crf250 Rally

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

In the clip shown earlier of the bike on Simms Hill in the Exeter Trial, the rider used second gear for the restart, and the clutch seemed to cope.
Any modern bike with dirt pretensions should be able to cope with the clutch being feathered as 'traction control'.
Old Brits are very different, but then with typically a long stroke and a heavy flywheel you shouldn't need to use the clutch once moving ...Chuff, chuff, chuff... just don't run out of coal and you'll be fine!

[GazC]

It’s all good stuff thanks Gary, good background to the CRF’s 250’s and 300’s. Still on the fence a bit as to what I’m looking for in the next bike, and that small matter of budget..

[berin]

Picking up on Minky's comment about clutches , and about how some people make them last, I would add my 5 p'neth. Being old and brought up on fragile and heavy old Brit single clutches you use the clutch just to get going and to change gear. IMO on gentle trail riding there is virtually no need to slip the clutch with a modern 250 provided that the gearing is sensible. Its really surprising how bikes will keep their momentum and chug up difficult inclines with low revs. Pulling the clutch simply results in you coming to a standstill or trying to carry on with loads more revs and continuous slipping--a burn out will come soon. Next time you are tempted to slip don't. Just keep a bit of throttle on and let it chug up.

Exactly wrong for riding trails on modern enduro bikes. You should use the clutch all the time, to take power away and moderate speed without harsh movements on the brake and throttle.

Every off road school teaches this, and I’ve been doing this I first went to Simon Pavey’s Off Road Skills in 2008, and I’ve never broken a clutch.


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[mechanic]

I did my apprenticeship on trials bikes. Never off the clutch, just like the throttle you use it continually without even thinking about it, same as enduro, and even use it a lot on road bikes. Modern multi plate clutch’s lubed with synthetic oil are made for this.

[garyboy]

for sure ... i could never ride a trail bike without feathering the clutch .. as said, it is a quick way to turn off the power when needed urgently in a sticky situation, and also a smooth easy way to control forward movement when the going gets technical. It looks like it is that judder spring and weakish clutch springs that are the problem. The ck1313 plates and stronger Barnett springs do fix it.





20180120_104939 by gary boy, on Flickr
20180120_112956 by gary boy, on Flickr

[garyboy]

Can I presume the identical stuff will fit the 2019 Rally?

[Magnusson]

I've never used the clutch to moderate power to the wheels (all of the 20 plus horses). I was trained to keep the bike in correct gear and feather the throttle as needed. It feels like the 250 changes gear whenever you think about it. The gearbox is one of best I've used.

[Brenhden]

Wow this is really interesting.

I'm fairly new to biking and distinctly remember being trained to use the clutch all the time on the road 'it's not like a car, use it all the time to smooth out the power'. Off road I would say it depends on the power of the bike and ratios of the gears. The DR200 came with such low gears when I got it you hardly ever needed it. Equally the DR650 had so much torque it would just chug along.

The CRF250 is a bit more high revving so I used the clutch more. Whilst the gear ratios and engine power delivery weren't quite as perfect as my DR350 it was better in the respect that it functions in such a reliable way and was definitely the easiest to find neutral.

[catcitrus]

Picking up on Minky's comment about clutches , and about how some people make them last, I would add my 5 p'neth. Being old and brought up on fragile and heavy old Brit single clutches you use the clutch just to get going and to change gear. IMO on gentle trail riding there is virtually no need to slip the clutch with a modern 250 provided that the gearing is sensible. Its really surprising how bikes will keep their momentum and chug up difficult inclines with low revs. Pulling the clutch simply results in you coming to a standstill or trying to carry on with loads more revs and continuous slipping--a burn out will come soon. Next time you are tempted to slip don't. Just keep a bit of throttle on and let it chug up.

Exactly wrong for riding trails on modern enduro bikes. You should use the clutch all the time, to take power away and moderate speed without harsh movements on the brake and throttle.

Every off road school teaches this, and I’ve been doing this I first went to Simon Pavey’s Off Road Skills in 2008, and I’ve never broken a clutch.


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I'm afraid I disagree--I'm in my 70s now and have been riding offroad since I was 16. I have done enduros, trials-- normal and long distance, and so have experience going way back, right up to modern stuff (I have a Kawa Super Sherpa and a Yamaha WR 250R now)--the key point is that they are both NOT ENDURO bikes, and produce good torque at lowish revs--I rarely need brakes--except steep and slippy downhill where I ride AGAINST the back brake to keep the rear wheel turning and not locking and stalling. I won't say that I never dip the clutch on the odd occasion but I certainly don't ride it. The Kawa has a great and correctly spaced 6 speed box and is 118 kg--it does what it says on the tin. On the WR the only problem was with both the throttle and clutch controls. A more gradual clutch action was achieved by doing my homework and fitting a Honda perch which has a better lever movement to cable movement ratio--more progressive. The throttle was too sharp--and solved by fitting a progressive diameter twistgrip--its smaller for the first third so is less sensitive to throttle tube movement. Also gearing is so important--I have a range or rear sprockets and chains and will change them according to the trip/use.

[garyboy]

It’s all good stuff thanks Gary, good background to the CRF’s 250’s and 300’s. Still on the fence a bit as to what I’m looking for in the next bike, and that small matter of budget..

Another factor is Availability or Waiting times.
The crf250 's and 300's are flying of the shelves, and waiting times are now Months, I believe, . Also for other bikes.
I grabbed my 250Rally as it was the last small crf left in the shop that had immediate delivery.