Modify CRF250l (chiang mai)

[BuffaloRescue]

Hi

Ive been thinking about modifying my bike.

Ive seen kits in the US for about $1000. Sprockets, race exchaust and some kind of mod for fuel injection, maybe its a air filter mod too.

First im wondering?

Does it wreck the engine?, does the extra noise upset the police? Does it ruin fuel economy? How much more power do i get? Any chance of pulling wheelies hehe

And - where could I get this kind of kit in Chiang Mai (fitted, i dont have knowledge or the tools) at a reasonable price.

Thanks

[ktm jeff]

All these parts (and much more) are available in Thailand. Some modifications will invalidate your warranty - check if this worries you, as Honda has had some quality problems with this bike (and others).Best to talk with local owners / groups to see whats available,and what they are doing about the problems they are encountering, and the improvements they recommend offer the best value for money .Good exhausts shouldnt be too loud , fuel consumption will increase slightly but (if done correctly)the bike will be smoother with more power in the mid range.If you ride on mainly tarmac then swaping the cheap tires with some Michelins (pilots) ? would be a good move.There is a shop almost next to "riders corner" cafe on the moat corner that may fit the mods , but have never used them - do my own work ,although other members may know other places - there are plenty.

[BuffaloRescue]

Interesting what quality problems are there with this bike?

[dave_boo]

Interesting what quality problems are there with this bike?

I'd like to know also...the only issue I've read about was a snapped shifter spline...which happened when the bike was crashed against a rock (no indication as to the direction of the breakage, but as it was claimed the crankcase cover wasn't damaged we can only assume that it was a rotational force that didn't strip the splines but sheared the shaft or it was outwards (highly unlikely).

[ktm jeff]

In general , build quality of Hondas has gone down over the past few years , although there are people who will always , and only , buy Honda.I believe there has been some problems with the camchains rattling / jumping and /or breaking (one could lead to the other). Havent heard much more on whether this is down to cheap/faulty chains or the tensioners themselves. There may be manual adjustable after-market units available to solve this problem. Because these bikes only have one radiator , tuning them up too much may cause overheating problems,as a few people have expressed concerns about.Have heard about the gear shifter shaft breaking as you mention ,not a quality problem if caused by a crash , but it requires an engine/gearbox strip to fix , and this wont be covered on warranty. Must be a design fault as i have never known this happen to a Kawasaki KLX.The CRF is more suited to road riding and its 24 HP engine not designed to make too much power.Changing to a larger rear sprocket will help acceleration/wheelies HA HA !

[dave_boo]

In general , build quality of Hondas has gone down over the past few years , although there are people who will always , and only , buy Honda.I believe there has been some problems with the camchains rattling / jumping and /or breaking (one could lead to the other). Havent heard much more on whether this is down to cheap/faulty chains or the tensioners themselves. There may be manual adjustable after-market units available to solve this problem. Because these bikes only have one radiator , tuning them up too much may cause overheating problems,as a few people have expressed concerns about.Have heard about the gear shifter shaft breaking as you mention ,not a quality problem if caused by a crash , but it requires an engine/gearbox strip to fix , and this wont be covered on warranty. Must be a design fault as i have never known this happen to a Kawasaki KLX.The CRF is more suited to road riding and its 24 HP engine not designed to make too much power.Changing to a larger rear sprocket will help acceleration/wheelies HA HA !

http://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/1008841-gear-shaft-snap-09-klx250/

[ktm jeff]

Thanks dave-boo , i didnt know it was so cheap and easy to do this repair/replacement on a Kawasaki. I had heard of it being a "weak point" on the Honda , and the parts/labor cost frightened me.Do you know any more about the camchain and / or tensioner "issues".Honda have a habit of saying no problem!(wonder where they get that).The bikes seem more prone to fail if used hard / tuned up. Wouldnt have thought you could tune them up too much , as they only have one radiator. More power means more heat to deal with.Will be interesting if Honda put their 300cc engine into the CRF soon (and another rad) to give it a bit of much needed go , as this engine has lost the battle against the Kawasaki 300 engine by some margin. If they brought the weight down by 20lbs towards the KLX weight it would be a very tempting true dual purpose bike.

[taninthai]

In general , build quality of Hondas has gone down over the past few years , although there are people who will always , and only , buy Honda.I believe there has been some problems with the camchains rattling / jumping and /or breaking (one could lead to the other). Havent heard much more on whether this is down to cheap/faulty chains or the tensioners themselves. There may be manual adjustable after-market units available to solve this problem. Because these bikes only have one radiator , tuning them up too much may cause overheating problems,as a few people have expressed concerns about.Have heard about the gear shifter shaft breaking as you mention ,not a quality problem if caused by a crash , but it requires an engine/gearbox strip to fix , and this wont be covered on warranty. Must be a design fault as i have never known this happen to a Kawasaki KLX.The CRF is more suited to road riding and its 24 HP engine not designed to make too much power.Changing to a larger rear sprocket will help acceleration/wheelies HA HA !

no disrespect but have you owned one?

I had one for a year ,used of road must have dropped it around 50 times ,no problems at all ,and I found them much better to ride off road than on road.

The CRf is definately not better suited to road riding,if you want to use it for road riding you need to change the tyres or better of just buy the cbr250.

Can't say I noticed much better acceleration with my bigger rear sprocket ,but when you are going on the narrower trickier trails it makes the bike less prone to stall at lower revs, ie you don't need to keep pulling the clutch in.

Edited January 9, 2014 by taninthai

[ktm jeff]

Taninthai Hello. I have owned several Hondas (last on was an XR 650 L - liquid cooled). Im wary of them now as the build quality and service in my opinion has continued to fall over the last 5 or 6 years.650 is too big for Thai trails , 450 KTM can sometimes be too quick.CRF 300/400 would be perfect-Kawasaki KLX 300/400 even better but these 250,s are duel purpose bikes built to a budget and a bit too tame for my use.Honda seems too have cut too many corners in quality and equipment in order to price undercut the proven KLX design.If KTM stuck their 390 engine or a milder 350/450 into a EXC chassis im sure it would sell very well but the price would be about 500,000 Baht. KTM Freeride 350 on crosser tires could be perfect but could be priced close to 450,000 Baht and fun/play riders wont pay that much.This is who the CRF is mainly selling to and light use may be OK but i think the CRF is more of an off-road "style" bike ,no disrespect my opinion.If it is the right bike for the use your giving it then that bike is perfect for you - but for the harder use i give my bikes , its not up to the job due to many reasons not only of quality / one radiator / non folding levers / non adjustable suspension and excessive weight.

[taninthai]

^

Off coarse all the bikes you mention above ,are in a different league to honda CRf .

For something to play around in the dirt you can't beat the honda CRf /klx,of coarse if you want to get more serious trails do jumps and big rocks etc etc they are no good and you need to start looking more at ktm.

My only complaint of the CRf is it's weight ,but again at that price range you can't expect it to be perfect .

[Martin54]

I own one and I am very happy with it after a few modifications.If you’re considering buying one I would go to an owner’s forum for information or read some reviews from motorcycle magazines. This is rideapart’s opinion from “13 bikes that will make 2013 awesome”

"This little thing just shreds, whether you’re on-road and off. It’ll go anywhere more specialized bikes can off-road and is way easier to ride for novices and it’s actually better on-road than other dual sports like the WR250R or DR-Z400S because it’s dead stable right up to it’s 85mph top speed. Keep it pinned and it’s totally happy on the highway, even over rain grooves. Just figure 75mph as a reliable cruising speed. I’ve rarely had so much fun riding a bike around city streets either. A general cohesiveness has it keeping up with supposedly much faster bikes. 74mpg and $4,500 out the door won’t break the bank either."

[ktm jeff]

Yes , it seems for lighter use the Honda is giving many people great fun - and that , after all , is what this motorcycling lark is all about - yes ?.Some easy modifications make it much better for some people for their specific needs.Many fit an end can - with a re-programmed ECU ,better tires / bars etc. The weight can be reduced (although not as light as the KLX) by changing the exhaust system and the battery (that many people forget about).Even fully modded this bike , and the KLX , .will still be half the price of a KTM. That does not mean the KTM is over priced - just a VERY well built specialised machine (and too much power / maintainance / money for most people - for their intended use.Hope to move full time to Chiang Mai next year - so look forward so meeting you on some rides , will be over for another holiday in April.Enjoy your riding. Im in England , and everything is now so reistrictive the Husaberg FE 450 isnt getting much green-laning use - which is one of my reasons why i have decided to leave England.

[dec]

do a search on a guy called Pekky Prostreet on facebook, go into his albums and he has one set up for CRF.. i bought an exhaust from him last year for 6000 baht delivered to Pattaya, he is based in CM so should be good for you.

I just looked and he also does quick-action throttles which i think is a great performance mod so i might get one !... if anyone has any feedback ??

I done a 42/13 mod and this is pretty good compromise for off-road and everyday road riding, and don't need to change the chain.

TBH, i wouldn't go messing about with any ECU mods as your going into higher maintenance straight away...

Edited January 10, 2014 by dec