Honda CRF250 Rally – best mods / upgrades

The Things We Ride
catcitrus
Posts: 2114
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2013 5:36 pm
Has thanked: 95 times
Been thanked: 448 times

Re: Honda CRF250 Rally – best mods / upgrades

Post by catcitrus »

High OB1--just visited your blog!--I didn't realise that you had destroyed one of my skidplates trying to fit a tubular structure over the top! You could have returned it and I would have given you a refund. I have commented in your blog as you mentioned that the middle was "soft" when you cut into it. I have corrected you as I disagree with the "soft" term. Construction is a heavy press affair--carbon, glass, carbon, kevlar triaxial (3 layers in a cross weave pattern), and glass--and the mountings go through bonded in aluminium plate. What appeared "soft" was the kevlar triaxial--its yellow and will not cut or finish with normal tools and simply "feathers" , thus appearing soft-It takes me ages to trim and finish the product--and it would be so much easier WITHOUT the kevlar!---soft it is not, and it is the material of choice for bullet proof vests, all dakar undertrays etc as it is extremely abrasion resistant--and it is yellow because it will NOT take any pigment.
User avatar
OB1
Posts: 2770
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2011 11:37 am
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk
Has thanked: 746 times
Been thanked: 342 times

Re: Honda CRF250 Rally – best mods / upgrades

Post by OB1 »

catcitrus wrote: Tue Apr 09, 2019 12:15 pm High OB1--just visited your blog!--I didn't realise that you had destroyed one of my skidplates trying to fit a tubular structure over the top! You could have returned it and I would have given you a refund. I have commented in your blog as you mentioned that the middle was "soft" when you cut into it. I have corrected you as I disagree with the "soft" term. Construction is a heavy press affair--carbon, glass, carbon, kevlar triaxial (3 layers in a cross weave pattern), and glass--and the mountings go through bonded in aluminium plate. What appeared "soft" was the kevlar triaxial--its yellow and will not cut or finish with normal tools and simply "feathers" , thus appearing soft-It takes me ages to trim and finish the product--and it would be so much easier WITHOUT the kevlar!---soft it is not, and it is the material of choice for bullet proof vests, all dakar undertrays etc as it is extremely abrasion resistant--and it is yellow because it will NOT take any pigment.

Hi Catcitrus. I think that must be Roy's blog you're looking at as I haven't used one of your sump guards (although I would have liked to). ;)
A • AND • B • CDN • CH • CN • CY • CYM • CZ • D • DK • E • EST • ET • F • FIN • GR • HK • HR • I • IL • IRL • L • LT • LV • M • N • N-IRL • NL • P • PL • Q • RSM • S • SCO • SCV • SLO • TR • USA • YU
justrtw.com
rbailey
Posts: 39
Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2019 11:37 am
Location: Lichfield
Has thanked: 80 times
Been thanked: 4 times

Re: Honda CRF250 Rally – best mods / upgrades

Post by rbailey »

boboneleg wrote: Tue Apr 09, 2019 11:04 am This is how I secure my Altrider bag to the Rally.

These clasps I secure under the rear rack, on other bikes I put them under the rear mudguard

IMG_4612.jpeg

The bottom straps I secure around the frame under the rear footpeg

IMG_4613.jpeg
Thanks Bob, You are a star.

I am 100% happy with the rear straps to the luggage rack now I can see exactly how that mounts. I think I can see from your pic where you are tethering the strap at the bottom of the legs, although that is not 100% clear to me. As you say, it is looped through the frame bit, just under the passenger pegs. I will have to have a look at that later, and try and see exactly where that is - hopefully it will be clear!

Of the Hemisphere and Giant Loop, I do prefer the Hemisphere design. The idea of the mounting part staying on the bike, and just getting the bag in and out is a big appeal. However... it is the capacity that worries me a little - it says 45 liters (on the Altrider site at least), and 2 x 1.5L pouches. I am off to the Pyrenees for 9 night camping in September. I got out what I thought would be the minimum I could take, and I am not sure it will fit in a 45 liter bag, even if I have a small rolltop behind it. The Giant Loop is 65 liters - which would obviously get more stuff in it, but probably at the expense of less room for me. Its all about trade offs I guess.

Thanks a lot for the pics though! Hopefully, the mount points for the straps at the bottom of the legs will be obvious to me, when I look at the bike later!

Cheers,

Roy
rbailey
Posts: 39
Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2019 11:37 am
Location: Lichfield
Has thanked: 80 times
Been thanked: 4 times

Re: Honda CRF250 Rally – best mods / upgrades

Post by rbailey »

catcitrus wrote: Tue Apr 09, 2019 12:15 pm High OB1--just visited your blog!--I didn't realise that you had destroyed one of my skidplates trying to fit a tubular structure over the top! You could have returned it and I would have given you a refund. I have commented in your blog as you mentioned that the middle was "soft" when you cut into it. I have corrected you as I disagree with the "soft" term. Construction is a heavy press affair--carbon, glass, carbon, kevlar triaxial (3 layers in a cross weave pattern), and glass--and the mountings go through bonded in aluminium plate. What appeared "soft" was the kevlar triaxial--its yellow and will not cut or finish with normal tools and simply "feathers" , thus appearing soft-It takes me ages to trim and finish the product--and it would be so much easier WITHOUT the kevlar!---soft it is not, and it is the material of choice for bullet proof vests, all dakar undertrays etc as it is extremely abrasion resistant--and it is yellow because it will NOT take any pigment.
Hi @catcitrus,

@OB1 is correct, it was my blog not his!

I think I have chosen a poor word perhaps in "soft", and I will amend it to something more suitable. There is no doubt your product is top quality, and the issue I had, was not with the product, but was with the fact I was try to manipulate it to work in a setup that was never going to work.

The problem I had was, it was one of those jobs where I was not sure if it would work or not until I tried it. Before I started fitting, it kind of looked like it would all fit together, albeit tight. Unfortunately, by the time I realised it would not work, I had already ruined it - i was not only cutting your hard work, but also cutting my hard earned money. Had I known before I cut it, I would indeed have contacted you to see if you could refund - would have worked better for both of us!

I will update the wording on the blog entry later, as the last thing I want to do is give the impression there was an issue with your bashplate, there isnt, it is top notch. If you have a look at my first post, you will see when I fitted it, I was as pleased as punch! Its just in the end, it did not fit with other things I bought (which is my fault for changing my mind too late!)

Cheers,

Roy
catcitrus
Posts: 2114
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2013 5:36 pm
Has thanked: 95 times
Been thanked: 448 times

Re: Honda CRF250 Rally – best mods / upgrades

Post by catcitrus »

rbailey wrote: Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:10 pm
catcitrus wrote: Tue Apr 09, 2019 12:15 pm High OB1--just visited your blog!--I didn't realise that you had destroyed one of my skidplates trying to fit a tubular structure over the top! You could have returned it and I would have given you a refund. I have commented in your blog as you mentioned that the middle was "soft" when you cut into it. I have corrected you as I disagree with the "soft" term. Construction is a heavy press affair--carbon, glass, carbon, kevlar triaxial (3 layers in a cross weave pattern), and glass--and the mountings go through bonded in aluminium plate. What appeared "soft" was the kevlar triaxial--its yellow and will not cut or finish with normal tools and simply "feathers" , thus appearing soft-It takes me ages to trim and finish the product--and it would be so much easier WITHOUT the kevlar!---soft it is not, and it is the material of choice for bullet proof vests, all dakar undertrays etc as it is extremely abrasion resistant--and it is yellow because it will NOT take any pigment.
Hi @catcitrus,

@OB1 is correct, it was my blog not his!

I think I have chosen a poor word perhaps in "soft", and I will amend it to something more suitable. There is no doubt your product is top quality, and the issue I had, was not with the product, but was with the fact I was try to manipulate it to work in a setup that was never going to work.

The problem I had was, it was one of those jobs where I was not sure if it would work or not until I tried it. Before I started fitting, it kind of looked like it would all fit together, albeit tight. Unfortunately, by the time I realised it would not work, I had already ruined it - i was not only cutting your hard work, but also cutting my hard earned money. Had I known before I cut it, I would indeed have contacted you to see if you could refund - would have worked better for both of us!

I will update the wording on the blog entry later, as the last thing I want to do is give the impression there was an issue with your bashplate, there isnt, it is top notch. If you have a look at my first post, you will see when I fitted it, I was as pleased as punch! Its just in the end, it did not fit with other things I bought (which is my fault for changing my mind too late!)

Cheers,

Roy
thanks for the considered reply--much appreciated--I sort of wish that you had kept with mine as its been on some bikes that have really been bashed about over rough ground--but what is done is done--and I appreciate the blog alteration. There are quite a few out there--mostly outside of the UK and its something I want owners to be pleased with as returning stuff is expensive and time consuming. The stock plate buffers against the bottom frame rails as well as locating in a steel receiver at the rear and also being supported by two pedestals at the front--so is quite well mounted--fitting my add on just stiffens the whole thing up and distributes the load better. The concept is to provide something that will take a hit without impacting the frame or crankcase--there are cases where the stock plate has flexed sufficiently to allow damage to the crankcase (a video posted recently from the US?)
scoobydidler
Posts: 917
Joined: Sat Aug 17, 2013 7:02 am
Been thanked: 54 times

Re: Honda CRF250 Rally – best mods / upgrades

Post by scoobydidler »

rbailey wrote:
boboneleg wrote: Tue Apr 09, 2019 11:04 am This is how I secure my Altrider bag to the Rally.

These clasps I secure under the rear rack, on other bikes I put them under the rear mudguard

IMG_4612.jpeg

The bottom straps I secure around the frame under the rear footpeg

IMG_4613.jpeg
Thanks Bob, You are a star.

I am 100% happy with the rear straps to the luggage rack now I can see exactly how that mounts. I think I can see from your pic where you are tethering the strap at the bottom of the legs, although that is not 100% clear to me. As you say, it is looped through the frame bit, just under the passenger pegs. I will have to have a look at that later, and try and see exactly where that is - hopefully it will be clear!

Of the Hemisphere and Giant Loop, I do prefer the Hemisphere design. The idea of the mounting part staying on the bike, and just getting the bag in and out is a big appeal. However... it is the capacity that worries me a little - it says 45 liters (on the Altrider site at least), and 2 x 1.5L pouches. I am off to the Pyrenees for 9 night camping in September. I got out what I thought would be the minimum I could take, and I am not sure it will fit in a 45 liter bag, even if I have a small rolltop behind it. The Giant Loop is 65 liters - which would obviously get more stuff in it, but probably at the expense of less room for me. Its all about trade offs I guess.

Thanks a lot for the pics though! Hopefully, the mount points for the straps at the bottom of the legs will be obvious to me, when I look at the bike later!

Cheers,

Roy
Just spotted this Roy. Agree with Bob although I run mine a good bit further back than he does.
The lower straps go round the frame down towards the pegs. I was concerned on the right side that it'd be too close to the exhaust but it hasn't been a problem.

Sent from my H8416 using Tapatalk

User avatar
OB1
Posts: 2770
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2011 11:37 am
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk
Has thanked: 746 times
Been thanked: 342 times

Re: Honda CRF250 Rally – best mods / upgrades

Post by OB1 »

Just added the last couple of farkles for a while: a pair of Acerbis hand guards and a set of Kriega OS luggage.

I just need to up the preload a little as it's standing a little upright due to the sag with the bags on. Eventually, I'll get a new rear shock that is more up to the job.

IMG_1585.JPG
IMG_1585.JPG (111.81 KiB) Viewed 2756 times
IMG_1586.JPG
IMG_1586.JPG (119.47 KiB) Viewed 2756 times
IMG_1588.JPG
IMG_1588.JPG (110.51 KiB) Viewed 2756 times
A • AND • B • CDN • CH • CN • CY • CYM • CZ • D • DK • E • EST • ET • F • FIN • GR • HK • HR • I • IL • IRL • L • LT • LV • M • N • N-IRL • NL • P • PL • Q • RSM • S • SCO • SCV • SLO • TR • USA • YU
justrtw.com
dibbs
Posts: 978
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2015 7:42 pm
Location: Essex
Has thanked: 419 times
Been thanked: 158 times

Re: Honda CRF250 Rally – best mods / upgrades

Post by dibbs »

Hi OB1 and other owners. Can you tell me if the little crf will achieve motorway speeds with all that luggage and a 100kg rider on it? only im curious as to how much all this will affect it (im talking 70-75 mph constant)

Thanks
byewayrider
Posts: 559
Joined: Fri Nov 29, 2013 3:45 pm
Has thanked: 26 times
Been thanked: 80 times

Re: Honda CRF250 Rally – best mods / upgrades

Post by byewayrider »

Dibbs.. Its a 250cc motorbike man your missing the bike best points... Slow down and stay off the motorways...
Solo ktm690 euro trail rider
User avatar
OB1
Posts: 2770
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2011 11:37 am
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk
Has thanked: 746 times
Been thanked: 342 times

Re: Honda CRF250 Rally – best mods / upgrades

Post by OB1 »

dibbs wrote: Mon Apr 15, 2019 11:51 am Hi OB1 and other owners. Can you tell me if the little crf will achieve motorway speeds with all that luggage and a 100kg rider on it? only im curious as to how much all this will affect it (im talking 70-75 mph constant)

Thanks

Hi Dibbs. My mate, Mike, is around 100 kg and uses Lomo panniers on Tusk frames. He doesn't seem to have a problem getting up to 70 mph, however, we don't tend to do motorways as that's not why we bought these bikes. I'll be heading up to Lincoln from Ipswich on Thursday: I'll be fully loaded but I'll be travelling up via the back roads... if you can call the A17 a back road... I will be cruising on these roads at the same speed that I would ride my Tiger 800 XCx.
A • AND • B • CDN • CH • CN • CY • CYM • CZ • D • DK • E • EST • ET • F • FIN • GR • HK • HR • I • IL • IRL • L • LT • LV • M • N • N-IRL • NL • P • PL • Q • RSM • S • SCO • SCV • SLO • TR • USA • YU
justrtw.com
Post Reply

Return to “BIKES”