The Showa suspension on the CRF250X was just as plush as the Kayaba suspenders offered on the WR.
The WR's 48mm Kayaba inverted telescopic fork dances over gnarly terrain and soaks up big hits with ease. Likewise, Honda's 47mm Showa inverted cartridge fork performs beautifully. The stock settings were a bit soft for our flavor on both machines, but after tinkering with their adjustments we found ourselves in trail-riding nirvana.
Out back, Yamaha fitted the WR with a Kayaba single shock, while the CRF gets a Showa single-shock with 12.4 inches of travel. As much as I tried, I couldn't pry a complaint from our testers about the suspension. A good indication of how a bike functions is when the test riders fail to make any important notes and simply dismount with big grins smeared across their faces. Once again we reached a stalemate, neither bike seemed to land any significant blows in this middleweight fight.
With the mills offered on this duo, getting up to speed isn't a problem and neither is bringing them to a stop. Riding steep downhills and sinuous trails can be a disaster without a good set of binders. Front wheel washouts are common when a bike is fitted with sub-par brakes, but we're happy to report both the WR and CRF are equipped with a sweet set of brakes.
Honda is renowned for its braking refinement and the CRF250X adheres to tradition with a single 240mm disc in the front and rear, both actuated by twin-piston calipers. The WR offers up a single 250mm floating disc up front and a single 245mm disc out back, also actuated with twin-piston calipers.
The WR feels very narrow between the knees, just like Korf.
Once again, when compared head-to-head, the two bikes exhibited differing characteristics. The WR binders feel more powerful, but the X offers up better lever feel giving the rider the option of feathering the brakes, which contrasts with Yamaha's new brakes that need to be coddled.
Tough as Nails
Unlike the machines from years ago, today's bikes come ready to ride out of the box with what used to be aftermarket components as standard equipment. Previously, a new bike required a set of aftermarket bars, a gripper seat, and maybe a few other components. However, Honda and Yamaha have both done an admirable job of offering high-end standard equipment, like the stock Renthal bars offered on both bikes. Those old puddy-like bars were good for about one, maybe two falls, and then it was off to the local dealer for a set of aftermarket handles that can take the punishment of real-world riding. That's no longer the case and in fact all of the hardware on these two off-road machines is quite impressive.
