2006 Honda CRF250R Project Bike Photo Gallery

MotorcyleUSA’s 2006 CRF250R Project Bike

Our jetting changes really helped the motor come alive. Even more important to us than the extra horsepower was the increased throttle response that is crucial to riding small-bore machines.

The torque graph really illustrates the performance gains offered by our Leo Vince exhaust system. Riding the bike at high rpm is when riders will feel the additional power.

Once our work was complete in the shop, the fruits of our labor were ripe for the picking. Not only was our bike better suited to off-roading, but the modifications also offer gains on the MX track while bolstering its appearance, sound and the all-important fun-factor.

Having fun is what riding is all about, and our project bike brought us more smiles after our initial changes than it did as a stocker. Not being confined to trackside boundaries is a hell of a lot more fun in our book.

Cruising on mountain roads can get butt-numbing on a motocross seat. Standing up helps eliminate that and our raised bars made that more comfortable for long distances.

Cruising on mountain roads can get butt-numbing on a motocross seat. Standing up helps eliminate that and our raised bars made that more comfortable for long distances.

The puddle was a little deeper than Hilde thought. It doesn’t matter what kind of bike you’re on at this point.

We’ve come to enjoy riding 250 4-strokes in the woods more than almost anything else. There’s a lot of potential inside these little Thumpers.

JC tries to talk Brian into trying the hill-of-death first.

Dodging branches is a huge part of enduro riding. Not only do the Multiplo handguards do that, but they also cut down the effects of wind and water.

None of the aftermarket parts we put on initially would help us stay out of ruts like the one JC just crossed, but we’d get to that later.

We were happy with the way our project bike turned out on all fronts. The little Honda has a lot of potential for adaptability in stock trim.

This bike was made to jump, so whenever we came across a chance to get airborne in the woods, we took it.

Squeezing between stumps and ruts wasn’t necessarily what this bike was intended to do, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t.

Our graphics package looked good from any angle, and JC even managed to score his own number for the project bike. Apparently he felt that authorized his complete control over the machine and getting him to let the rest of us test it was like pulling teeth.

The CRF250R's moto roots were quite evident to our testers, but our goal wasn't to eliminate them altogether. Brian made it perfectly clear that having some moto-spunk in the woods isn't a bad thing.

Nimble handling characteristics is one reason why we chose to start with the Honda CRF250R. That’s one thing that is a benefit on the track or off the beaten path.

Hopping across logs isn’t something the 250R is likely to do on the motocross circuit.

Standing up on the little bike was made easier for tall riders by the Fly Racing universal bar mounts. Brian found that to be a surprisingly pleasant benefit for his 6-foot frame.

Negotiating slash piles is easier with a little extra protection. It gives the rider confidence to get closer to the edge.

Hilde demonstrates one of the hidden attributes of riding a small-bore Thumper in the woods. Picking up your 450 enduro can get tiring pretty quick, but the lightweight CRF was easy to manhandle.

We wanted to take the 250R’s regular diet of doubles and tabletops and replace it with cut-banks and water crossings.

Higher bars don’t negatively affect any aspects of the ride in our opinion. It does feel different than a stock bar clamp, but adapting to it is quick and easy and we found that it actually suited our needs better.

The ground was so soft after a recent rain that JC just couldn’t resist the urge to stretch out after a long day of riding.

The little motor can power-out on hills, but muscling this bike around mid-climb is a breeze compared to bigger, or heavier enduro machines.

This is one of our favorite places to ride, but that doesn’t mean we don’t get the urge to moto. Having a bike like our project 250R is the answer for us.

Plenty of the CRF’s likable attributes carried over from the MX track to our local trails, including a light feel and predictable turning.

If you don’t want to ride this trail, there’s no hope for you.

A significant amount of work went into making the control department better suited to off-road riding. Handguards are a necessity and the rest of the add-ons helped with reliability and comfort.

Our simple suspension adjustments proved adequate for moderate off-road use. If someone wanted to make this bike a full-blown GNCC racer then internal modification would be necessary, but four our bipolar weekend steed, its ability to suit different needs by twisting clickers was impressive.

The curved ends of the aluminum handguards allow the rider to slide their hand out during a crash. The idea is to cut down on those horror stories of trapped hands and broken wrists. We can say that the curved Acerbis units are very easy to get your hands in and out of.

From the front, our modified bike looked like a serious off-roader. You can fit right in with all the minute-making nuts if you have the right look.

Turning characteristics were a little slower with the increases shock preload and softened compression settings, but the tradeoff was minimal.

We knew the CRF250R could rail corners, but this is ridiculous.

ASV levers have become a favorite of ours. They make a welcome addition to any bike.

Pirelli’s MT450 rear tire was better suited to our needs than the matching front. Our local area has plenty of terrain suited to the intermediate/hard performance offered by the meat.

BC is our hillclimb expert, but the Honda was a little down on power for his tastes. We would address that with our next batch of aftermarket stuff.

This little gizmo was easy to install and provided us with a ton of useful information. Once we discovered the cheat codes printed on the back we were even able to use all that info on the trail.

JC looks for his turnaround spot to make another photo pass.

Brian was so enamored with the 250R that he had to lay down for awhile.

The Pirelli MT450 front was the weaker of the two new meats we chose as replacements.

The twin-exhaust on the 250R is much smaller than mufflers found on other small-bore Thumpers. Keeping things small and light is a benefit in the woods.

Leo Vince’s X3 exhaust is simply beautiful. It was easily the defining piece of our project, and the most expensive.

Our custom graphics kit made our bike stand out against all the other part-time motocrossers ripping around the local trail system. Was it necessary? No. Was it worth knowing that the hot chick in the parking lot thinks your bike is rad? Absolutely.

The soggy Oregon timber offered more challenges than the 250R was used to. Fortunately it can adapt to its surroundings with ease.

Trail Tech’s computer mounted cleanly to our brake caliper, but we did have some problems with the zip-ties breaking. We’d recommend reinforcing them with a few additional ties.