BUILDING A RELIABLE HONDA CRF250R GRAND PRIX MACHINE: AUGUST 2025 ISSUE
Test rider Pete Murray at the controls of “Little Red Rocket” as head editor Ron Lawson captures the action with his Nikon camera.
Building a Grand Prix-style race machine for the maybe-not-so-fast seasoned Vet-class rider can be extremely tricky, because just like younger riders, they come in all shapes, sizes, and riding attitudes. Do you go 450cc and smooth it out, maybe 250cc and build it up, or buck the system with a 350cc powerplant? Of course, handling is also a big issue. Engine size can affect that, but the big factor there is that it usually boils down to manufacturer preference. On this project we worked with bike builder Jay Clark, and he chose the 2025 Honda CRF250R as the platform.
The new-generation Honda CRF250R is a great platform, but our plan was to make it better all around, increase performance, improve handling, add some style and, of course, for the older rider, it’s all about additional rider comfort. Getting huge amounts of horsepower gain out of a modern-day 250cc four-stroke can be difficult, expensive and, in most cases, reliability goes straight out the window. Naturally, we want to increase horsepower and gain reliability, so we teamed up with a few key industry-leading aftermarket companies for some bolt-on items and Twisted Development to turn our 2025 Honda CRF250R into a Grand Prix rocket while Brandon’s crew at AHM Factory Services helped out in the handling department.
Performance improvement was the first obstacle to tackle. Like we mentioned before, we wanted increase to increase performance but also wanted to retain the CRF250R’s reliability. This was way easier said than done. Internally, we added a Rekluse TorqDrive clutch that uses more plates than the OEM Honda system, allowing more power transfer to the rear wheel without making the clutch pull harder. And, of course, we added the Rekluse CNC-machined billet-aluminum cover for increased impact protection. It might come as a surprise, but that is the only internal performance modification. Well, unless you consider electronic modification internal, but more on that shortly.
It goes without saying a performance exhaust system is an easy bolt-on item that has instant perks. In this case, an FMF Racing titanium 4.1 RCT muffler and MegaBomb titanium header was used. This reduced overall weight, added performance and gave our Grand Prix build removable spark arrestor capabilities just in case the need presented itself. For the past few years we have seen top-level professional race teams adding additional external fuel injectors in hopes of increasing performance. It must work, because some OEM manufacturers have followed suit with incorporating them onto production models.
Our goal with this Honda CRF250R project was to increase performance without affecting reliability and improve rider comfort. We met those goals and more!
Twisted Development offers a second injector complete bolt-on kit for the 2025 Honda CRF250R that requires no modifications to the OEM components. It just replaces them and are similar to bolting on the FMF pipe. Each kit includes a complete airbox, with the additional injector already installed and a Vortex ECU with multiple pre-programmed maps that have been dyno and track tested by Twisted Development in real-world racing applications.
Jamie Ellis commented, “I wanted to make this kit so the average guy can install it in his garage on a Friday night and feel the increases at the track on Saturday morning without needing any help. Bringing factory-level modifications to the average guy is what we live for at Twisted Development.” So, technically, there was one other internal modification, since gas blends can vary depending on your location, especially in California. For overall consistency we did run VP Racing Fuels T4 gas.
With the increased performance side of the build handled, we moved onto increasing rider comfort and improving the overall handling. AHM Factory Services in SoCal does a lot of work in the off-road world. Since our direction for Mr. Clark with this project was a Grand Prix setting and AHM has done stuff with us for him in the past, everything aligned perfectly. The initial stock-setting feedback was that the fork felt stiff, harsh and rigid on small chop, while the rear end reacted faster than his life-long novice-riding capabilities were able to handle. We understand that Mr. Clark might not be the 250F’s average-rider target demographic when it comes to height (maybe on the shorter side), and he is definitely not the target on the weight side, either (might be slightly rounder). However, the AHM crew assured us that going softer and slower on both ends was the answer.
Another handling change we made was the installation of a Works Chassis Labs engine mount kit. These kits are designed specifically for each application to improve overall handling characteristics. Some applications require stiffer, more rigid mounts, while others require softer, more pliable mounts. Mr. Clark is all about comfort and has been an employee at Dunlop for almost 30 years, and is adamant that an 18-inch rear tire and wheel combination offers a softer feel on his rear end. So, he mounted up a set of Dunlop tires on the new Nacstar 21-inch front- and 18-inch rear-wheel configuration.
We did add some bolt-on items for protection, like a full-coverage carbon fiber skid plate from P3 Carbon and some hand guards from Enduro Engineering that feature billet-aluminum mounts that bolt to the backside of the front brake and clutch perch, saving valuable handlebar-mounting real estate. The guard part itself is a motocross-style design made out of hard plastic.
The P3 Carbon skid plate provides full-coverage protection and adds some bling factor as well.
Dunlop’s MX14 scoop tire just adds an intimidation factor to our Little Red Rocket build.
Now, to be honest, none of our DB staff test riders match the physical specimen that is Mr. Jay Clark, but everyone who got a chance to test his 2025 CRF250R project, which we call the “Little Red Rocket,” confirmed that all his modifications did indeed result in improvements to the stock version of the 2025 Honda CRF250R. We personally would have included a larger fuel tank from IMS Products or Acerbis, just because when doing longer Grand Prix-style events it would eliminate the chance of needing to stop for gas.
The FMF complete exhaust system adds some much-appreciated performance, reduces overall weight and features a removable spark arrestor.
Enduro Engineering hand guards mounted directly to the back of the Works Connection clutch perch, saving clamping space on the ODI handlebars.
The performance modifications resulted in a significant increase throughout the power curve and throttle responsiveness right off the bottom. AHM Factory Services nailed the suspension setup, resulting in a plush feel all the way around, and what really surprised us was how a wide variety of test riders were able to feel comfortable on the setup without any major changes.
Check out some video action of this build and others on our YouTube channel right now!
