Was 2005 a good year for crf250r?

[Ride_blue82]

Any troubles with them? Recalled? Good bike? Thanks for opinions in advance

[uuc328]

the 05 I had was great, wish I still had it.

[adam8781]

good bike, easy to ride manageable power.   The big problems were the 2004.  The head on the 05 wont last but then again none of them do in stock form.

[The Inquisitor]

I've been riding an 05 I bought from a dealer used in early 2010 for $2500.00.

 

Rode the snot out of it and did the values and new piston at the end of 2010

 

Then put on an hour meter and have 260hrs of hard riding (off road) on it and starts and runs great every time.

 

I check the oil every ride. Change oil/filter if it looks dark or max 10hrs. Tranny oil every oil change.

 

Had a tranny oil to engine oil migration last summer. Did all the outer seals and bearings on both sides my self which was about $200 in parts and easy with a good manual. 

 

I love this bike but am ready for something brand new and more enduro. 300 2 stoke or 350 of larger 4 stoke but I would have a hard time selling so probably will keep it.

[Doogee57]

I love  my 05. Last month i rode  a 13 honda crf250. Mine was way faster from bottom to top and 10 lbs. lighter. Faster? Yeah. Why? Lets see; 280 Athena kit on a hot rods stroker crank, re-balanced for the 37 gram heavier big bore piston. Ported 08 head and stock 08 cam. I ported the head myself but was "coached" (thanks Ron) FMF pipe. 08 triple clamps and steering damper. Stock 37mm carb, re-jetted of course. No bog with it and you only lose a horse/horse an a half off the very top end compared to the finiky 40mm on the later models.  Reliability has been great. Of course I stay on top of proper maintenance. You could probably make the new bike as fast ( or faster) but loosing those 10-12 lbs. they gained when they went to fuel injection would take a big sack of cash and titanium. And I'm pulling taller gearing

[bk29]

I love my 05. Last month i rode a 13 honda crf250. Mine was way faster from bottom to top and 10 lbs. lighter. Faster? Yeah. Why? Lets see; 280 Athena kit on a hot rods stroker crank, re-balanced for the 37 gram heavier big bore piston. Ported 08 head and stock 08 cam. I ported the head myself but was "coached" (thanks Ron) FMF pipe. 08 triple clamps and steering damper. Stock 37mm carb, re-jetted of course. No bog with it and you only lose a horse/horse an a half off the very top end compared to the finiky 40mm on the later models. Reliability has been great. Of course I stay on top of proper maintenance. You could probably make the new bike as fast ( or faster) but loosing those 10-12 lbs. they gained when they went to fuel injection would take a big sack of cash and titanium. And I'm pulling taller gearing

I want to use the newer head on my 05 as well. Did you mix and match any of your 05 parts on the 08 head?I'm hoping to be able to reuse my cam and rocker arm.

[Doogee57]

   I know the cam is a straight drop in. The 05 cam is the best year stock cam for bottom end and mid-range. The 08-09 (same cam/ part #) is better from the mid up

but requires 07 or later valve springs ( I used ferrea springs and exhaust valves, stock intake valves) I used the 08 rocker because I heard it was slightly lighter. If the 05 rocker fits it'll work fine, especially if your using the 05 cam. Exhaust valve stems are different diameters: 05=5.0mm,,08=4.5mm. The ferrea's were only a few

bucks more than stock and have a chromium nitride coating. Their springs are spendy but much better than stock. I really liked the 05 cam but after a chat with Ron Hamp he told me that since my bike is 288cc the 05 cam was starving it even on the bottom. So I went with the 08 cam. It's really good cam and it's easier on the

valve train than the aftermarket cams. Ron was right. I picked a little power off the bottom and a bunch from the mid-range up. I used stock intake valves ($48 each).

If your engine doesn't ingest ANY dirt and you're not trying to bust the rev limiter from bashing into it all the time they'll give good service without the power loss you

get off the very top when switching to stainless steel valves. My current set is at about 35 hrs. with zero movement. The stock lifters are the same, 04-09. Hope this

helps.  Doug.

[bk29]

Thanks Doug. That does help. Will my hot cam shim kit for the 05 work on the smaller valves?

[coryf89]

300 2 stoke or 350 of larger 4 stoke but I would have a hard time selling so probably will keep it.

we had a 14 ktm 300 and didnt like it one bit.

 

had a 2002 cr250 and the 250 would have beat the 300.

 

also had a 2004 crf250r and liked that way more than the brand new ktm 300 too... just something about the ktm. it didnt feel powerful or fast at all. maybe the power was too linear, but couldnt sell it quick enough.

[problem_child]

I love  my 05. Last month i rode  a 13 honda crf250. Mine was way faster from bottom to top and 10 lbs. lighter. Faster? Yeah. Why? Lets see; 280 Athena kit on a hot rods stroker crank, re-balanced for the 37 gram heavier big bore piston. Ported 08 head and stock 08 cam. I ported the head myself but was "coached" (thanks Ron) FMF pipe. 08 triple clamps and steering damper. Stock 37mm carb, re-jetted of course. No bog with it and you only lose a horse/horse an a half off the very top end compared to the finiky 40mm on the later models.  Reliability has been great. Of course I stay on top of proper maintenance. You could probably make the new bike as fast ( or faster) but loosing those 10-12 lbs. they gained when they went to fuel injection would take a big sack of cash and titanium. And I'm pulling taller gearing

how do you like that athena kit and how many hours do you have on it?

[Bawlz]

I've noticed a pattern with crf MX bikes: the last year of production before they make a drastic change ( new chassis, motor, etc.) Honda makes a great bike. The 05 in a sense was one of these year models because the next year they did the dual exhausts. I've had a 05 and '13 250 and both were excellent bikes. I made a mistake of buying an '09 crf450 which was first year with efi and that was a problem bike all around and a money pit to get running decent. Can't go wrong with model years that Honda has time to address and fix problem issues.

[Doogee57]

I think the Athena is the best of the big bores. I started with a vertex 300 kit. Had to bore out the cases to fit and the

cyl. skirt cracked after 8 hrs. I was gonna sleeve it but couldn't find a replacement piston. Guess vertex figured out it was

just too big. Loved the power though. Went to the Athena. It uses a steel sleeve with a 'nicasil' coating. No case boring needed.It's 280cc. Everybody else uses an aluminum sleeve and they only go to 270cc to ensure enough strength for the sleeve. The

Athena cylinder casting was also a nicer looking piece than the vertex. Both pistons weighed 37 grams more than the stocker.

So I rebalanced my (hot rods stroker,actually) crank. 37 grams is a ton at 12,000 rpm. It doesn't vibrate any more than stock

and revs out just as well as it did at 250cc. Re-balancing the crank is not necessary but it really does help. The Athena piston

was also a stronger piston than the vertex. A word of caution: if you use the athena with the hot rods stroker make sure the ribs

on the underside of the piston aren't hitting the oil spray nozzle. Mine was just kissing it. I took .060" off the rib to make

clearance. It won't hit with the stock crank where it's truly a straight bolt on. I was just looking for the max size I could

do on my own (I'm a machinist and have access to a full shop). The bike now is 288cc. 40-45 hrs. When I put the 08 head on it

at 35 hrs. I had to pull the cyl. to put on a new base gasket. The piston had no visible wear and the moly coating on the skirt

was not worn at all. It also uses virtually no oil between changes (6-8 hrs.) The stocker and the vertex used to use a little.

The cylinder does have "Athena" cast into the side of it so it'll rat you out if you're making a 'cheater' ? Hope this helps.

Doug.

[problem_child]

I think the Athena is the best of the big bores. I started with a vertex 300 kit. Had to bore out the cases to fit and the

cyl. skirt cracked after 8 hrs. I was gonna sleeve it but couldn't find a replacement piston. Guess vertex figured out it was

just too big. Loved the power though. Went to the Athena. It uses a steel sleeve with a 'nicasil' coating. No case boring needed.It's 280cc. Everybody else uses an aluminum sleeve and they only go to 270cc to ensure enough strength for the sleeve. The

Athena cylinder casting was also a nicer looking piece than the vertex. Both pistons weighed 37 grams more than the stocker.

So I rebalanced my (hot rods stroker,actually) crank. 37 grams is a ton at 12,000 rpm. It doesn't vibrate any more than stock

and revs out just as well as it did at 250cc. Re-balancing the crank is not necessary but it really does help. The Athena piston

was also a stronger piston than the vertex. A word of caution: if you use the athena with the hot rods stroker make sure the ribs

on the underside of the piston aren't hitting the oil spray nozzle. Mine was just kissing it. I took .060" off the rib to make

clearance. It won't hit with the stock crank where it's truly a straight bolt on. I was just looking for the max size I could

do on my own (I'm a machinist and have access to a full shop). The bike now is 288cc. 40-45 hrs. When I put the 08 head on it

at 35 hrs. I had to pull the cyl. to put on a new base gasket. The piston had no visible wear and the moly coating on the skirt

was not worn at all. It also uses virtually no oil between changes (6-8 hrs.) The stocker and the vertex used to use a little.

The cylinder does have "Athena" cast into the side of it so it'll rat you out if you're making a 'cheater' ? Hope this helps.

Doug.

awesome thanks a lot

 

I always wondered how athena had a 280 that didn't require case machining, I figured it was aluminum with really thin skirts, that's what turned me off when I was doing my rebuild. What type of difference did the 08 head make?

[Doogee57]

  From my research the 07-09 heads are the best. Hp on the 05 was 35 ish. On the 08-09 it was 38-39 hp. Almost all of that was in the head and the cam. A little

also from the slight bump in compression, 300-400 rpm higher rev limit, and that 40mm carb. If you surf  T-talk you'll find that Ron Hamp was getting 43-44 horses

from the last of his real 250cc carbed motors. Granted, that was a max, full race set-up.  From what I've read the 07 head is the best to start with if you're gonna

do a full race port job. The 08 head is better if you run it un-ported. The 08 head is better if you're looking to build a mid-range motor. Google Rick Ramsey. In his

stuff you'll find pictures of the ports in the 05-07 head's ports. The ports got smaller every year. Higher velocity. Better power across the range. 04-07 intake and

exhaust valves are the same part #'s. 08-08 they went to smaller stems on the exhausts, same intakes. Valve springs also got stiffer, 07 and later, because

of the cam changes. Google "venom crf250". He's got a good write up of his mods. Looks to me like he started with an 07 head. I used an 08 head and ported

it myself. Cautiously! It's EASY to do more harm than good. I was "coached" and was told my work would improve power across the board. Nice. I also used

the stock 08-09 cam as I mentioned in an earlier post. The power? Yeah, it was worth it. A couple months ago I rode my buddy's 2015 yzf250. My bike made

more power off the bottom and into the mid-range. From there to the top end they were about even. The magazines are quoting 41-ish for the Yammer. The 05 CRF250 was the lightest 250 ever (except for the

no-link KTM 250). Dirt Bike's test in 05 quoted 214 lbs. without fuel. I weighed mine on our calibrated shipping scale at work: 213 lbs. w/o fuel.

   I talked to Milsaps mechanic at the Atlanta Supercross back in 06 and asked him what they were doing to get that huge 40mm carb 'sorted'. He looked left, then

right, then back at me and said; " we're using the 37 off the 05". My bike runs perfect, starts 1-3 kicks hot or cold. Yes, I rejetted. I could go on,and on,and on....

[problem_child]

I've always wondered... would an earlier head with a larger port be better for a big bore/stroker? Seems like you would be able to retain adequate intake velocity while having a larger port area due to the increased discplacement.

[bk29]

I think I'm going to buy the 07 head just to play it safe. It uses the same pert number rocker arm as the 05. A Honda shop on eBay is selling them with all the parts except buckets ,rocker arm,and cam for $570. All Honda parts.

[Doogee57]

Wow! Everybody's pretty interested. Cool. It's raining today here in Alabama and I've gotta go to Texas tomorrow for work all week. Let's see,,,the questions. The hot rods shim kit. Yeah, it's all the same. I've got one myself and that's what I use. The

07 head? The guts are all the same except for the cam and the valve springs. The 07 cam is a little more radical so it uses

stiffer springs. The later heads (07-09) work better even on the bigger motors. I know this for a fact since I've run both. The

07 head is an excellent head and probably the cheapest way to go as far as head upgrades since you don't have to get the new

valves. Oh yeah, the 04&06 cams are the same part #. Same with the 08-09. The 05 is the best stock cam for mid-range. 04-06 is

more of a top end cam. Ron Hamp told me that on my motor (a 288cc set-up) the 05 cam was starving it even off the bottom. He said

the 08-09 cam was an excellent cam and easy on the valve train. He said his are an even bigger improvement but you HAVE TO

run his whole valve train set-up up or reliability suffers. I used the 08 cam. I'm using Ron's springs and retainers for max

valve train stability, therefore, reliability. I'd rather ride than wrench. Stock intake valves. Del West are better but cost

twice as much so I figured it was a wash. Ferrea exhaust valves. Only a few bucks more than stock and definitely better.

Chromium nitride coating on them is easier on the guides.

[Doogee57]

  Another thing about about the Athena kit. It raises the compression about half a point (to 08-09 levels). Mine runs great on straight 93 octane pump gas.

[problem_child]

thanks doogie good info\

 

I'd like too do some power mods but it's so damn expensive to do it right. Don't just wanna slap on an athena and have a choked out engine up top. Ron's spring/cam is enticing but it sucks his springs are so expensive and need to be replaced what... 50-100 hours. I like mods that don't keep costing me money loll

[Doogee57]

The Athena kit won't choke it on top. You'll just get a bigger boost in the bottom and mid with the 05 cam. If you want the extra top end get a stock 08-09 cam and run the stock valve springs from the later models. They're stiffer to go with the newer cam. Double check

the part #'s on the exhaust springs versus the 07's because the 08-09 exhaust valves have 4.5mm stems (07 & earlier are 5.0mm) I know the exhaust retainers are different. Not sure about the springs. Probably just use the springs (in.& ex.) from the 07. They're cheap and

work good with the honda cam. Just make sure you replace them if you replace the valves. The Ferrea spring are a lot more expensive

but they're made from a much higher quality steel. They're also lighter which reduces loads on the whole valve train. That's why I used

the ferrea springs and Ron's titanium retainers. I wanted max reliability so I figured the lightweight stuff and the stock 08 cam was the way to go. I used Ron's retainers because he has his coated with a special coating that prevents them from galling against the

springs. The set-up I'm running, I feel, gives me the best power (40-42 hp with a bunch more off the bottom and in the mid) without going "full race" with pretty much stock reliability.

My bike kinda feels like a super light really slow 450. When I had my 450 ten of those horses pretty much stayed in the barn. I'm

faster everywhere on the 250 (uh, 288). Even at Mill Creek (in ala.) with all it's big hills.