OzVMX Forum
Marque Remarks => Honda => Topic started by: Nathan S on August 16, 2007, 04:56:30 pm
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In another thread, I asserted that the 88+ CRs weren't as good as the 86 and 87 bikes.
Today I discovered this, by Super hunky:
Bad news for 1985. In an attempt to come up with a bike to compete against the punchy YZ250 powerband, they brought out a CR250 that put out a nasty little burst right off idle, then signed off and turned into a snail. It also shook the steering head like a snake on a hotplate, stalled easier than a window fan with a shoe stuck in it, had a shock that faded riding to the starting line, confused jetting, no horsepower, limp forks and a gearbox that shredded gears like popcorn.
Aftermarket folks were able to turn it into a competitive bike, but the cost was staggering; 1985 will not be remembered fondly for a memorable 250CR.
In 1987, Honda put it all together for a truly brilliant 250 racer. The ‘87 CR had the best set of cartridge forks ever, including current models. Disc brakes appeared at both ends, the rear suspension was decent (and approached perfection with an aftermarket shock) and the motor did it all, pulling strong and smooth everywhere.
Whoops! The very next year, they screwed up the 1987 winner with a weak and confused Delta Link rear suspension, harsh forks and a wretched shock. Back to the drawing board.
Tonight I'll dig up some amusing, anti-88 comments from Phil 'Porky' Eldridge.
Anyone else got anything to add?
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Nathan... A bad CR? :o Theirs no such thing mate. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D Not in my eyes anyway. ;)
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Twisty should of course buy my 1986 CR250RG (2005 viper pre 90 class winner and 2006 viper pre 90 class runner up)
i would be interested in what you can dig up on the 1986 models !
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I would be interested in what you can dig up on the 1982 models as well..
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Porky, Reflections column, November 1993:
I was having a pretty good year in 1987...I had a really good bike too - a 1987 CR250 Honda. Looking back, and know what we do now, that model was one of the best Honda ever made. At that stage though, I figured that if the 1987 was a beauty, then the 1988 model had to be another winner.
...
Then things started to be said about the '88 model CRs. Things like they shake their heads worse than a clown at Luna Park, the back end is harsh, the linkages bend, the forks are downright diabolical.
I didn't take a lot of notice, it had to be Yamaha riders saying those things out of jealousy.
Until Syd started to say it too. Now Syd is someone I have a lot of respect for. In fact, it was Syd that led me to buy a CR in the first place, as he was raving about his '86 CR250 so much. And it was Syd who also updated his '86 model by buying an '88 CR for the same reasonas as me. It would haveto be better wouldn't it?
Well, Syd perservered for a while trying to make the bloody thing work. Tried just about everything to make the bloody thing handle but all to no avail. Then he started saying to me, "Porky, you'd better get that thing of yours sorted. You'd better get it set up. They shake their head REAL bad.
....
Shit! Everything Syd had said was right! The thing was lethal; it felt like it was riding on ball bearings. There was no contact with the ground. And it shook its head REAL BAD.
[went for a trail ride and]
...all I could hear from Syd was "@#$%&%@@#$ Honda!". Mine didn't seem quite that bad and I thought I was getting used to it. Not liking it, just used to it. Then in the race it showed its true colours. It shook its head so bad that at times I had to stop to sort out my composure. And rocks! Spot one of them and it jumped sideways!
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Porky again, this time being interviewed in SideTrack, issue #34.
PE: In 1987 I got a CR250 Honda and improved out of sight.
ST: That was the pick of them wasn't it?
PE: That was the best one. I got better in leaps and bounds...
...
PE: ...I went and bought a brand new '88 model CR...
These other guys were saying they were bloody terrible things, but I didn't believe it. Then I rode it... - it was the worst thing!
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quicky
any info you need on the 82 range of cr's ask away mate
i have a 125 an 250 they were extreme on the power and one of the biggest faults was the water pump housing made of magnesium find a ally case bolt it up and they are back to brilliant
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where do you find an alloy water pump housing id like one for the 84 250 re
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heres a cr on evil bay
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Honda-CR-250R_W0QQitemZ220140901364QQihZ012QQcategoryZ32074QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
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Didnt last long..
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quicky
any info you need on the 82 range of cr's ask away mate
i have a 125 an 250 they were extreme on the power and one of the biggest faults was the water pump housing made of magnesium find a ally case bolt it up and they are back to brilliant
Will start looking for one of those cases.. mine has been repaired in water pump area, welded up,, looks as if it was corroded. Its a very neat job that looks as if had done the job at least for a while.
Have sent you email with pic of my 82. Was too big to load on forum.. ::)
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Ebay bike is actually an 84, not an 85, yes?
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by the side number plates and the rear hub i would assume 83 cr250 not later model the shrouds are almost identical to the 125's as well
the prolink decals on the swingarm are 83 i think they changed in 84 85
ok i was wrong after a bit of looking it is an 84 bike first of the 250's with pipe on the right of the bike
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Thanks Nathan for tracking down more feedback on models. sounds like the '87 cr gets the gong for 'best of the eighties cr's' (i'm sure closely followed by the '86 hoony). i didn't realise they put disc on the back of the '87 not just '88.
me and vmxman and lex the hex holcombe went out and raced the cooma club's colington grasstrack event yesterday (compensation for missing out on crc...), and i still reckon a good late eighties two stroke would be as competitive as moderns for events like these (which are amazingly good fun....huge long sweepers tapped out in fourth....). And while i was in the mix with my '83 cr250, I would have benefited from: better brakes and better low down power. brakes is straightforward - double discs help you keep it on that bit longer (or be able to avoid prangs in first corner bunch ups).
Off idle power (that you can get with some power valved models and all four strokes) is needed not just to get going quicker out of corners but also to smooth out the mid range hit and so avoid the back end swinging out which has to be corrected by backing off, and then watch moderns go by you cause the power is linear....
So......hoony....how's the brakes on that thing? Where's the power come in on the '86? Is it '87-like'?
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Nathan, a fully rebuilt orig cond '86 CR250 came up on ebay and I snapped it up - only bidder past starting bid amount - got it for $1800 - I'm stoked! Check it out - item no. 110162115012. So get that '88 (was it?) 125 going and lets get stuck into it! I believe Bruce McFarland has bought into the scene with an '89 CR250 so I can see a field shaping up....
Sadly for me, the '83 has to go.....it took all of two days in the classies to go.
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Cool!
But does this mean you're going to be absent from the start line at future HEAVEN events? :'(
Or that you're going to start lobbying really hard for pre-90 racing? :D
Or just focussing on over 35s among the moderns? :o
Funnily enough, the engine came out of my 87 125 this morning. It needs a rod and a resleeve (no worries - already got the bits) but there's also something wrong in the bottom end which makes me cringe just thinking about it... Hopefully I'll have the bottom end stripped down this arvo to find out how badly my wallet is going to be damaged.
On the bright side, the water pump housing is perfect - I assume Honda had their act together for this model and avoided the dissimilar metals problem.
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well i'm hoping the fact that the RG stayed with drum rear and has conventional forks etc will mean i can keep riding both ACT and HEAVEN pre-85. but we'll see. i have flagged with kel that i would like to get members' initial views on a pre-90 class regardless, as i know of a few blokes slowly gathering some nice late-80s machinery ready for when this class's time arrives.....
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ive got a nice 88 cr250 awaiting its time ;D
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i should add that its very likely that the ACT club wouldn't have any objections to changing pre-85 to pre-88/pre-90 - seeing we only have a field of around seven or so regular pre-85s, widening eligibility would only help attract more riders, especially those a tad younger than us old coots and with their old late eighties mx'er in the shed but nowhere to race it and not be flogged....
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ive got a nice 88 cr250 awaiting its time ;D
Caps999 your bike is already eligible for Pre 90 racing in Viper.
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The above bike is now installed in the Gezza shed and had its first track outing last Saturday (rec riding, not racing...yet). In short - I'm stoked. That long hoped for off-idle power is there, and just keeps building thru the rev range. I can get on the gas halfway thru a corner and powerslide progressively out of the turn whereas before I'd either just wait patiently for it to find mid range and then hold on tight....or resort to some heavy clutch dumping and hope for the best. Some may find that fun but personally I find that an annoying distraction (and means I'd never make a good 125 rider). The RG's a buzz!!
I know I've committed sacriledge by straying beyond the 31 December 1984 model release date.....so sue me!!! Or join in the added fun these bikes bring.