2011 Honda CRF250R.The screaming fuel-injected 250 four-stroke was easy to ride, and most importantly easy to ride fast. The suspension felt a bit soft at both ends for hard charging motocross and the engine lacked the instant bark that pros crave.
For 2011 Honda made a few changes, the biggest falling right into line with our discovery of the bike’s high fun factor last year. Nice.
The transmission and clutch work great, making full power shifts quick and easy with or without the clutch. In fact, during the course of our test we never missed one single shift on this bike! In the woods, and even on our little Endurocross track, the ultra-smooth low and midrange power were great, letting us poke around at low rpm like a trials bike with great traction. Overall the engine is very confidence inspiring, even if it’s not the fastest bike in its class. Our novice to Pro test riders range from 150 to 200 pounds, if you’re wondering.
For 2011, Honda improved the CRF250R engine, adding a stronger bottom-end and midrange. Honda also added a new Honda Progressive Steering Damper (HPSD) to aid tracking precision.
the biggest changes for the 2011 CRF250 would be the 94db Exhaust system. It may not sound like much (pun intended!), but Honda isn't one for just bolting on a muffler, so this change resulted in a lot of other changes. Honda has definitely figured this one out. Well, maybe not only to accept the new muffler, because now, most of the CRF250 parts are compatible with the CRF450. As for the handling, well the CRF250 has always worked amazing. Next, Honda improved on a very touchy component - suspension. The rear shock was also revalved to match the forks. This kept the bike balanced and tracking straight. The 2011 Honda CRF250 gets an A+ in my book. Honda lowered the noise level while improving the power over last year - the suspension suits a wider range of riders - The already excellent handling saw some improvement with Honda's larger steering damper - And now, even more parts are compatible with the CRF big brother.