2010 CRF 250r OR 2011 RM-Z 250

[CRF450_beast]

I'm on the fence about trading in my bike or fixing it up and the local dealership is offering the 2010 CRf 250r and the 2011 RM-Z 250 for the same price.

Any information on performance, reliability, and passed experiences on these bikes would be greatly appreciated!

[myepicchars1]

honda is from what i heard a valve grenade i have a rmz 250 and i mean its got 89 hours on it and it still starts first kick even when dropped it handles and corners great also and get great traction everywhere the power is also very smooth and just because i ave a suzuki and have nere riden a honda go fro the gold ?

[rmzrider151]

Rmz a llll day! I've ridden a 2010 crf250r and own a 2010 rmz 250. Rmz has better power and handling hands down. I like the plush suspension of the crf. Rmz is more comfortable. In my experience rmz is more reliable.

[kawirider15]

I would go RMZ, because they are not maintenence whores like crf's.I've heard great things about RMZ's reliability,while I've seen some horror stories about crf's.Plus I like how the RMZ corners FREAKKIN AWSOME.

[funkinalive]

Hey there, this is my first post but i will have to agree, i am the proud owner of the 2011 rmz with 30.5 hours on it, after getting it set up and fine tuning the clickers (the right sag is VERY IMPORTANT on this bike) its a motocrossers dream, great handling great motor (torque down low and almost 2-strokish up top), best/funnest bike ive ever run and i haven't had any problems with it of any kind. keep to regular maintenance and it will last just as long as any other bike IMHO

[CRF450_beast]

I heard that RMZ has phenominal handling, and the 2011 has a much stronger engine than the CRF, but how is the transmission? I heard you can get false neutrals and miss shifts (older models).

I have a 05 CRF right now and I can agree with the difficult valves, but I think they have improved the head design since then to fix this issue.

[funkinalive]

CRF450_beast

i have previously owned an 09 rmz250 and have to say that YES, the transmission countershaft IS made of butter, wears down and makes the second to third, and third to fourth shifting poor causing the "false neutral" and have had to change third gear+countershaft, but that was at 190hours!!! the 2011 is claimed to have wider (stronger) third and fourth gear and better lubrication on the countershaft (the trouble spots in previous models) and so far i have only got a false neutral from a bad shift, otherwise it beats checking/changing the valves every 15 hours on the ol CRF (i have an 04, and it also gets false neutrals from time to time too). of all the talk on the net i think the Suzuki's durability is grossly underestimated.

Edited October 13, 2011 by funkinalive

[CRF450_beast]

Thanx for the posts suzuki guys! Definitely sounds like a solid bike, and if they fixed the tranny issues it should be a very reliable bike.

Any honda ppl out there?

I've read that the 2010 crf 250s rods/cranks tend to fail early, sounds very expensive!

I am very keen on regular maintenance (oil change/air filter..etc) but I dont feel like tearing the motor apart and rebuilding it every 30 hours. I ride beginner class mx so the bike probably wont hit the rev limiter too often.

[CRF450_beast]

Also, do you guys have any issues with the EFI? I heard people find gas filling up the crank case due to a leaking injector....

Maybe the failing rods and cranks are from the engine oil being mixed with gas?

[rmzrider151]

Rmzs reliability Is very underestimated. I have owned 3 in the past three years and still own two of them.

Had an 06 450 with 80 hrs on it when I sold it with no issues with it.

Have a 2010 250 with 72 hours. No issues.

Have a 2007 250 Supermoto with 120 hours on it. Only issues with it is I accidentally stripped a drain bolt. That's it!

[funkinalive]

i dont have any first hand experience with the 10 crf250, but generally from what ive read on crfsonly.com honda had a problem with leaving dirty fuel in the tanks on the assembly line. when the owners received their bikes they were advised to drain any old (shipping) fuel out of the system and put in fresh fuel. if not, the injectors would be damaged and would leak fuel on shutdown past the cylinder into the bottom end, which very well may have caused the failed cranks when engine oil was left unchecked. a new injector usually solved the problem. from my past experience on my CRF's they have been all-round solid bikes EXCEPT for their intake valve's (usually fixed buy purchasing stainless valves). whatever you do both bikes have their positives but for me the rmz is simply a better bike for racing.

[Elfgren]

Maybe the failing rods and cranks are from the engine oil being mixed with gas?

Yep, that's a huge problem on the CRF250 since they have seperate oil pan, one for the transmission oil and one for the engine oil. This means that you quickly get gas in the motor oil, and that is not a good thing...

That's why they need oil service extremly often, it's sad beacuse otherwise it's a great bike with excellent handling.

[CRF450_beast]

It seems like every 2010 crf 250r has injector issues! Has anybody not had an issue with this? I have owned a 96 CR250 and now own a 05 CRF450 and would like to stick with the red bike, plus the 2010 looks amazing, but it sucks to hear about these reliability issues.

Might have to convert to yellow.. hmm

[funkinalive]

ALL of the CRF's dont have the problem, just like ALL RMZ's dont have transmission problems. im starting to get the impression that you need someone to convince you which bike to buy, BAD IDEA! you can take our word for it but in the end your gonna have to live with it, best idea is to get yourself on both bikes and compare them for yourself, if reliability is your issue then i see no difference between the two in durability, each has their weak points which you seem to already know.

[CRF450_beast]

I'm just trying get as much info/personal experiences between the 2 bikes so I can get a better idea of what to expect.

I wish I could try both bikes out on the track, that would be the best way to make this decision but unfortunately thats not possible. I can try out my friends 2011 RMZ which will help me determine if I want a suzuki.

But you do have a good point that each bike has they're own issues and not ALL of them have the problems discussed.

[funkinalive]

I wish I could try both bikes out on the track, that would be the best way to make this decision but unfortunately thats not possible. I can try out my friends 2011 RMZ which will help me determine if I want a suzuki.

.

then go from there! try the rmz and if you dont fancy it, you can consider the crf. i stand by my purchase of the 11 rmz250, iv fallen in love with this bike, and can only speak highly of it, and thats why i recommend it. as for the honda, well someone honest has to give you their take on it since the last CRF ive had was an 08. if its durability your worried about than try and dig as much info on the history of the bike before your purchase. get THEM to ride it around and observe how hard they are on the equipment. and draw conclusions from that; check their oil and filter (if their clean) this will gove you an idea of how the equipment was treated. if your buying new, well then get the rmz, ?

[CRF450_beast]

lol thanks for your input,

Old bike is currently at the dealership for them to price out a trade, might be sitting on a new bike fairly soon! ?

[zerkmn]

when i wheelie my crf150 gas pours out of the overflow hose. is there any way to stop this?

[highmarker]

this is normal, you don't want to stop it

when i wheelie my crf150 gas pours out of the overflow hose. is there any way to stop this?