2001 Honda CR250R - Going The Distance - Dirt Rider Magazine

Generally, when we tackle a used-bike hop-up, we keep in mind that pre-owned machines are the meat of the frugal and underfunded dirt addict, so we keep the parts pile in check. The well-used but maintained 2001 CR250R, selected for this story over all the members of the www.dirtrider.com message boards, is a different case.Budget-based two-stroke lover Thomas King recently embraced endurance off-road racing, and this CR was his sidekick for soloing the first six hours of the Glen Helen 12-Hour race. With the 24-Hour on the horizon, King was thinking a team of cyber-friends from the DirtRider.com forums would make things more fun, and that raising awareness for autism would be a motivating cause. But now, with his goals in mind, instead of counting on the aging CR to haul a single owner around (who lives 45 minutes from the race), it was being called on to handle 24 hours and multiple riders as well as represent a serious cause. We're talking a hefty entry fee, pit support, riders taking vacation and buying plane tickets and countless other lesser expenses and greater expectations. Going the full-budget route would really not make financial sense. Plus, we were converting a motocrosser for off-road, so the Precision Concepts suspension mods, Clarke tank, Enduro Engineering hand guards, Electrosport ignition and lights and Devol radiator guards and skid plate were all items we needed even if the bike had been new.Since risking a DNF would be a disaster, we got serious, but we didn't want to break the bank so we planned a two-stop shopping spree for the majority of the parts that ensured value for the dollar. ServiceHonda.com got us everything we needed to rebuild the entire engine, freshen up the controls and generally make sure the bike was mechanically sound and ready to rock. Also included were billet engine covers that are tougher than stock to help guarantee a finish. Finally, after hearing about the cause, Service Honda supplied a new engine to begin the race with, which allows the fresh stock engine to be a spare!Next we turned to RockyMountainMC.com. We felt like a second set of wheels, especially an 18-inch rear for flat-resistance, were almost a requirement. Rocky Mountain has a great price on wheel parts, so we got new disc rotors for both the original stock wheels, a Primary Drive X-ring chain and sprockets along with the new set of Warp 9 wheels. The price is amazing for wheels with billet hubs, heavy spokes, black rims, all bearings and seals and even rotors and sprockets. The wheels mounted up perfectly using the stock spacers. Rocky Mountain also sent a complete Polisport plastic set and an SDG complete seat. After the bike is sorted completely, we will freshen up the old wheels, linkage and swingarm with Pivot Works kits.We chose a few products because they are great, but also because they actually make products for a 2001 CR250R. We needed an ignition and lights, and the only ignition source we located was Electrosport. We could only get 50 watts, but the system is designed with a battery so the light doesn't dim at low rpm. We always like RidePG.com graphics and it turned out they actually make graphics for a 2001 CR. The Autism Speaks custom graphics rocked the bike to a whole new look, and suit the cause just fine.

So we spent more than it would cost to buy a nice 2001 250, but we weren't building a playbike but a race bike, and that always requires a more serious effort. During our shakedown rides we found that the brakes felt solid and new, and the off-road-spec suspension takes the shock away from chatter and edges much better than a motocross setting while still allowing for the jumps. The Glen Helen 24-Hour uses parts of both motocross tracks, so we wanted to keep the ability to take hits and float jumps. Since some of the riders are usually four-stroke folks, we opted to replace the bent-up FMF Fatty pipe with an FMF Gnarly to boost the bottom and mid response. The engine sounds and feels crisp, and it still has plenty of power even judging but current standards. Stay tuned to www.dirtrider.com to see how the bike fares.Parts And Accessories
Service Honda: 800.828.5498
www.servicehonda.comAll parts for complete engine rebuild
All controls and cables
18-in. rear wheel conversion (using CRF250X parts)
Billet engine covers
Sharkfin
Complete new loaner engineRocky Mountain ATV/MC: 800.336.5437
www.rockymountainmc.comPolisport plastic kit
Warp 9 21-in. front wheel
Warp 9 18-in. rear wheel
Tusk disc rotor rear
Tusk disc rotor front
Primary Drive X-ring chain and sprocket kit
SDG seat
Clarke tankElectrosport Industries: 888.369.8359
www.electrosport.comStator with 50-watt lighting coil
Dakar Glamis lighting kit with batteryDevol Engineering: 360.825.2106
www.devolracing.comRadiator guards
Skid platePirelli Tire: www.us.pirelli.com110/100-18NHS MX eXTra
90/100-21 57M MST MXMSPowersport Grafx: 800.903.6764;
www.ridepg.comCustom graphics kitEnduro Engineering: 517.393.2421
www.enduroeng.comEvolution debris deflectors and clamps
Red plastic outer mount roost deflectorsBarnett Tool & Engineering: 805.642.9435
www.barnettclutches.comClutch basket
Pressure plate
Complete Kevlar clutch kitPrecision Concepts: 951.697.8488
www.precisionconcepts.netFork and shock modified for off-road/enduranceFMF Racing: 310.631.4363;
www.fmfracing.comGnarly pipe