SuperMoto Junkie banner

crf450x vs wr250x

23K views 21 replies 17 participants last post by  AR15 guy 
#1 ·
I planning on purchasing a new or used bike here in the near future (2-3 months). I read all the articles about the wr250x-good gas mileage still fun, ect. but im concerned it wont be enough power. Im 5-9 190 and want something that will be fun, practical, but still be fast at a track. Should i just ignore the wr250 and get an older sumo 450x?
 
#3 ·
the crf is a very reliable street and track bike. however it must me setup correctly and maintaince is high. and if I had to choose between the x or r I would get a plated r hands down. they are easy to kick so you would be the king of the street.
 
#4 ·
250cc's can be a zippy and fun bike for lightweight riders on the track but on the street carrying 190 pounds plus gear it might be a little wheezy.

I think a 450cc bike will serve you better on both the track and the street. The CRF450X is a sweet ride, not overly maintenance intensive and potentially street legal. The CRF450R is a beast, requires frequent maintenance and near impossible get street reg.
 
#14 ·
14 45 suits me well. wheelies galore and still cruises nice at 65. if ya wanta cruise at a higher speed I would go 15 in the front but I don't think you can run a case saver. and anything under 45 in the rear is harder to find but I know they are out there. make sure to run a full quart in the tranny side or you will burn up the tranny. also look into a manual cam chain tentioner. my motor was built full tilt except for the cam chain tentioner. chain skipped a tooth causing the piston to hit the exhaust valves while they were wide open. bad day to say the least. but remember full built motor and I beat the living shit out of it still lasted about 7k miles. don't know how long it would have gone if I had a manual cam chain tentioner. I changed the oil every week and trans oil every other. checked the valves once a month. (stainless) ron hamp motor. but all in all that bike was the shit. my friends have husky 510 and I hae nothing but praise for them. 0 problems for them. great bike period. it all comes down to which one you like better. good luck and let us know what ya get. aloha
 
#17 ·
yep and they are crap. gotta switch them to stainless steel if you want to have a long engine life on the track or street. google ron hamp. he is the BEST crf450 builder you can find. his stuff is top notch. and since everyone is posting their pics i guess ill jump on the wagon.
 
#20 ·
if you check out crfsonly.com there is a ton of discussion over there about valves. in all i've read i've never heard any of the guys that have switched to stainless say anything about loosing any power. in fact from what i've read it is a mystery why honda used ti over steel. some have gone as far as to say that they did it specifically to keep you coming back to the dealer. i don't know if i'd go that far but i sure can't see why else. the other trend i've noticed in my research is some of the older transmissions would lock up on long, fast, flat stretches were the bike isn't bouncing around keeping the gears lubricated. they have suposedly fixed this with grooved gears(06and up i think? can't swear to it) and grooved gears or no it is agreed that running a full quart of oil in the tranny will elliminate the problem as well. the last thing is a few instances of timing chains slipping wich is catastrophic. the fix seems to be after market tensioners or simply replacing the cam chain every time you rebuild the top end. others might want to chime in on this. sorry this was long winded but i just bought an 07 "X" and i've done a ton of research and just thought i'd share. the crf450 "R" and "X" specific forums on thumpertalk have alot of good info too.:thumbup:
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top