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Only $10 for all 2026 SX, MX, and SMX series.
I'm at 180 myself and with the '20 I went one level stiffer back and front on the springs, maybe new springs are not needed on '22 for me
The bike ran awesome, turn so well and the gearbox is smooth, no miss shift.
The only negative thing I think is the clutch is really hard to pull in versus my KTM, stock grip are no good for me and the chain is squeaking after the first wash well oiled...
I am by no mean a professional tester, but as a first impression, I like this bike real much.
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Like an idiot, I bought 10W40 GN4 because I tough it's was the same as my old 2016 250R.
Tomorrow I will go to the dealer and exchange my 10W40 for 10W30.
I'm not good at it and I'm not a professional at doing it and that's why I didn't do one, the same reason as why I'm not performing surgery.
But I'll do one just for you, here we go:
Strong motor
Corner good
Good suspension
Beautiful
Weird sound
Dirt Rider
Ultimate Motorcycling
Keefer
Swap Moto
Pit Row
Ok. Finally got to ride it. Put about an hour on it at my local track. First off. I’m a 47 year old 230 lbs VET A rider. Been riding and racing since 1988. So. I’ve been around a while. First things first. No. I’m not too big for a 250F no matter what your friends say. I also have a 22 Honda 450. I have been off the bike since January due to a significant injury. This was my first ride back. Recent bikes I’ve ridden/raced. 2020 KTM 350 and 2021 Honda 450 WE
Bike is completely stock except for ENZO suspension. Sent to Craig in TX. Complete revalve, springs and coatings on forks. I’m just too big to ride stock 250F settings.
Sitting on the bike you immediately feel how light and narrow it is. Almost 125ish. The ergos are typical Honda. Exactly what you expect from them. It feels like a Honda. The rider triangle is super comfortable right from the start. The reason I got away from the KTM 350 is because I’m more comfortable on Japanese chassis. Just been riding them for so long. Bike started right up with no issues. Sounds good. As you rev it out it’s raspy. Not a sound I’m use to hearing. I only ran it in the standard map. Mostly cause I forgot I could switch maps. Next ride will be in map 3. 2nd gear felt good on the tighter corners but I was able to pull 3rd if I wanted. Mid range power feels good. It definitely has a lot of over rev. I haven’t been on a 250 in a while so it took a couple session before I remembered to rev it out more. Shifting was amazing. Like almost too good. Ive never been on a bike that shifted so well. I like the positive feel of a little “notch” when shifting. This bike doesn’t have that. Super smooth shifting. Motor wise. I really didn’t have any complaints. It pulled me out of all the deep stuff and over everything on the track. It’s fast. It’s not a 450, OMG it’s gonna rip my arms off. But it’s really good. Had a fully modified 2016 KTM 250 and the stock Honda felt better everywhere.
Handling wise. Well. It absorbed everything really well. As it should with worked suspension. Initial turn in was very impressive. It drops into a line and stays there. No fighting it. Leans over well. Never felt like it wanted to stand up mid corner. It did feel a little “busy” sometimes. Certain corners. Certain angles caused that feeling. But. Dropping the forks and playing with sag with fix that easily. I never even checked my sag. I felt it’s way too much in the rear. I’ll check and set next time out. Besides the few corners it was dancing around. It was pretty stable. You definitely feel the weigh (or lack of) when jumping. Super light. Nimble bike. No complaints with the tires. Hard to tell. Track was dry and blown out from the previous weekends practice. Never ridden Pirelli so I’ll get a better feel as I get more time on the bike.
The bike is a blast to ride. It’s a welcome change to ride a bike and not have the bike ride you. I was hesitant while riding. First ride back from a bad injury will do that I guess. As I get more comfortable and more aggressive the bike will only get better. I wasn’t too far off my 450 lap times from before I got hurt. (LitPro). Not gonna take much to be at least as fast. I’m leaning towards making the 250 my primary bike this year. Just more fun. And safer for my old ass. Grips suck. Bar bend is pretty good. Might stick with them. Clutch lull felt great. Never got any fade or anything strange. Front break feels better than the past Hondas. Maybe the weight makes them feel better?
Ive ridden my buddies 21 Yamaha 250F. Yamaha has a harder hitting mid range but the Honda pull harder, longer. Map 3 might close that gap a little. I’ll take the smaller, lighter feel of the Honda over the Yamaha. You can always get more power. I’m not brand loyal. I’m not a die hard Honda only guy. I’ll ride what I’m comfortable on.
I’ll update more after another ride or 2.
I’m not a professional tester. Just my thoughts. So. Be gentle with me.
Thanks for reading.
Enzo Suspension (again, Craig is the best).
Twin Air Powerflow (I like to be able to clean inside the airbox)
FMF/Yosh exhaust with Tokyo mods ECU reprogramming. If you buy the exhaust from them, they do the remap for you, and they do it for your specific fuel. I bet this bike, with the exhaust, remap, and race fuel, will be more than enough for most riders.
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