XRP Engine, Showa A-Kit, and More | SLR's Honda CRF250R Race Bike 11

In the 250F class, power is king, you need a legitimately strong package to compete against factory-level equipment. Non-factory teams don’t have access to all the trick parts the OEMs do, but they can still build bikes that are fast enough to line up and perform at the highest level. To find out just how close they can get, we headed to Glen Helen Raceway to shake down SLR Honda’s full-race CRF250R engine package, built by the well-proven crew at XPR Motorsports. The goal: see whether this bike puts out enough power to remove a rider’s excuses. How close is it to something like a Star Racing Yamaha? And how much faster is a fully built bike compared to a stock CRF250R? We set out to find all those answers in this test.

To watch and hear our thoughts, click play. To read, keep scrolling.

What's Done to It

XPR Motorsports is no stranger to building top-tier race engines; they’ve put riders on the top step of the 450SX podium before. SLR tapped them to get the absolute most out of the CRF250R for their team. This is a complete race build: some components are available to the public, while others require deep budgets and team-level access. A fully built engine, dual injectors, an electric water pump, and a custom airbox highlight the major performance upgrades. Add A-Kit Showa suspension and a handful of chassis refinements, and you’ve got a legitimate race machine built to go fast, and win.

First Impressions

Right away, the bike looks every bit the part, with factory-level exterior pieces and trick add-ons that make it visually stand out. I was especially excited to ride this one since I’ve logged a ton of time on the stock CRF250R lately, including two days before this test. The stock motor is the only thing holding that bike back from being class-leading...it just needs more power.

As soon as this built engine fired up, you could hear and feel the difference. It sounded mean, torque for days, and a crisp throttle bark that hinted at the performance underneath. Even putting around the pits, the improved low-rpm response was obvious. It was begging to be revved out. Glen Helen is the perfect venue to feel horsepower with its long straights and massive hills. I normally spin a couple of warm-up laps before photos or pushing the pace, but with this bike, I knocked out 12–15 laps without even thinking about stopping, simply because I didn’t want to get off.

Engine

The jump in low-end power, torque, and throttle response compared to stock was instantly noticeable and honestly shocking. Exiting corners, I needed to stay forward just to keep the bike from lifting the front. With the throttle alone, I could wheelie halfway down the straights. We started with a 50-tooth rear sprocket, which made the low-to-mid hit incredible, but it also revved through the gears quickly and required constant shifting. Switching to a 49-tooth gave the bike more legs and better over-rev with only a small sacrifice in initial snap. From then on, I could let the bike scream and use every bit of the power curve.

The mapping was flawless; clean, crisp, and immediate. You can tell XPR spent serious time on the dyno dialing this in. Third-gear cornering was easy with only minimal clutch. Even if I made a mistake, rpm recovery was insanely fast. The midrange is what impressed me the most, the bike absolutely comes alive in that zone. Clearing jumps and climbing hills became effortless. I was hanging with, and passing, 450s at times, which is always a good sign on a 250F. The torque from low to mid felt very reminiscent of the Star Racing Yamaha I’ve ridden, and that’s high praise.

There’s a bit of vibration up high, but when the bike works like this, that’s a tiny tradeoff. Overall, the engine feels right in the mix with the best pro-level 250F builds I’ve ever ridden. Massive credit to XPR, this motor pulls a 175-pound rider like me around with ease and leaves a huge smile along the way.

Suspension

This bike runs a full A-Kit Showa setup tuned by Showa USA, and it surpassed my expectations. The stock CRF250R already handles well, but elite suspension changes the entire attitude of the bike. Initial comfort was excellent; small bumps simply disappeared. The fork and shock move with a calm, progressive feel that gave me tons of confidence down Glen Helen’s big hills and braking bumps. Mid-stroke performance was great, and bottoming resistance was smooth and controlled. I could hit any-sized bump, and the bike stayed composed, even when I hit something unexpected...the bike stayed planted and composed, which is exactly what you want. The balance between small-bump comfort and high-speed stability was some of the best I’ve ever felt on a Showa setup.

The more I pushed, the better the suspension worked; stability and comfort stayed balanced perfectly. Combine that with Honda’s class-leading cornering, and I was riding at a level I haven’t touched in a while. Creating a setting that blends plushness with race-level performance isn’t easy, but Showa nailed it here.

Chassis

We tried a few additional chassis components to refine the overall character even further. Right away, it felt solid, but I wanted just a bit more calmness through big bumps and a slightly more planted feel. The updates we added delivered exactly that: improved comfort, more stability, and better bump absorption.

The CRF platform already corners effortlessly, but the calmer feel lets me drive into ruts even harder. The chassis was stable and predictable every lap, which made riding fast fun instead of stressful. The updates Honda made last year really brought this chassis back to life, and it’s now one of my favorites among all manufacturers. The lightweight feel at lean, the precision when holding or changing a line, and the impressive high-speed stability all combined to give me total confidence to push as hard as I wanted, even when Glen Helen got rough. 

The Final Word

After a full day of riding, I was genuinely blown away by this package, and it continued to remind me how solid all the bikes at the pro level are becoming. The engine is a torque monster with incredible connection and throttle response, which makes it easy to not only ride aggressively, but also recover from mistakes. For me, there’s nothing more fun than ripping on a properly built 250F. Not everyone has the budget for a build like this, but if you’re a 450 rider wanting more fun without giving up speed, a fast 250F like this might be the perfect direction. Plenty of riders don’t need 450 power, and this bike isn’t far off a 450 anyway. The power improvement over stock is impressive, but the boost in pure fun is even bigger.

Honestly, it makes me wonder how much better a true factory bike can possibly be, even though from personal experience, I know there’s still another level above this. It also makes it harder to believe riders who blame “the bike” when machines like this are available. Then again, I’m just a washed-up guy having the time of his life, what do I know?

Bottom line: SLR and XPR knocked this one out of the park. In the right hands, this bike could absolutely run with the top factory teams. Hell, it even made me feel like I could qualify for a national...right up until the arm pump kicked in. Huge thanks to Mark Samuels and the SLR crew for having us out, an unforgettable day on one seriously fast CRF250R.