thinking of a crf250r

 I want to get back into dirt bikes, last dirt bike was a 89 CR250 2
stroke, want to get a used late model 250 4 stroke, my buddy has a 2010
KTM 250 dirt bike, he tells me the late model jap bike are notorious for
having valve issues, if this is true, has it been corrected, what years
are the good ones, is this so with kawi, Yami & suzuki. I di like the
Hondas but don't want any headaches with the engine. or should I go with
a KTM, any comments


   thanks
     Chet

 

Completely depends on how it's been run and maintained.  If it's spent
most of it's time on an MX track bouncing off the rev limiter, then
you should definitely check the valves.

If it's been ridden like the vast majority of them, then it's probably
not going to be a problem.

Some of the earlier CRF250Rs had problems with the valve seats, but if
memory serves, that was only one or two model years.  And it certainly
wasn't every single bike.

If you're an A level MX rider, it's going to be a lot more of an
issue.

 
I'd consider Honda or Yamaha.  From what I've heard, Kawi and Suzuki
seem to have more motor problems than Yamaha or Honda.
Valve seat material was changed for the '06 CRFs, so not an inherent
problem for '06-'10 model years.  It appears that the big difference
between bikes that need valves and ones that don't is the air
cleaner.  If it was kept clean and sealed, no problem.  They're
usually good for 100 hours or better.  Once they start to move,
however, they zero out fast - if you find a bike that "just had the
valves adjusted" (shimmed), expect to be doing the top end in 10-15
hours.  All of the 250s are the same - Yamahas are rumored to have
great valves life, but polling around on various forums showed me that
they wear out at about the same rate as the Hondas.  The 250r is loud
in stock form, so if you want to quiet it down and add a spark
arrestor for woods work, dual exhausts mean double the dough.

JayC