2022 Honda CRF250 review

Track: Grittenham 

Conditions: Tacky with a few dry slick spots

Quick backstory

A few weeks a go i did a local club race at Grittenham. Unfortunately my bike blew a gasket before i even had chance to hit the track. Luckily my brother in law had a pretty much brand new stock 2022 Honda CRF 250 and was kind enough to let me borrow it for the day as we were in separate races. 

We all know Honda are one of the most successful motocross brands in the world, especially during the 80s and 90s. In previous years its really only been Tim Gajser flying the flag in the world scene with Ken Roczen and the former Geico Honda team in the states. More recently we've seen the likes of Chase Sexton emerging in the 450 class and young Aussie Jett Lawrence piloting the bike to 2 championships already. So i think its fair to say the 2022 Honda CRF 250 is capable of winning races at any level.  

The CRF250 has had some serious upgrades and not just in the looks department. 

First Impressions

As it was a borrowed bike i didn't want to play around with things like suspension too much, but he was happy for me to fiddle around with different maps and bar position etc.

The first thing i noticed was how narrow the bars felt, not just in width but in diameter too. The Honda comes standard with Renthal’s 839 fatbar, which is quite a low bend compared to some of the other bends they offer. The standard Honda grips are also quite hard and durable and don't lean much in the way of comfort. Personally this would be one of the first things i would change as i think the lack of padding on the grips is the main reason the handlebars feel so narrow. 

The other thing that is apparent straight away is how thin the bike feels. Honda have really tried to shed weight and lose some of that bulk around the rad scoops on the 2022 model, and they've definitely succeeded. The benefit of having the narrower body means you can really get a good grip with your knees when riding, giving you more confidence and a more controlled feeling on the bike. It also allows you to widen your knees and really let the bike dance underneath you. If you find yourself in a situation where you're getting a bit out of shape you can widen your stance and let the bike soak up the bumps and do the work for you. Rather than other brands where you may have to rely on strength and muscle to pull yourself out of a sticky situation. Honda have always been synonymous with cornering and this bike is no different, however they used to suffer with stability in a straight line when the track starts to get rough. Due to the new narrow chassis you don't sacrifice as much stability in the fast straight line sections of the track and you can really charge in to the corners.

The power

Now the Honda CRF250 has always had great bottom end power but lacked a bit of mid to top power. Personally i don't think the 2022 is much different, Honda have definitely improved the mid to top area but i found my self searching for more power on some of the faster sections. I was gating top 3 against 450s so the initial blast when you slam on the throttle is pretty good, but when i was coming out of corners and wanting to give it a handful it left me almost trying to push the bike along with my body until it got up to the top of the revs. After speaking to other people with the bike it seems this was a common opinion, this could be improved with an after market exhaust system (Yoshimura seemed to be the most popular) and an after market filter cage. The standard filter cage, like most modern 4 strokes comes with a spark resistor (a metal mesh designed to stop sparks igniting your filter). The problem with the spark resistor is that it robs BHP as it restricts the amount air being sucked in to the engine. An after market filter cage is something that could give it a bit of extra power for not a lot of money; and I've never in my 22 years of racing seen a filter catch fire. Fiddling around with gearing could also potentially help with the mid to top power but with gearing what you gain somewhere you will sacrifice somewhere else. So this is something that would be more rider preference, if you carry good corner speed you may want to look at going down a tooth or two on the rear sprocket and vice versa if you're looking for a more explosive power.

As far as top end goes the CRF 250 performs well. There is a long straight at Grittenham and it was the perfect opportunity to stretch little reds legs. Like i said i was racing with 450s and didn't find myself getting yarded down this long straight which i was very impressed with; and even made a couple passes on other 250s based on pure top end speed. So all in all power wise, the CRF 250 has great bottom end, falls off a little in the middle but picks back up once it is up on song.

Forks,shock and balance

The Honda comes straight out of the crate with 49mm Showa coil spring forks and Showa rear shock with a Honda pro link. Showa make great suspension straight out of the box and this is part of the reason the Hondas handle so beautifully in the corners. Like i said before, this was a borrowed bike and was set up for someone weighing probably 10kg lighter than myself. I did find my self blowing through the stroke on the forks and shock on a couple of the heavier landings, as well it riding quite low on the rear. Even with the wrong set up i got a pretty good feel for the suspension, and got the feeling that given an hour or two to set it up for my self i could have the bike handling really well. Like most suspension companies you can of course purchase a higher level of suspension, this being the Showa A-kit. However i would really try and make sure you're getting everything out of the stock kit first before spending thousands of pounds to upgrade it. The stock suspension is probably one of the best straight out of the crate and you can really get it working incredibly well. 

In terms of balance, even though the suspension was a bit soft for me i didn't experience any pitching come in to the corners. With the forks being so soft i was expecting to have a lot of weight on the front wheel under braking, but the bike was well balanced and utilised both fork and shock under braking. Also coming out of corners under power the bike squats down but not so much so that it blew through the stroke when hitting acceleration bumps. Overall the balance and suspension work really well together and does give you a lot of confidence to charge your turns.

Mapping and launch control

There are 3 different types of map on the Engine Mode Selection Button (EMSB):

Mode 1 - standard, a consistent power curve and easy to ride

Mode 2 - smooth, a slower bottom end with a steady build

Mode 3 - aggressive, a sharp power curve, with lots of bottom end and quick pick up

I tried all 3 through out the day and to be honest no matter what the conditions, if you are a relatively good rider (senior level or above), i think you will want mode 3. I just found that mode 1 and 2 were just a little gutless and underwhelming. If you were looking at doing a super hard pack race with next to no traction you may want to try mode 1 but i personally feel mode 1 and 2 are aimed at beginners with very little experience.

There are also 3 different HRC launch control options. Unlike the engine modes these would be beneficial on different surfaces.

Level 1 - 13,000rpm, dry conditions and expert level

Level 2 - 11,750rpm, dry conditions and standard level

Level 3 - 10,000rpm, muddy conditions and novice

The expert, standard and novice level are based on a standard dirt start with relatively decent grip. What i want to focus on is the conditions for your expert and standard ability riders. Level 1 is what i used all day during the races as it was quite grippy behind the gate and i needed get the jump on the 450s. Level 1 is what i think you will find yourself using most of the time. However, i think level 2 would be quite well suited to either a concrete start or a mesh start, where you don't want maximum revs and you almost want to ride away rather than being super aggressive. Finally, level 3 is aimed at wet sloppy conditions where higher rpm’s will cause too much wheel spin and no actual forward movement. The lower rpm’s allow a much more useable power and will get you off the gate better than someone who is revving it like a normal start.

Now a quick course on how to initiate both the HRC launch control and the EMSB. To activate the HRC launch control, whilst the bike is idling pull in the clutch and press the start button down for 1 second, the LED button will blink once then release the start button. This will activate level 1. To activate level 2 whilst keeping the clutch in hold the start button down for another second, the LED will blink twice and this will activate level 2. Repeat this again for level 3 and the LED will blink 3 times. Once you've got your chosen level just do a start as normal.

To pick your engine map you're going to want to start the bike, and while idling hold the small clear button on the black box by the clutch for 2 seconds. The LED will then flash once signifying you're in map one. Repeat this process to get to map 2 & 3.  

The little black box that can get you out the gate and across the finish line first.

Other notable changes

Since the induction of the CRF250 back in 2004 Honda have switched back and forth between a twin pipe exhaust and the traditional single exhaust. Back for 2022 is the single muffler, which personally i do prefer. Not necessarily power wise but its just easier on the eye. Along with ditching the twin exhaust and a whole new frame the 2022 model is a whole 3kg lighter than the 2021 model.

The seat and plastics have a whole new design to, with the seat being 10mm lower at the back to aid rider movement and the number of 8mm bolts holding on the plastics has dropped from 6 to 4 either side.

Another bit of information i think would be useful is that the 2022 CRF 250 takes 1.35L of oil. Not necessarily something thats better or worse but just a FAQ for most MX riders.  

The 2022 model has resorted back to the traditional single exhaust system much like the 2010-2013 models.

To sum up the 2022 Honda CRF250 is virtually a new bike from the frame up compared to the 2021, but it still has that great feel you get from a Honda when cornering. Is it the perfect bike? No, but with a few of your own personal tweaks you could get it damn near close. There is also no denying the looks of this bike, it has that factory look straight out the crate that you really do only get from a Honda. Were i in the market for a 250F it would definitely be on my short list of ones to buy.

Tested and written by Brad Wheeler