2001 cr250 redone overhaulin style

[rodgini]

as stated in an earlier post, we are fixing up my buddies 2001 cr250

"overhaulin" style. His 01 cr is clapped and his eldest daughter just left for college so he is tight on cash. the motor is solid with a fresh topend and clutch. we also did the air stryker carb swap last year. however, the chasis is tired. a bunch of us threw in for the parts. he finally dropped the bike off for what he thinks is going to be just a fork seal job and some fresh rubber. we are going to suprise him with the makeover. i am going to post some before pics later on today.

i have a few questions for you cr experts. --it currently has an fmf sst pipe. how do these do on the cr's? we ride a mix of everything from mx to single track so i'm looking for a "do it all" pipe. i ride a yz250 and the sst is probably the worst pipe around for it. should i source a stock pipe for the cr? i hear they are good all around pipes. i run dep and pc pipes on my yz and those seem to be the best choices for my bike. does the gnarly fall flat up top on the cr like it does on the yz? the bike also has an fmf q silencer (not the stealth) which will stay on the bike. anybody have any nice used pipes for sale?

Here's our list so far--

new plastic kit black

22 motorsports graphics kit

new kick lever- his is sloppy to say the least

new kill switch- current one doesn't work

swapping out 7/8" renthals for pro taper fat bars

brakes front to back

new rear brake pedal- his is tweaked

some trick carb hoses and various bling

maybe a different pipe up front??

new rubber

we are also going to grease all bearings, sharpen foot pegs ect.

pics to come

[Third-Reef]

I have had a gnarly pipe on both of my CRs, a 97 and the curent 02. I like them and the grunt they produce. They are also more durable (and heavy) as they are made with thicker metal But i am not much of a rev kind of rider, i pretty much stay in the meat of the power band. A Vforce (on the 97) or a RAD valve (on the 02) help out also.

[Mx SuperFly 25]

we'll be looking forward to checkin out the pics... thats awesome what you guys are doing for him!

[rodgini]

I have had a gnarly pipe on both of my CRs, a 97 and the curent 02. I like them and the grunt they produce. They are also more durable (and heavy) as they are made with thicker metal But i am not much of a rev kind of rider, i pretty much stay in the meat of the power band. A Vforce (on the 97) or a RAD valve (on the 02) help out also.

thanks for the input. we replaced the stock reeds with boyesen super stock reeds this spring when did the topend. i am leaning towards the gnarly but did not like it much on my yz...great bottom end but weak topend and no over-rev. i'm curious if the cr250 is same way??

[mynewcr250]

I went from a fatty to an sst on my 2000 after I crushed it. didn't notice much change honestly. I'd leave the sst on as I do like the way the power comes on with the fatty and sst pipes.

wish I had friends like you!

[fastfrontier17]

I believe that most people notice a difference in low end with a Gnarly because that's what it does, the fatty is the all around most preferred pipe for the '01 and is what I plan on buying (Even though I'm in the process of looking for a Gnarly and FMF Shorty to tryout if ever I'm in a "less flat" area)...No one notices the power differences between the Fatty and stock because the Fatty doesn't change the "hit" of the powerband like the Gnarly does, but apparently broadens power in all ranges...the Gnarly is a shitty pipe for overrev, but its great pipe in the woods or tight tracks from what I've read...

[rodgini]

I believe that most people notice a difference in low end with a Gnarly because that's what it does, the fatty is the all around most preferred pipe for the '01 and is what I plan on buying (Even though I'm in the process of looking for a Gnarly and FMF Shorty to tryout if ever I'm in a "less flat" area)...No one notices the power differences between the Fatty and stock because the Fatty doesn't change the "hit" of the powerband like the Gnarly does, but apparently broadens power in all ranges...the Gnarly is a shitty pipe for overrev, but its great pipe in the woods or tight tracks from what I've read...

sounds like the gnarly is the same on the cr as on the yz. great bottom end & pulls a gear taller in the woods really well. however, past 3/4 throttle the bike becomes a noise maker...no power. prolly stick with the sst. the bike seems to run fine with but it came with the pipe on it so we have no frame of reference. the sst on a yz250 makes the bottom feel like a 125 and was impossible to jet.

gonna start tearing it down tonight. i'll get some "before" pics before i do.

[ca_101]

Hurry up and get some pix already!!! Haha.

[rodgini]

ok here are the pics of its current condition. it came with the lame mm graphics on it. man they need to go. yes that is yz rear brake lever that we grafted on in order to finish a ride after he snapped his. that is going to be replaced. i also scored some nice ims pro series foot pegs used on fleabay for $20. his stockers are so worn that you cant sharpen them.

[frdbtr]

Extreme makeover motorcycle edition. I like it! ?

[rodgini]

it is fun. he was supposed to come by tonight and work on the forks and brakes. i called him this morning and told him i was too busy and we'd get it some time next week ....he was all bummed. meanwhile we'll be @ the house working away on it this evening. we plan to do the "reveal" next week.

the 1 1/8th bar mounts i had from my yz didnt fit the cr...it was worth a shot. however, the post was too short. found some of those on ebay too. i'm planning to throw some used protaper fat bars on it. outta be a nice update from the 7/8th bars on it now. the only other stuff i'm waiting on is the graphics kit, bar pad, and pegs. i'm planning to do the fork seals, clean carb + put on red hoses etc, and clean it really well tonight. i started peeling graphics off the swingarm and airbox last night. those must have been on there since 01....they were a biotch to get off.

[AJ312]

i personally had a 2001 CR250 before i traded up to the 450 and i had the sst pipe on it. i was very pleased with how it performed. i rode at tracks and at glamis and did well. this bike sounds like it will come out good. that bike had a scary power band. i would be able to do 4th gear wheelies on it. Those MM graphics are a must go.ha

[greg-15]

I run a gnarley pipe and a stock pipe on my 01' cr250. I switch pipes at the track depending where I am but recently went back to the stocker since I miss the killer mid range and top end run out. When I ride the ohv park the gnarley is best...I recommend the gnarley if your a woods/hare scrambles rider only. Gnarley for pure trail riding too. The stocker works best on the mx track especially hitting jumps on fast straights.

[rodgini]

yeah it seems to run fine with the sst....once we ditched the mikuni anyway. thats a good thing because once i dug into this bike i realized how much it needed. the pipe was the least of my worries. here is where i got last night.

she cleaned up fairly well but will still need some more love. i don't know what to do with the clutch/ ignition covers....they currently have a ghetto rhino liner job on them.....looks like ass. i guess boyesen is pretty much the only other option right? those are way out of the budget. will any of the newer stock cr250 aluminum ignition covers fit the 01?

[ca_101]

Man, I love watchin' me a good project thread!!! You guys are off to a good start.

I've heard that Tal-Strip will remove bed liner. That would work for the clutch cover, along with a good buff it would look brand new. Of course the chemical would probably eat right through the ignition cover. I would also like to know if a newer cover would fit.

[fastfrontier17]

i think there are some that say "honda racing" on ebay and then theres possibly hinson

[fastfrontier17]

how do you like that husky air compressor btw

[rodgini]

i think there are some that say "honda racing" on ebay and then theres possibly hinson

yeah given the nature of this build the budget is tight. i saw a bunch of service honda covers but they are high dollar. the 02+ ignition covers appear to be aluminum and look really nice. anybody know if it will fit an 01? they can be found cheap on fleabay.

the husky has been really nice. it's fairly quiet and will run a 1/2 drive impact no problem. it's the 80 gallon model. seems to be fairly well made.

edit- the 02+ ingition covers are not even close to the right shape to fit the 01.

Edited October 28, 2011 by rodgini

[rodgini]

alright....quick update. i got the rest of the cleanup done and most of the parts installed this weekend. i forgot to snap a pic but it looks way better. the graphics showed up today...they look pretty sweet

i went through the entire bike yesterday. i greased all the bearings front to back. i was amazed by how good the steering head bearings looked. not sure they had ever been serviced and they looked brand new. honda must have really good seals?? i have to replace these damn bearings all the time on my yz250. the wheel bearings looked fine as well. then i got to the linkage.......they were fubar. i could barely get the pins out. we just replaced these last year. i could not believe how bad they were. some of the needles had turned to dust. i ended up buying an entire low hour linkage w/ good bearings off ebay for $20 which was 1/3 the cost of a bearing kit + i dont have to press all those nasty buggers out and install new ones

anyhow...just waiting on the kick start lever and bar mounts and she'll be a wrap. i imagine the reveal will happen on thursday. i'll get some pics up for sure.

[ca_101]

MAN that's gonna look sweet!