[satchel]

Hi, I'm looking to buy a brand new bike this weekend, I'm tired of all the people arguing on other sites, are there any major problems with the 2012 crf250r's? I'm only going to be trail riding, and only on weekends really., I hole to get a straight answer from someone who owns one or actually knows , it will be greatly appreciated, hope to hear from someone soon, thanks Satch!

[MattBennett23]

If you are going to be trail riding, you might want to consider a CRF250X. You lose EFI, but you gain a bike designed for off road, electric start, suspension designed for off road, gearing better suited for off road.

If you arent super concerned about weight, the 250X might be better for you. You can always put exhaust and a cam in and make it just as powerful as a 250R if you wanted. Its a pretty good bike.

A little advice though, pretty much all of them back to 2007 are the same bike as the 2012 CRF250X. Get an older one out of leftover stock if you can. I bought a 2009 in 2011 and its a great bike!

[satchel]

Thanks man, I'm pretty set one getting a crf250 r, I have searched and searched for a left over can't find any, and any valve issues?

[MattBennett23]

Valve issues were mostly resolved after 2007. They still have issues on occasion but not nearly like they used to. I believe they still use titanium valves. When they do go, you can replace them with stainless steel valves for longer life on them. From what I understand though, if you stay off the rev limiter, and keep the air filter clean, most valve issues have been resolved. I have never had any valve issues with my 250X.

[satchel]

Are the fuel injected bikes too much for woods riding? Are they too snappy?

[MattBennett23]

Never ridden one... Probably depends on your skill level. I think the crf250x is perfect for the trails I ride. I wouldnt want much snappier power and it has never felt lacking to me. A lot of guys put the R cam and an exhaust on them to make it more like the crf250r.

Personally I would think the X is better. The R like to be revved while the X has better power down low. I put a Rekluse clutch on a 250X and it is golden for 2nd and 3rd gear trail riding, and does fine in the tighter stuff. We ride single track trail at about 15-20 mph.

With an R you would probably have to redo the suspension, add flywheel weight, add a new exhaust, and several other things to get it trail ready. The X comes ready to go except for a good skid plate and bark busters.

If you want the R though, get the R. I am a big fan of getting exactly the bike you want. I did that and got the 2009 CRF250X, but everyone is different!

[MattBennett23]

As for EFI, you can get a JD Jetting kit for a carbed bike and it will rip almost as well as EFI. Just needs to be adjusted if you modify the bike or change altitude. If you stay in one level, you can get the carb working pretty well without EFI.

[satchel]

I'm not really sure what to get, guess I have to look at all the bikes this Saturday. Thanks a lot

[MattBennett23]

Ya check them all out. Honda does a pretty good job of doing the homework for you. If you are riding track, a 250R or 450R. If you are riding tight trail, a 250X is pretty good. If you are riding more open trail or desert or if you are a bigger guy, get a 450X. They are all quality. I am a bigger guy, around 210, and I love the 250X for the tighter trails we ride. Most people say at my weight I should get a 450X but I think that would just throw me into the trees faster, lol!

You can make a motocross bike into an offroad bike, but why when they make a good one already? Good luck, hope you get what you want!!

[dirtae]

MattBennett has some great points! What bike are you riding right now? I ride trail a lot of the times but I also like to jump my bike too and my '04 250r gets the job done well. BUt like Matt said, if you are mainly trail riding then maybe the X might be better suited. I have zero problems with my bike in the trail, and my suspension is set up a bit stiffer (the rear is valved stiffer) but like Matt said you have to keep the R revved!I don't really find that a problem, got used to it (I think its because of the light flywheel)

It definitely depends on what you want out of the bike. Valves can be serviced and places like CRFSonly make it easy to do just that! If you are coming off a bike that likes to be revved then you shouldn't have a prob with the R. I've never ridden an X before but i wouldn't think twice to buy one of those either if it suited my riding. Either way let us know what you ended up with!

[satchel]

I had a 2006 rmz250, nice bike sold it 2 years ago, I would say it had to be reved a lot

[Old Dude]

I rode 2 strokes before so I know revving... its a pain to have to keep a bike up in the rpm range to keep it pulling especially on trails. After a 13 year break from riding I bought an 06X. Added, among other things, an R cam, piston and exhaust can with ProMoto end cap spark arrester. The JD jetting kit really woke up the stock X and made throttle response clean and crisp. I opted to stay with the X head pipe for low end power. Mine works well in the woods and the open desert. It can be revved but doesnt have to. Its like an old guy friendly R. I love it.
Dont know where you live but if u are in Cal the X can be ridden all year round every where its legal to ride while the R is restricted during certain times of the year. And the button... dont forget the button. That thing really comes in handy if ya stall it or have to stop and pick up your buddy on a steep narrow trail.
What ever ya get, have fun and if ya wind up with a CRF come on back and hang out with the gang.
O.D.

[Hondacrfrider]

i ride the 2012 250. awsome bike. i mainly ride it on the track but i ride trails too and it performs great. if your in tight trees, the X might be better for you. but if you get the R there are plenty of off road mods available. my bike has around 30 hours on it and so far no problems at all. the only thing is that you must keep the fuel clean cus the dirt can clog the fuel filter