So why didn't the CRF150R take off......as expected.

Lots of reasons:

1) They were slow. They would've had to be a 175cc 4-stroke base model, not 150cc.

2) Too expensive. You had to put $2K into the motor just to be competitive with other Supermini 112's.

3) No other Manufacturers really attempted to make a competitive 4 stroke for the Supermini class.

4) The majority of the mini racing community didn't ride them. I maybe saw 4 racing in Minnesota on a given weekend.

https://motocrossactionmag.com/the-rumored-yamaha-yz150f-finally-gets-b…

Too heavy, center of gravity is too high and too difficult to start. 

Kids are constantly growing. Most start on a new sized bike that is too big, then grow into it, then they become too big for it. So most new bike owners are going to be kids that are a little too small for the bike. Picking up a bike that is 30 pounds heavier than a comparable two stroke in a muddy rut 3/4 through the race then taking 10 minutes to start is a no-go.

The bike is a dog. 2 strokes are superior for lower displacement motors.

This ^

It had to run equal displacement......so no affirmative action for it.

I was racing 85 and Supermini at the time this came out. I remember race season that year, they might as well have called it the 150 class. They were everywhere. It seemed as though everybody had one but me.

And then a couple years later, they were gone. Everyone had gone back to Kawi/Yam/KTM 85/100’s 

Did they ever even update those things? I feel like EFI along with some bodywork refinements would have gone a long way but if you’re squeezed out of a class due to rules, what can you expect.

Honda gambled that the AMA would make the same double displacement mistake in the 85cc Mini class that they did in the 125 and 250 class.  For once, the AMA didn't fold to Honda.
 

Plus, the economy tanked during the first production years AND there was a recall on all the early models.  It was a bad rollout all around.

As a Honda salesman, it's women who buy it, then find out they can't start it, and sell it and buy a KTM150 and lower it.....

2007-2011 this guy did pretty well on his JGR CRF150R

When Honda makes it FI that will be a game changer.

It was impressive when it first came out. But it never improved or got better…..and it needed to.

True its the same in 2024 as it was in 2007

bikes I have not seen at this years Mini O’s

KX65

RM85

CRF150R

This is just a bbr bike. Not the actual yamaha proto. Standard MXA tho 

Photoshopped.

On a fun fact 07 season European 85 title went to French rider Jason Clermont on a CRF150 infront off Herlings,Anstie,Tonkov and a some more kids who ended up being a GP guy or still are. 
 

He was a big kid at that time but that 150 saved his ass! 

They definitely were not easy to start; pretty short stroke motor if I recall, and maybe that had something to do with it.  

Super fun play bike though.

I'm pretty sure that BBR did several custom bikes somewhat similar to this, but either a custom hand built frame or modified 250F frame depending on what the customer wanted to go with.....

These all appear to be the custom frame buy I feel pretty sure seeing a 150R in a 250 frame for a guy's wife who wanted a full size but lowered bike with a 'slower' engine than a 250.

BBR Motorsports, Inc - Bike Gallery

This thing screams yz426f....

Leave the 426 out of this, they were awesome tractors! 

I noticed that too....

Like the Japanese manufacturers just turned the mini ranks over to KTM "group" of bikes...no presence whatsoever. 

You can hear Cooper Webb blow by me, and some other kid on them.

I got one back when I was 9 or 10 when they first came out. Had a good motor but dam was it heavy and hard-starting. I look back and honestly wished I bought an 85 instead. I ride a 2 stroke now anyway. 

The bike dominated and was quickly outlawed causing Honda to never update it.