Info on 04' CFR250X

I want a dirt bike. Was gonna get a KDX 200 but know I'm considering a CRF250X. I've heard some good and bad, like maintenance and transmissions blowing up. If you have FIRST hand knowledge about one let me know. TIA.

[SomeStrangeGuy]

I chase my friend around the woods on one and have ridden it several times and its awesome. He got his X last year...his wife has a KDX200 and they are both devout 2stroke fans, her 200 is going on the block and she'll be on a 250 next season it appears

I don't know of any maintenance headaches with it, the newer 4strokes are somewhat needy because they have such little oil capacity and 90 different ways to drain it. But if you read the manual for a kdx200 they tell you to drop the gear lube every other ride, it's just about using common sense and good regime. Personally I change my yz450's oil every 2nd/3rd ride with Rotella T synthetic and K&N filters and it's been fine (knocking on wood).

Transmissions? I haven't really looked into any issues but I know my friends has been bulletproof. It has been used to its ability for most of a season, as he did a few scrambles on it and was out pretty much every weekend.

btw, that X has a little thumb button

does that help?

Change the oil religiously, every second ride. Change the filter every 4th ride. Check valve clearances every 10 hours minimum, it will save you a fortune in the long run because if you catch the problem early, it's a couple of cheap shims instead of a very expensive head job. The bikes are great all in all and you will never get on another two stroke afterwards. I don't own an X but I have the R and the differences are minimal, port design, cam profile and exhaust. Great bike but you have to maintain it.

And the tranny's are bullet proof as far as I am concerned. I have never met someone with a bad tranny.

BUY IT! I have an 05 R and it's awesome. I have ridden an 04 X and it's a fantastic bike. The biggest thing is regular oil changes. The only issue I have with th e design of the 250R/X and the 450 is the split cases. It holds so little oil it's paramount you keep it fresh. The upside to the slpit case is that fact that you can run an 80/85 weight tranny oil in the tranny, and a full synthetic Moly oil in the motor. If taken care of properly it's just as reliable as the Yamaha 4-strokers.


Dano

bought one yesterday. Gonna go ride it in a few hours.

Originally Posted by Colo.TJ

bought one yesterday. Gonna go ride it in a few hours.

Sooooooooooooo? What ya think of it?


Dano

Another issue I saw mentioned in MXA was the skirts at the base of the cylinders fracturing on some bikes due to stress risers forming-not sure if this was fixed at some point in the production run, but probably worth looking into. Other than that, my thoughts echo everyone else's-change the oil often, and don't forget to do the filter as well. I have the 450, and my oil gets changed at least every other race, usually every race-I have been going with a filter every other oil change with good luck. The nice thing about the split cases is that you can use oil which is optimized for either engine or tranny use, instead of using a compromise, and the clutch bits aren't circulated through the motor. The down side is the reduced oil capacity, as previously mentioned. I agree with the fact that once you go four-stroke, you won't go back to two. I rode a friend's YZ 250 a while back, and was like "Where's the torque? I feel like I am shifting constantly!"

I've been waiting for the 05 CRF450X to come out in January. Man, I found out that I have to wait till March now.

I've heard through the boards that the CRF450/250's are having valve stretch problems. I'm most likely going to have the Ti valves removed and have SS valves installed, to correct the valve issue. Hopefully, Honda will have that issue corrected prior to releasing the 05 CRF450X

www.thumpertalk.com

For all you four-stroke needs. Very helpful site. Lots of guys that know what they are talking about.


Dano

Originally Posted by ReaperAZ

Sooooooooooooo? What ya think of it?


Dano

It was great. After a few wheelies in the dealer lot I did a Motoman style break in going through all the gears hard and downshifting under engine load many times. It acts very much like a two stroke and I like that very much. I have to say that the electric start is great.

I found the Thumper talk site a little while ago. Thanks for the link though.