great handling, a little bit of a tame motor. I don't fully agree that mine drops off on top, but that could have been a difference between '02 and '04.
Lightning78 wrote:
Like I was saying, if you were able to keep it screaming I never felt it run out on top, it was an awesome half of...
Like I was saying, if you were able to keep it screaming I never felt it run out on top, it was an awesome half of an engine...haha

So light too....so so light, I could do the Scott Summers lift and pick it up with ease.
Yeah for sure, I felt like mine screamed pretty good thru to the top. I wasn't actually a big fan of the hard hitting low-end on the YZ. Call me a poor rider, but it seems easier and more manageable coming out of corners to not have the powerband hitting at every crack of the throttle. Like I've said before, feels like a beefed up tiddler. Just as light, too, like you said!
tiddlermx23 1/31/2013 7:14pm
1/31/2013 7:14pm
Almost have the 04 refreshed and ready for that warm weather to come back. This will be my 4th year with it but she doesnt get nearly as much ride time as she should..

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DrSweden 1/31/2013 11:53pm
1/31/2013 11:53pm Edited Date/Time 1/31/2013 11:54pm
Good read!!! Had that bike, liked it a lot! Had to sell it in favor of med school. Sad
Gukamonster
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Gukamonster 2/1/2013 12:36am
2/1/2013 12:36am
I have the 03 which is basically the same bike with a better reed cage. I raced that thing for years, all through university because I was too poor at the time to get something newer. Those Hondas are probably the most reliable bikes ever made in terms of long-term durability and quality.

Most of the stuff written is true. To go fast on the bike you had to do a lot of things right - clutching in most of the corners, shifting in the perfect spot, have the back wheel spinning hard before landing etc. If you are putting around and doing none of the above, the bike is a turtle. The more talented the rider, the more the bike suited them. Robbie Reynard, Jean-Sebastien Roy and Heath Voss all had a lot of success on it as privateers. Reynard rode a Yamaha in 2001 and definitely picked up his results on the Honda in 2002.

The engine gets a lot of flack but it's not like other bikes were blowing it away. The Yamaha was more user friendly and faster off the bottom but the Kawasaki, KTM and 2002 Suzuki were certainly not faster. The Mikuni carb was the worst on the Honda, I heard riders who put on a Keihin had a better time.

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