We rode this duo under sunny skies in Southern California and then put them through the ringer in the drizzle of Oregon. Picking a winner proved to be as difficult as we expected.
However, when it comes to overall fit and finish, Honda seems to have a leg up on the competition. A sleek integrated LED taillight fits seamlessly into the rear fender of the X, while Yamaha offers a bright red pimple on the tail section. Both have solid headlamps up front that illuminate the path ahead.
Of course, there's also the standard gripe about Yamaha's blue bodywork. No matter how hard one tries to maintain its condition, scratches and creases will begin to appear after just one ride on the WR. The red body panels on the X seem to take the abuse a little better, and most scrapes were nearly invisible. Creases in the CRF plastic however, are equally noticable over time.
Split Decision
For many people, finding a good bike in the woods has long been an exercise in compromise. Want Thumper grunt with the latest technology? Until recently, a 450 has been the only real choice. Unfortunately for riders who don't have the skill to manhandle a high-po 450, there were even fewer choices. Now Honda and Yamaha deliver two options that are simply perfect for those looking for a good trail bike that offers up decent power, light weight maneuverability, along with the refinement and luxury of the latest techno-goodies everyone needs during their weekend bench racing sessions.
The X wins our first off-road small-bore thumper championship bout by the slimmest of margins. Stay tuned though as we expect these two bad boys to duke it out for years to come.
For us, choosing one bike as the winner is truly a difficult decision when two machines are as good and closely matched as these. The right bike for you depends largely on what kind of riding dominates your days in the dirt. For those that are in flatter areas where wide-open trails require top-end power by the fistful, the WR is probably the better choice. Conversely, the CRF seems slightly better in the tight and technical trails where low-end thrust is at a premium.
In reality, both machines are phenomenal bikes and can handle just about any terrain thrown in their direction. But alas, we're paid to make choices, and for 2005 we're still so enamored with every aspect of the CRF250X that it wins a very, very close decision over Yamaha's WR250F.
These off-road 250 four-strokes are so capable they could take a bite out of the open class four-stroke market once people realize just how good they really are. That certainly remains to be seen, but we had so much fun flicking and revving out these small-bore bikes that it makes us wonder if the days of big-bore domination may be coming to an end. Ultimately, for our test crew, the CRF250X is a perfect-fitting small-bore Thumper with all the amenities and goodies required to turn any day in the dirt into a momentary
raison d'etre.
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