Riding the WORST Honda Ever Made! 

Very interesting video. I had both 1996 & 1998 250 CR"s. Loved them both. The 1998 couldn't of been too bad as I won the AMCA senior South West championship on it. Also gained enough points to move upto the Expert class.

My race buddy bought the 1997 Honda CR250 in 1996 and returned from his first outing on the bike saying it was the worst bike he had ever ridden. After only 2 race meetings he turned up to the next meeting on a 1997 Kawasaki KX250.

Another cracking video Max, I absolutely love the testing of the 80, 90,00s machines, a lot of nostalgia for us old guys and great memories, you're a legend Max, keep the videos rolling , thanks mate.

This is hands down the best most comprehensive bike review I've seen. I love it! Thank you!

Excellent! Enjoyed every minute! Thank you! And yes, we need to see a hot lap showdown!

Im sure someone has mentioned the CR450, but the entire CR line was cursed in '89. Their then-new inverted forks and shock were a disaster, binding, galling, fouling the oil very quickly with metal shavings. The suspension basically ate itself and self-destructed. It has been referenced as a Top Fuel engine with Model A suspension. It took them a few years to get it right. While the '97 frame was "too stiff" for the 250, it was perfect for the CR500AF that AJ Wagoner was building at the time.

Excellent video. Really enjoyed that...especially the drone footage.

I had both the 95 and 97 and I preferred the 97. Mainly because I didn’t like the forks on the 95 they flexed too much. My brother bought a 96 and that was the best bike of the 90’s that I rode. For 96 Honda increased the fork diameter and whatever motor changes they made that bike was fantastic!

I always look forward to another episode of 999Laser. Running these bikes again would certainly be very interesting. So, please do!

"Death machine " ...."that's got me right exited to ride this bike "😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

I'm always impressed with what content you come up with Max 👍 How about comparing the first CR500 with the last one they produced?

My first 250 was this year…I didn’t know any better at the time and I had no problem riding it once I got used to it …(I got a hell of a deal on the bike though) a couple of years later I rode my buddies YZ 250, I sold the CR the next day and bought an 02 YZ250 …today I wish I had them both 😂…this year CR gets a bad rap because it was something new that people didn’t quite understand how to tune…nowadays any half assed suspension tech can get em dialed in and sprung properly…truth is those early forks were just overkill and punished the rider endlessly…however if you were a teenager from Southern California like me, you figured out that you could literally launch these bikes off a cliff and ride away unscathed…this bike was absolutely hated by track racers but loved by early freestyle and freeride desert guys. Just look at all the early crusty videos, like everyone is rocking these CRs…the 2nd Gen AL frame CRs get a better reputation but people ignore the suspension changes on those years

I had a new 98 and 99 and even though it vibrated and had severe braking head shake it had good suspension and a fabulous engine, i loved em 👌( ps all magazines had the 98 Honda 250 winning the shootouts )

These videos are so well done

A few thoughts. NO the quality was not poor on this bike. Quality was best in industry. Always was, always will be. Very nicely engineered. Ergonomics were fantastic. Was this the worst bike ever? No. Have you ever ridden a 90CR250. Oh boy. I owned the 97. Yes the frame was way too stiff. However it did break in after time on the bike. Very rough on the hands, and as always Hondas stock suspension was garbage making it very difficult to ride. It took considerable work to make the bike competitive. So yes Honda did screw up. We valued and resprung the suspension. Lengthen the chain to move the wheel back. We tried some different links on the linkage as well. Then we replaced the triple clamps to steepen the steering angle to sharpen turning. The clamps were rubber mounted and Protapers were a must to deaden the extra vibration. Larger footings and steel plates in clutch for flywheel effect. After these changes the bike was dominant. I destroyed B and A class. Should have been competitive stock. Big screw up by Honda. The motor on this bike was the best Honda ever made. Good grunt down low, meaty mid range and revved out endlessly up top. Absolute monster. Best motor Honda has ever made in my opinion. My buddys had heavily modified Yamahas and Suzukis. Mine stock would smoke them on the start every single time. They were infuriated. I bought a 2001 which was awesome. Little smaller, not as stiff, but very similar in feel to the modified 97. I think people over exaggerated how bad the bike was. BRAAAAP!!

Absolute amazing video! 🙌🏻🙌🏻

i think the drone shots are great max, be good to see a hot lap contest between them in the future

This was a wild era for street bikes as well. The move to fuel injection was part of it, but there were other notable screwups where newer bikes in SuperSport that were worse.

Great video Max!

Loved my 97' 250 / 98' 125 boxed frames!

I had a 97 early in my dirt bike journey. Absolutely loved it and would gladly buy another. Just like he said, the stuff chassis gives you a very direct feel in a way that I haven’t felt in other bikes aside ones that are much newer. Yes it vibrates you to death, but between that sharp fork angle letting you turn on a dime and that great direct feel, the 97 cr is my favorite (not just dirt bike) motorcycle of all time.

Showing that quick clip of RC’s perfect seasons in 02 and 04 gave me goosebumps 🔥 like Emig used to say “He’s like a flag on that CR250 just hanging off the back”

Great video as always.

Great job on video

I bought one of these bikes. Had pro action suspension gold valve and it seemed fine to me. It was a holeshot machine. It was prone to breaking the piston above the rings on the exhaust port side. It never failed but I noticed it twice during periodic top end changes. Fast bike for sure.

We need to remember that on 1997 Stefan Everts won the world championship on that bike. In supercross Honda of Troy riders had several podiums as well.

That thing did something different every pass through some trail whoops, where I was trying to tune the shock. No low end for hill climbs. Not running a cylinder base gasket helped, along with head mods.

Fantastic!! Thanks and a big YES to get them out again for hot lap timing!!!

I had the '97. That thing hurt me so many times in two years and I thought it was me. Sold it and got out of the sport. Then I got back in in 2005 on steel frame KTM's and have been ever since with a pretty long list of races under my belt. Damn that '97.

Honda made a similar mistake in '89 when they came out with the first production upside down forks. They were overly stiff and very harsh for the average rider. Top-level pros loved the forks, though. Rumors at the time had Honda simply using Ricky Johnson's Supercross suspension settings, which were far too stiff for anyone who wasn't a top 10 Supercross rider. The basic gist was that Honda didn't spend enough time (and money) on developing this new fork technology before they released it to the public, something similar to what I think happened with that new aluminum frame. The '98 was the same frame, but Honda vastly improved the frame's feel for the '99 CR 250, having taken two years of racing experience and used that in the development of the new frame.

Max. You need to ride the 81 CR450. That was just awful

I got my 97 in 99 from my idol, my A rider neighbor. I had a new 98 125 and learned on that. The 97 terrified me with the power and terrible suspension. In 2000, i had factory connection do the full suspension and i holeshot my open b race and won my first race ever, having installed the suspension at the track that morning. The engine only had a rad valve and fmf exhaust and to this day i love. It revs forever and has a good pull from low mid.

Nice one Maxx... I have the 98 250 I'm going to do some races on this year so this vid has given me a bit more confidence on the old girl😆 Would like to see another vid when its fixed🙃

I think you could have benefited with a couple more test riders. I had a 94 CR250 and it was the best bike I had ever ridden. Rumor has it McGrath ran the 1993 chassis as long as he could, whatever it was about it, he absolutely loved that year. We all hated seeing him leave Honda, but we knew why, he hated how stiff it was. Seeing that he won 15 of 16 rounds, I think he knew what he was talking about. Great video, I just wish you had some more test pilots, the 97 was a disaster...

Very interesting video man. I wonder if the harsh feeling and hard suspension setup have been a thing whit Hondas? I had a crf250 from -08 and that Showa fork was horrible, no matter what i tried that fork was always to stiff especially in small fast bumps, the rear shock wasnt much better and the steering damper that came that year was crucial to have quite stiff otherwise it got wobbly when standing to much forward on the bike. The 2015 kxf 250 i later bought was like riding on fluffy clouds in comparison.

Going from a steel frame to an aluminum frame is always very drastic. I rode steel frames and still do. Back in the day I had a steel framed yz250 and also a steel framed 05 kx250f that I raced every weekend at glen Helen Saturday REM. One weekend at glen Helen practice I switched bikes with my buddy. An 05’ cr250 and it was the stiffest, most vibrating thing I’ve ever felt in my life. My hands would get numb just a half a lap in it was ridiculous feeling.

Great Vlogg Max , I had a private hire Day at DMP 2 weeks ago

Man I baught one of these new! I have to say I absolutely loved the motor,great power, good all the way through. Loved the brakes. Didn't hate the suspension but it sure wasnt good. Loved the ergonomics,it was very slim and just felt so light. What i hated was the vibration. I couldnt hang on to the thing! Hands went dead in less than a minute! Swapped to rubber mounts and ProTapers and it was still bad. Let it go and got a 98 RM which I loved and rode RMs for many years, some good,some bad but none as bad as that CR

I rode both back in the day. 6,4 230 lbs the frame on the 97 was more ridged but felt good when pushed. 95-96 is a dream bike for a vet rider… stiffen the suspension and it is perfection!

Back in 2001, I bought a cherry 1998 CR 250. A riding buddy had a pristine 1996 CR 250, so I got to ride each one multiple times on the same track or riding spot. While the '96 was certainly nice, my '98 felt more solid, which the aluminum frame does for bikes. My motor was a but stronger. The suspension was about the same, neither one was anywhere near as good as the Gen 2 or 3 CR's. Just recently I listened to a pod with Mickael Pichon, who rode the Factory Honda Gen 1 bike and he said it actually worked well for SX but was too stiff for outdoor MX.

.. Ace vid again , Max ,.. I bought two Cr250s last year, ( yeah, don't ask ! ),.. I bought firstly a right pile of poop '97 Cr from a right chavvy lad with the all mechanical skills of a Barbie doll,.. Aside from discovering electrical tape being used as swinging arm bearings , I also discovered a nasty crack in one of the down tubes and also a crack near one of the frame's swinging arm spindle pivot holes ,.. It's still in bits in my garden awaiting an influx of enthusiasm alongside the '87 KX 500 and CR500 I haven't yet had the balls to take to a track,..The other CR250 is a 2001 and in a much better state !.. Keep up the great vids, Max mate ,.. Dan.

Sometimes the stopwatch will tell the story. From the video, Ed looked more comfortable on the 95 & to me looked to be ripping along quite a bit faster. (fewer people in his way though)..... I'd be interested in the lap times, especially as the track gets rougher..... The bikes both look great, & the drone pilot has some skills.

Love the video & shootout. What track is first half of the video shot at? I like the layout for a at home track.

The biggest difference ive done to my 97cr250r is putting newer upper triple clamps that make the bars rubber mounted. Drastically cuts down on the vibration and allows me to ride it much longer because of it. I have to agree with Edd’s take on the rider triangle on the 97 frame. At 6’2 i feel very comfortable on it. I rode it back to back with my buddys 2001 cr250r and it felt tiny in comparison.

I had a 97 CR250 for years. Rode it out at Gordons and Glamis starting in 2000 or so and it was one badass bike.

I had a 98 250 and stopped riding for a time after I sold it. I hated riding, thought I couldn’t ride anymore. So stiff and vibrated your hands until they were numb. Can’t imagine riding a supercross track. Shame really because I had a 94 and 2000 125 and they were so much fun.

Great vid again Max! Might be a bit stiff, but id still have it. I'd re spring it and rip the throttle lol

Tires, wheels, chassis and suspension are the keys to handling of equal powered vehicles. Spokes change chassis feel. The reason I mention it is the test rider mentioned Maico. I built a lot of them for USA and Europe pros. The wheels and spokes material and cross patterns highly affected the riders. We settled on very particular spokes and patterns for that reason. This '97 is very susceptible to them as well. The 1997 CR250R required more of the tech / engineer to set it up for a given rider. I personally bought the first one my dealer received and set it up for pro level. It made you listen to rider data and adjust accordingly. We did find the geometry handling and stability was enhanced by installing a steering damper and a particular rear top out spring for a given track condition. We did fine tune valving and springs both ends to rider likings. I still have it.

If I remember right from back in those day's, McGrath's favorite bike was actually the 1992 CR250; and as time moved forward, he insisted to keep riding the 92 CR, they put bold new graphic's on his old bike year after year, but they couldn't hide the new aluminium frame with plastic!...

Came off a 07 RM85 to a 98 CR125 5 years ago and thought it was amazing the way it rode. Rode my buddies 06 YZ125 and realized how slow and hard my bike was to ride. Was quite a big step once I went to a 19 YZ250F.

I've ridden the '96-'97-'98 Cr250. The cockpit on the 97/98 was nice (I'm a tall guy 6'2) but the front end would wash and the head shake was so bad it would literally wear you out trying to keep it upright. The 96 chassis had a small cockpit but was semi comfortable with minor changes. It all comes down to preference and settings. That's why at that time I rode a Yamaha LOL.

would be cool to see the same vid with the 2001 cr250

Max id really like to see you do something with Jase from gypsy tales .... especially along the lines of what you do with the 2 strokes the builds and your quality content. I dig what you doing brother big time

most iconic MX bike ? that would be the 1980 RM125x with the full floater rear suspension, it changed MX bikes forever !!

Any chance we can get an update?Or a ride video with you and your old man on that suzuki you purchased for him? Such a charming video I would love to see both of you riding.That will be fantastic.

I was die hard Honda and it pained me when they changed that bike in 97. I despise that frame. It’s hideous

In fact, when you said that this is the worst Honda, I stuck with it! because then afterwards you really say that usually when you think of Honda, you think of wonderful cross motorcycles. Ok, I'm all Ears 👍 Eee... congratulations again for your videos. Greetings from Sanremo, Italy 👌🙋🏻‍♂️🤙

From what I'm getting out of this 97 model CR is that it wasn't actually a bad bike. It was just a victim of being way ahead of its' time because its' riding characteristics either freaked people out or disappointed them. Riders were also trying to compare it to previous models with steel frames and the aluminum frame was so new even Honda couldn't tune the suspension properly. Now that just about every modern bike is built on aluminum frames this thing is no longer the stiff riding odd-ball that freaked people out. Imagine putting a modern tuned suspension on this back that matched it better. :)

What a brilliant ride and ti get the lead a couple of corners from finish WTG!!!!!

The steel frame Hondas worked fantastic if you had full factory suspension like McGrath and Stanton. But people like to forget how brutal the forks and head shake was from the early 1980s through 1997 on the production bikes.

It looks like it rains there even more than where I live in Pittsburgh pa and that’s a lot. lol. We might get 60 sunny days a year.. been better test on hard choppy track but great test anyway.

How can you compare a stock bike with a factory works bike. Kinda silly

All those 250 smokers in the 90s yz,rm,kx,and cr are still fun and amazing bikes even today in 2024.. technology has came along way but those old smokers will put a smile on anyones face..

After racing 86,89,94,95,96 cr250s I rode a buddy’s 97 at a race and I hated it!! Probably the only thing I had in common with MC! Hahaha that thing was unpredictable

I wonder how much the switch from KYB suspension to Showa changed the feel on top of the frame change. Because i can tell you there is a huge difference between the two suspension setups. KYB is always known to be soft and comfortable and Showa is known to be harsh and stiff.

1998 the best cr250 ever made. Way above and beyond its time. I will always say that too my dieing day

😎you and Kaplan American put out cr videos today,I should have taken mine out for a blast today 😔

Most experienced riders had never felt a bike like this and the power that the 98 cr250 put out,fuel injected electronic carburator an amazing amount of horsepower and extremely fast rpm band

I used to ride a my friend 97 model for quite long seesions back in the day. I have to say that I liked and, yes it was a bit stiff, but I always preferred stiffer bikes so it was a YES from me.

A friend of mine just got all the stuff to resto his ‘97 and as he was changing out the bearings in the steering head he noticed a hairline crack at the top behind the race. He’s way bummed out. Anybody know if this can be welded or if it’s fixable? Thanks Max, Ed, and team for another awesome video! I learned a lot.

I went from a KX500 to the '97 CR250 and they couldn't have been any more different. I have never been a crasher before OR after this bike. But wow did I crash tons on this bike for no good reason. Just deflected off everything and you'd wind up on your head. It was glorious looking in the garage though.

Stefan Everts won the world motocross Championship with this bike in 1997 dont forget that for me the world motocross Championship is more important than the American Supercross bye the way another great video keep going like this

I loved mine. It had a lot of power and would go where you pointed it, instead of flexing all over the place. The stock fork and shock both had a lot of low speed compression dampening that only compounded the harshness. Revalving helped, but it was never a comfortable bike to ride.

I love that the 1996 CR 250 is widely regarded as the best 2 stroke machine ever made...but McGrath literally rode a 93 disguised as a 96 during that epic season lol

Max, WE NEED THE LAP TIMES!!!

The 1981 CR was the worst CR ever made, but also a very important model in that the 125. 250 and 450 being their first Pro-Link models with the 125 and 250 being their first liquid-cooled production motocrossers. But it wasn't just the suspension, the gearbox was all out of sorts as was the frame. I can see the parallels with the 1997 250 being that continued step in modern development, though I'm still a round or square tube frame bloke (showing my age). There was also a CR125, that was fuel injected and that didn't last long.

If i remember correctly, Everts still won a world title with it. No more to say😉

Love 90s 2 strokes from any of the big 4.

had a riding buddy with a 97, it was a period thing to mill off material around the headstock and otherwise attack the bike with files. even your 97 has the welds filed down. i have a second generation 01 witch is a little more conventional. honda wasint comforble radicly changing up the frame till 02 witch came with a much smother motor, less vibrations through the frame the engineers were worrying about.

My first bike I ever bought is the 97 CR250 I really enjoy it I still trail ride on it today (in southern Utah) I guess I have nothing to compare the bike to but I'm going to buy the 2024 Beta 300 race edition then maybe I'll feel the difference but I'm going to keep my CR I just love it ... Thanks for the video

I definitely want ant to see a hot lap between the two but I absolutely love the 95 but my favorite color schemes was the 91-94-96 but I love any bike that has the brand Honda on it ride red 🤙🏻great video max cheers.

Yes it very stiff frame I love Ride in my friends CR I'm 6'3 and 65 kg so the suspension soft settings the changes to the seat and tank shape was my favourite part of the bike. But I know is not everyones cup of tea.

Having the 97 as a supermoto is quite nice! Never had it in stock form, so not sure what its like in the dirt. Cheers

wtf stefan everts became world champion. on the first aluminum Honda. and everyone said it was bad, but he won with about 200 points more

I had a brand new 97’ great quality as usual from Honda, peaky compared to the earlier 250cr , but the frame was so stiff it would beat you up, even in the open desert

The 1992 through 1999 CR 250 motors were all top end and unless you were a pro on a smooth fast track the YZ and KX had better motors and superior suspension. Also the Honda Head shake was wicked. Only the factory Hondas had these evils corrected.

Very interesting. I remember watching the racing and reading reviews at the time. Looking back now Honda had moved the game on. Just nobody realised.

Its nice to see someone who actaully knows how to ride a 2-stroke. I get a kick out of the young kids who ride 4-strokes try to ride a 2-stroke.

Bad frame, one of the greatest motors ever built. I rode a 97 from 97 until 2011. Went through one top end and that was it. Sold it in 2016 after 5 years of sitting in my garage. Sold it and it started on the 2nd kick.

Boy does this bring back memories in 97 my friend had a 97 cr 250 and myself an rm 250 - I like my zook better but must admit 98 to 2000 I raced the KX 250s and thought they were far better machines ( I absolutely loved the 2000 KX 250 ) but the honda was much faster - in 01 I bought a cr250 and hated it 😢 2002 saw me a a Suzuki again and in 03 went to ktm and never looked back 😀 I just got my 24 beta last week - what a great video- imo try a 2000 KX 250 - you will love it - thank you 999 for all you share with us

That 97 definitely had some issues beyond the mentioned tranny. Also, looked as if kickstarter was trying to escape the hideous frame overlays. 😵 No idea the inspiration behind them which also failed placement on the gearshift side. Such a distraction from what was a sweet OEM representation. Mad thumbs on the video Max.

Same year my friend who races semi pro switched to Suzuki's 1997 bike and later to KTM in the 2000's at some point

I was super excited when these came out and then quickly disappointed when I rode one. They feel like sitting on and riding a brick. Not only because they are stiff, but they are awkwardly wide and square feeling beneath you

I used to love my 1998 CR250 Best handling/fastest/worst resale/worst parts availability - 06-08 RM250. they'll rip your armss off compltely stock, handle like a mountain bike. hard to find used parts for, and the transmission parts have tripled in price in the last 4 years from the OEMs. they're drying up. Comes with an 18mm shock that costs twice as much as the shock thats on the RMZ., they definitely didn't skimp on that bike. 03+ Kawasaki. feels like the front tire is made out of cement, abrupt motor. Best overall package/best parts availability - 06+ YZ250 as far as the KTMs go, it's just my personal opinion that those bikes aren't all that. I think they tend to look better than they are because Japan hasn't produced anything in a decade, plus most of the reviews are from people who just dropped 8K on one, so they arent going to tell you it sucks. the motor falls on it's face up top, which is absolutely bizarre for a case reed motor. just beware of any bike that has a dozen "fixes" to make it run with a stock YZ. The RC valve Hondas sort of fit into this category too. The best 250 two-stroke i've ever ridden in my life was a full deal Watts Performance CR250 with the Ricky 24-0 replica engine work. Zero hit, and it just keeps revving and revving and revving. It's truly a 450 killer. But it's not cheap. If you ever see someone with "Watts Performance" engraved on their cylinder, ask nicely to ride the bike. unreal.

I heard Honda got pissed off at JM for riding a Yamaha Jet ski in his Steel Roots video.. I also heard JM Hated the AF CR250... 😢 I had a 00" CR125, Built 9-99" It was hands down me favorite bike I ever had! Before that I had a 96" KX125! That to me was a Death Machine, I had it set up for me at 6'2" 185lbs, anyone of my friends that rode it for the first time got "tank slapped, or highspeed wobbles" on it!! That bike was Spicy!! Splitfire graphics, and I had the Stock Purple as well!! 😮

I had a mid-70s CR 250 once upon a time. I last saw it in 1989, I traded it to my neighbor for a 12 string guitar.

It's incredible that in 30 years the only design changes are the front and rear guards.

Top Quality Show. whoa.

I say that the 2001 year is the worst year engine, it doesn’t know what it wants to do, be a turbo charged 125 power delivery with an unpredictable frame handling, or a rocket engine with a turbo. I have one and I enjoy the unpredictability, well usually, because I prefer riding tight slow trails. I just don’t like how I have to put a fresh plug into it at every stop. Not exaggerating either. Bring them back @Honda

Still have my 98 CR250 , Awesome machine that's nearly thirty years old so gonna have to disagree , safe trails y'all !