02-03 CR 250 which one?

[uhlanmc]

Thinking about trading my 03 Yz 250 for a Honda. Which CR is better between 02 and 03. I rode my friends and feel better on the bike. The yz is taller and the CR's suspension is more plush. Thanx.

 

[CR69r]

i'll trade you.
i've had both CR's. the only difference between the two in the motor department is the CDI boxes. i believe the cylinders are identical and the pipes might be slightly different - by only a hair. the 03 might have a bit more down low, but is still a turd in that department.
i've had mine ported, piped, Vforced, JD jetted, and race gased out, and it is still not as peppy as a stock 02 YZ250 i rode. if i'm at a track with jumps tight to the corners, i hate the thing. but for all other purposes i guess it works.
with suspension they updated some internals in the forks which serves as technical jargon and nothing you would notice on the track.
i'm looking for an 05YZ right now. but as one last resort i may try turining the carb into a 36mm with some kind of shims i heard about but can't find.

 

[uhlanmc]

Mine is set up primarily for off road. It's got a flywheel weight on it. if I took it off, the motor would bark even more. I don't ride at the track though. I know the yz's motors from 01-present are awsome, but for me I'm looking for a better feel on the bike. The Honda seems to fit me better.

 

[SQUIRLEYMOFO]

i'll trade you.
i've had both CR's. the only difference between the two in the motor department is the CDI boxes. i believe the cylinders are identical and the pipes might be slightly different - by only a hair. the 03 might have a bit more down low, but is still a turd in that department.
i've had mine ported, piped, Vforced, JD jetted, and race gased out, and it is still not as peppy as a stock 02 YZ250 i rode. if i'm at a track with jumps tight to the corners, i hate the thing. but for all other purposes i guess it works.
with suspension they updated some internals in the forks which serves as technical jargon and nothing you would notice on the track.
i'm looking for an 05YZ right now. but as one last resort i may try turining the carb into a 36mm with some kind of shims i heard about but can't find.

Not to hi-jack but do you care to elbaorate about the carb shims?

 

[mx547]

i've spent quite a bit of time on a '03 yz250 and i currently own a '02 cr250. the yz has a better motor, the cr has a better everything else. if your choice of hondas is only between the '02 and the '03, let the price difference be the deciding factor.

 

[john3_16]

the only difference between the two in the motor department is the CDI boxes. i believe the cylinders are identical and the pipes might be slightly different - by only a hair.

There's alot more changes than that....The 03' CR250 has different porting, the pipe is different, different reed valve, the intake is 10 degrees straighter, a foam gasket between the air box and air boot, and new CDI mapping.

Also, there are also tuners out there that recommend that if you have an 02' through 04' CR250 and have plans to modify your bike the 03' cylinder is best to use.

Varner recommended this to my buddy and he purchased an 03' ported cylinder....Fastest 250 I've ever ridden.

 

[22703]

I agree on the varner cylinder using the 03 cylinder.the man knows his **** when it comes to the cr 250.he did mine 3 months ago and the thing is awesome not a coplaint.the thing pulls hard it feels faster then most 450s.oh yeah did i mention its stock bore.if yuo get the 03 make sure you get a 02 cdi box cause they rev longer.just a little trick from the big man VARNER. :nod:

 

[rosscopeeko]

I have an 03 cr250 and love the thing. It has a fairly weak bottom but has enought to lug my 165lb a$$ around the woods trails and hills no problem. From what i read on cr's before i bought mine was that the 02 has airbox leakage problems and a very weak bottom. The 03 is still weak but a little better. Mine has a very strong pull everywhere else and mine is bone stock in the motor department. When my top end is due i'm going to get the cylinder ported and then i'm sure it will scare me occasionally. You'll love the susupension and ergonomics on the cr's. My friend who just bought an 06 yz450f loves the light feel of my cr and he also likes the snap and revability of my little 2 stroke. When we ride woods he has a hell of time with stalling issues on that bike and it's a bitch to start. I love my cr and i'm sure you will once you get one. Go for either an 02 or 03 but check the airbox for any signs of dust leakage on the 02.

 

[SQUIRLEYMOFO]

Although I love my CR I've never been impressed with the power at any RPM. Since I'm out for awhile, Knee etc. I'm doing the ultimate mod. So far I lost 40lb myself LOL

 

[22703]

squirleymofo so whats the ultimate mod then?by the way did you get the varner cylinder going yet? :nod:

 

[NO HAND]

...with suspension they updated some internals in the forks which serves as technical jargon and nothing you would notice on the track...

The inner chamber got bigger in the fork, but the only thing I find disapointing is the step back in the shock department. The high speed rebound on this shock is downright dangerous. With a shock revalve and a 22mm triple clamp, this bike rocks in the handling department.

 

[oldfrt613]

Try riding an '01 CR, I think you'll like it better than an '02 or '03. The '04 has a sweet chasis and suspension. All the case reed motors are weak on the bottom end for power. Even my fully modified '05 doesn't have the bottom end of my old '01. I rode every model between '97 through '05. I thought the '02-'04 were a step back from '01. The '04 was the first real chassis/suspension improvement, I almost kept that one. The '05 with the 2mm offset fork legs and improved engine finally swayed me to quit racing my '01.

 

[john3_16]

I've ridden an 01', 03', and 04' CR250 and I'll take the flickable chassis of the current generation frames over the 01' any day...There's a huge difference in the way the 01' feels compared to the 02' (and 03',04',05' 06') in the chassis...The current generation design is rediculously light feeling.

The CR's do make good power and it's very strong mid and top but there's not alot of low end which means you need to keep the rpms from falling below the midrange...But it's the most comfortable chassis around IMHO.

I've had my 03' ported and since then I've been able to clear tricky obsticles that occur right out of corners in HP robbing sandy loam....

Ya can't bolt on a good chassis and handling but the motor can easily be improved.

 

[oldfrt613]

Your probably thinking of the '04. It shaved a considerable amount of weight off the earlier CR's ( thanks to shared mods on the CRF's ). If you look at the third post, he uses his bike for mostly off-road and does not use it on the track. IMHO the motor on the '01 will outshine the benefits of the slight chassis improvements on the '02 and '03 with the weak motor. An '04 would be a toss-up, like I said, a really sweet chassis. The '05 with the 2mm offset on the forks would provide enough of a difference in handling to compensate for the weak bottom end on the motor. Add a set of 22mm-20mm offsets on the '01, and it is a good chassis - especially for non-track off road use. Not everyone who rides mx'rs uses them for moto.

 

[pace]

The '04 chassis (and '05, '06) is essentially the same as the '02, which was a significant improvement over the '01 IMHO. The two-strokes did not get the new 4th gen chassis from the current CRFs.

But you're right that the '01 motor would be better for offroad than anything since.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Depending on where your located there are deals out there on 03 and 04 cr250's. I just bought a brand new 04 from a dealer in NC for $4170 out the door. Got it last week, put a JD Jetting kit in it, a 10 oz flywheel weight, and changed the gearing and took it woods riding last weekend and it's awesome. It's hard to beat a brand new bike for $4k. They have a couple 03's left for $100 less last I knew.

 

[john3_16]

Your probably thinking of the '04. It shaved a considerable amount of weight off the earlier CR's ( thanks to shared mods on the CRF's ).

The change ocurred in 02' and the 03', 04',05, and 06' have the same chassis...The CRF's have the latest generation frame and it is only found on the 4 strokes.

 

[oldfrt613]

Actually, most of the weight savings I was referring to was in the smaller rear caliper/pad/reservoir ( I think the new rear brake sucks, especially from a durability standpoint ) and a reduction in hub weights, not the chassis. I believe most of those occured in '04. Most significant chassis change was in '05 with the front axel being pulled in 2mm on the fork leg, the '06 is unchanged from '05 - you are correct that the frames from '02-'06 are basically the same and the latest gen frame is only availible on the thumpers. I didn't really think all this info was necessary for this particular discussion.

My basic point was that in this particular case, since it was not for racing, that the '01 motor would be of more benefit than the subsequent chassis changes - just my opinion. The only year I haven't had any saddle time since '97 in is the '06.

 

[BJAWES]

I have an '02 CR250 with V-force, FMF Fatty & SST pipes (I like the Fatty better). With the pipe change and changing out jets, different needles & positions, I found a great combo that made the bike run strong bottom and top-end. I love the bike, but I'm not real fond of the vibration in the bars. I didn't think the '02's and '03's were that different? I know the changed the rake a little, but I don't think I would be able to tell the difference between the two? RIDE RED!

 

[john3_16]

Actually, most of the weight savings I was referring to was in the smaller rear caliper/pad/reservoir ( I think the new rear brake sucks, especially from a durability standpoint ) and a reduction in hub weights, not the chassis. I believe most of those occured in '04. Most significant chassis change was in '05 with the front axel being pulled in 2mm on the fork leg, the '06 is unchanged from '05 - you are correct that the frames from '02-'06 are basically the same and the latest gen frame is only availible on the thumpers. I didn't really think all this info was necessary for this particular discussion.

My basic point was that in this particular case, since it was not for racing, that the '01 motor would be of more benefit than the subsequent chassis changes - just my opinion. The only year I haven't had any saddle time since '97 in is the '06.

Oldfrt, I said there is a huge difference in the way the 02'-06' feels over the 01'...You came back and said I was thinking of an 04'...

There is a huge jump between 01' and 02'....I can't tell a lick a difference between the 03' and 04' chassis...But the 01' feels like a totally different bike.

 

[oldfrt613]

I was talking about weight reduction being in '04 do to shared changes with the thumpers . The chassis are basically the same since '02. Sorry for the confusion. But I still believe for woods riding and play that the '01 engine will be of more benefit than the changed chassis. Between the '02 and '03 there is not a lot of difference - especially to a casual rider. I thought the cylinder on the '02 was a little better than the '03, but both respond descent to porting.

 

[22703]

if the cylinder on the 02 was better than the 03. then why does varner put the clynder from the 03 on the 02,03 and 04.someone want to explain this one.because the 03 cylinder is better and if you go with the 03 you have to buy the 03 power valves cause their different. :nod:

 

[SQUIRLEYMOFO]

here we go again 22703 posted and it doesn't show........mods?? what gives?

 

[22703]

ok squirlymofo my mods are a 03 cr250 motor all done by TERRY VARNER,pc pipe 304 shorty and the biggest mode 02 cdi box.oh yeah dont wanna forget g.p suspension,pro taper bars,c12 race gas straight.did gold chain 13 tooth front and 49 tooth rear.what else do you want to know?the bike goes better than my friends 05 yz so whats that tell ya.big V know s his **** when it comes to motor work. :) :)