PRO CIRCUIT CRF250X

We don't get it. Pro Circuit shortened the rear suspension travel and softened the fork, yet the suspension's ability to deal with hard riding was improved. It was the highlight of the whole project.










We commissioned very few motor modsYou can get away with the stock jetting if you just install a piston and a pipe, and the results are impressive.







We used a Scott's steering damper to keep the X going straight on the faster sections of the ride. The 2008 CRF250X didn't get the HPSD damper like the 450X.





After all that, the bike was magne¬tized and dragged through the ware¬house. Every bolt-on part that Pro Circuit sells stuck to the bike, includ¬ing tripleclamps, a hot-start lever, axle blocks, graphics and so forth. It was all topped with a Scott's steering damper (with BRP mounts) and an IMS tank.

BUT DID IT WORK?
Yes! We never guessed that so lit¬tle could result in so much. The sus¬pension was the amazing part. It made us understand how little we really understand about the relation¬ship between spring rates and stiff-feeling forks. The stock fork is good at low speed but runs out of travel pretty fast as the pace increases. Somehow, despite the softer fork spring, the modified front end felt better than ever at fast speeds. It didn't bottom harshly, it rode fairly high in the travel, and it didn't seem to lose any of its ability to soak up pebbles and acorns.

As for the reduced rear shock trav¬el, the over-six foot tall crowd didn't have any complaints. They wouldn't; it's not as if the subframe or seat were lowered. That would have result¬ed in a tighter squeeze in the riding compartment and caused little pieces of cartilage to fly through the skin of Tom's knees. The drawback of reduced suspension is reduced ground clearance, which no one noticed. And in nasty sections when you're paddling the ground like a cen¬tipede, who doesn't like a slightly lower saddle?
As far as the motor goes, the stealth X split the difference between a stacker and the 280cc Athena. We were impressed with the lug factor on the Pro Circuit bike. You could let the revs drop way. way down into thezone where a 250cc four-stroke shouldn't run. The X would pull itself back to happy land without com¬plaint. It doesn't cough, and you real¬ly have to goof up to make it stall. On the other end, it still runs out of steam much earlier than an R, but that's what we expected. In truth, it's almost impossible to get an X to run exactly like an R because of the dif¬ference in the ignition. And we would never risk losing any of the glorious grunt.
The 200 went as predicted. The mild-mannered trail ride degenerated into a race within a few miles. This year it was dusty, which actually worked to calm down the masses. Instead of pushing for the lead, the Dirt Bike crew forfeited the win and just enjoyed the trail. After all, we did have a great trail bike. It's just nice to know that it could have won.





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