CRF's Only Forums

I am a '04 CRF450R owner and am looking for a bike for my bro. Can anyone tell me how big of a difference there is between a XR250 and the CRF250X? What about the XR400 and the CRF250X? It will be 99% trail riding so I am looking for something that will have tons of power for his weight. He has riding my 450 once and promised to never get on it again....way to much for his 180lbs. Any info or opinions on this would be greatly appreciated.

brrr slowly

tell us a little more about your brother and his riding abilities
why are 180lb not enough to ride a 450?

XR250 might be a bit boring but cheap and you can upgrade it a bit at a time, the perfect beginners bike, feels lighter than the 250X, must be the very low center of gravity
250X is 'get on and ride', unless your brother is extremely short legged, not cheap and requires a bit of tlc, it is like comparing a mustang to a thoroughbred, sure you can ride both
XR400, I'd prefer an XR280 over the 400, but if you want a bulletproof buddybike ... the way to go
if you think about XR250 why not CRF230? do not underestimate her on tight trails

why not TTR230, TTR250, WR250, DRZ250, KLX300, DR350?

He should also look at a crf250r. My buddy has a crf250x, and I have a crf250r and crf450r. Of course the 450 is for track only. But the 250r, is geared down 1 tooth in the front, and I believe it is the ultimate trail bike. I'm 5'11", 185lbs. We ride in Missouri, Chadwick. Tight trails, wide open trails and rocky hills. The 250r always puts a smile on my face.

So it depends on how your brother likes to ride. If he likes a light bike, go with the 250r.

I always compare the xr or dr tpye motorcycle compared to driving a cadilac. Riding the crf250r, more like driving a sports car. So it depends on how u like to ride.

welcome to the group. the xr is very difficult to start...especially when it's hot after a fall. it's much more difficult to start than it's bigger brother the xr400. i would advise against this bike unless you are very price sensitive. the 250x is so much better in all areas. starter, better suspension, lighter, more power, etc.

again, welcome to the group.

ken

Shotgun... I own both the 1984 XR 350R & the 2005 CRF 25OX. (both street legal)
The difference IMHO is night and day!
let me state that I am aware of the age diff. between these bikes. When I was looking for a new bike I was looking for an XR! I like the ease of maintainance of the air cooled bike, but bought the CRF because of the weight difference between my XR and the CRF, I am 5'4' and 175 lbs The XR is great for longer rides 100 + miles and can climb trees due to the displacement and gearing, But if I drop it on an incline I have a really hard time picking it up. The CRF is kick rear fun for rides up to 100 miles at a time. I especially like riding it on tight trails & singletrack. The type of riding you do is a huge factor. Trails, fire roads, single track. All need to be taken into consideration. The newer XR's are good on trails but the CRF Rocks!! Another thing to keep in mind is maintainance...If your Bro is cool with keeping the bike serviced, I'd reccommend the CRF. If he's not into maintainance, Go with the XR. Good luck,
Happy shopping!
Hobbit.

the crs have a lot more torque in the bike also.

The Hobbit wrote:Shotgun... I own both the 1984 XR 350R & the 2005 CRF 25OX. (both street legal)
The difference IMHO is night and day!
let me state that I am aware of the age diff. between these bikes. When I was looking for a new bike I was looking for an XR! I like the ease of maintainance of the air cooled bike, but bought the CRF because of the weight difference between my XR and the CRF, I am 5'4' and 175 lbs The XR is great for longer rides 100 + miles and can climb trees due to the displacement and gearing, But if I drop it on an incline I have a really hard time picking it up. The CRF is kick rear fun for rides up to 100 miles at a time. I especially like riding it on tight trails & singletrack. The type of riding you do is a huge factor. Trails, fire roads, single track. All need to be taken into consideration. The newer XR's are good on trails but the CRF Rocks!! Another thing to keep in mind is maintainance...If your Bro is cool with keeping the bike serviced, I'd reccommend the CRF. If he's not into maintainance, Go with the XR. Good luck,
Happy shopping!
Hobbit.

What he said!
I'd put the 250X with the XR4: powerwise through the mid-range.
Weight is way tipping the 250X above the XR4.
Age of Bro? that would help picking out a bike knowing if he would 'grow' into it. But, the fact he rode the 450R and didn't like the power, seems the 250X would work well for a fair-amount of time.

The 250X has a lot of useable power. In fact, our own ~ , a petite 280 plus lbs (without gear!) rode one for a while. It hauled his rather ponderous personage around quite well. The E-start, the hot start lever. the improved suspension, etc etc. Just do it!

Joe

You guys didn't happen to notice the dates on any of those posts at the top did ya?

I saw another one this morning that was more than a year old! Holy revived thread Batman!

Yeah, but someone out there always has the same question in mind, but is too shy to ask. It's like the whole ..."what *fill in the blank* should I use?" issue. 10 years from now it will still be a current question. Besides, I couldn't pass up the shot at AS!

Joe

JAWS wrote:Besides, I couldn't pass up the shot at AS!

I completely understand then...

124 wrote:You guys didn't happen to notice the dates on any of those posts at the top did ya?

I saw another one this morning that was more than a year old! Holy revived thread Batman!

Yeah, but I was bored and awake at 1 o'clock this morning...what else is there to do 'cept 'moto-chat'?

124 wrote:

JAWS wrote:Besides, I couldn't pass up the shot at AS!

I completely understand then...

Who are you guys calling petite????

I am abt 140 I ride an xr600 regularly... however I am a little more than a proficient rider... I personally prefer XR over CRF.... XR has never let me down however I have never owned a CRF only ridden a few different ones of my friends.

Yeah, but someone out there always has the same question in mind, but is too shy to ask. It's like the whole ..."what *fill in the blank* should I use?" issue. 10 years from now it will still be a current question. Besides, I couldn't pass up the shot at AS!

Joe

Close Jaws it was 12 years