[oldtimer]

Re-gear it and add the heaviest flywheel weight you can buy... www.steahlyoffroad.com

I ran a 12 oz on my CR250R and it helped a "bit" in taming the beast!

Teach him to respect it… prepare him for the HIT in the upper revs where it will want to stand on the back wheel… it is controllable once he can predict the behavior.

[Beast Rider]

I'm glad you made your decision but that is a big jump from a crf150. Make sure he has plenty of supervized practice on that machine.

[CRF230dad]

Thanks for your comments guys. Jaws, I didn't need your last one. Yes ~ I am aware of the power. Oldtimer I spoke with the guys at steahly off-road and he said I could start with a 12oz. and send it back to them to have it milled down to 10oz. after he gets used to the bike. I thought of going with the 14oz. but he said it would make the bike too lazy on the moto-x track. I'll be taking the bike out for the 1st time this weekend. After I ride it I'll have a better idea if I should go with the 12 or 10oz. flywheel weight. Thanks so much Old timer for the info. This site and TT are so helpful to me. It's great to know the web is good for something else besides porn. 8^)

CRF230dad
aka - neotecc on TT

[acjjkamp]

Good find on the bike. I moved my youngest (14) from the CRF 80 to the CRF150 to the CR125. like what was said above, have him start off slow and with respect. If it doesn’t scare the carp out of him the first time he loops it, he’ll learn to respect the power.
AS said it best, it’s the power of a 4 stroke 450.
My son started off slow and low, by the 2rd day riding he found the power band and was clearing jumps like never before. I’ve seen huge improvements in his riding abilities.
Have fun, be safe.

[JAWS]

Thanks for your comments guys. Jaws, I didn't need your last one. Yes ~ I am aware of the power. Oldtimer I spoke with the guys at steahly off-road and he said I could start with a 12oz. and send it back to them to have it milled down to 10oz. after he gets used to the bike. I thought of going with the 14oz. but he said it would make the bike too lazy on the moto-x track. I'll be taking the bike out for the 1st time this weekend. After I ride it I'll have a better idea if I should go with the 12 or 10oz. flywheel weight. Thanks so much Old timer for the info. This site and TT are so helpful to me. It's great to know the web is good for something else besides porn. 8^)

CRF230dad
aka - neotecc on TT

I actually wasn't trying to be a smart-ass. It was pretty much agreed that he is going to crash that bike. Why not start him out as safe as possible? At least consider a neck roll.

Joe

[CRF230dad]

Sorry Jaws, I wasn't getting snappy!

[Beast Rider]

I agree with JAWS a neck roll is important. We all use one and I know it saved me from total neck strain or worse in my little mishap. Sounds like your getting the bike to a controllable level and are enjoying the power yourself. Maybe CRF230Dad has a new bike!!!!

[coljam]

Too heavy??? How about this one. Give him your CRF230 and get yourself a new 250X. See how he likes that! That way he can find out what too heavy really means.

Well said AS.

My son jumped from a 230f to a YZ250F (02). It's green stickered, and it rips enough for him. As far as the 250x goes, unless he is racing, it can't see that he's going to be that savvy about those nuances.

[CRF230dad]

I think Beast Rider may be on to something! I will definitely look into the neck roll.

[CRF230dad]

I visited http://www.stealhyoff-road.com looked at the charts and spoke with the shop guy from there. He said I could go with a 10 or 12oz. weight. Has anyone else used these on there CR250? I need your input.! I want to tame the beast but not put it to sleep. As Oldtimer suggested the heaviest weight I could find (14oz.) until he gets use to it, but the shop guy said it would make the bike too lazy for the track. We ride/camp mostly So. Calif. desert but my son loves to go to the track with his friend. My son is moving up from a CRF150 (I know big jump). He is a good rider and I know he can handle the size but he just needs to respect the power and learn how to manage the power band wisely as many of you have stated.

[nedirtbikr]

Don't sweat it. You and he will be fine. Sure, he's gonna flip that thing here and there, but that's all part of learning (get radiator guards...this will save you a lot of hassles.)

As Beast eluded to with the neck protection...double your budget for safety gear (it's better than anything you can do to the bike.)

As far as him being "out of your site" when leaving camp...just lay down the law that he doesn't leave without you (or someone you trust) with him. If he does...the bike is locked up until he learns his lesson. You're right about him crackin' the throttle. Once he feels that power, he'll just crap and want to do it again. He'll want to ride that thing so much, if he's smart, he won't piss dad off by not following the rules.

Congrats on the bike and I hope that both of you stay safe and have many great hours together.

[oldtimer]

CRF250dad. I put a 12oz on mine and it still scares the pants off most riders.
With that weight on and rolling on the throttle riding at a decent pace (not snapping it) in 3rd (even in 4th if running quick enough and I’d have to crack it) it would still point the front end to the sky.

It’s still going to “go like snot” at the track and it’s going to help the stalling on the trials with the extra rotating mass. A 250 2-stroke is a handful in the bush!

[No. 9]

I must say CRF230dad has it right on the money...safety is the biggest concern. The bike will offer him the ability to grow but also learn respect. Please consider at the very least a neck roll and insist on it for all members of the family at all times. With 8 to 9 lbs. of skull whipping backward after looping a bike or going down hard the possibility of neck injuries are very real. I am an x ray tech and see these injuries more than I would like. The majority are from auto accidents but I am not working near a track to make the association to moto-x. Good luck and safe days.

[CRF230dad]

I know all too well of what you speak. I've been a Radiologic Technologist for 25 years. I see many people come across my C.A.T. Scan table. As a matter of fact last night we had two separate bike injuries. One went to surgery with a nasty broken ankle and the other guy I CT scanned who came up short on a large triple at Lake Elsinore. I did get him the neck roll. Here is an update I posted on the All Thing Motto forum.

Hey guys,

Thought I'd let you all know how my 16 yr.old son's 1st ride went on the 2000 CR250 I pick up 2 weeks ago. As I had wrote in my introduction to this forum, I was concerned that I had possibly made a bad choice going from a CRF150 to a CR250. I had not intended to buy a 2-stroke but I wanted a bigger 250 4-stroke for our many desert outings (green sticker) but something suited for his track visits with his friends. I got a great deal on the bike so that was that. We went to the Hungry Valley OHV Park in Gorman Calif. for the weekend. I got the 1st ride much to my son's chagrin. The bike is very responsive, too responsive! After my short ride I turned it over to my son and reiterated for the 1 millionth time to take it slow and easy to get the feel of the bike. He came back smiling ear 2 ear and proclaimed 2-strokes are awesome! He did very well, so well he was the only one who did not crash that weekend. I didn't allow any hill climbs we couldn't avoid. As luck would have it his last ride on Sat. he came rolling in to camp saying; "What the heck's with my bike!" The rear fender was about 6-8 inches from the tire. The rear spring had snapped. I have never seen this happen before. So his riding was done for the weekend. I had one bummed teenager on my hands. The bike is now at Race Tech. getting the forks seals replaced and a rear shock rebuilt & new spring. Ouch!! $472.00 right out of the gate on a newly purchased bike. Also had to buy a new rear brake rotor ($96.00). Good thing I got a good deal. He loves the power and is already talking of ways to make it faster (ain't gonna happen). He whines every time I mention putting on a flywheel weight, "its good the way it is, don't touch it" he proclaims. I told him it would smooth out the power band, not slow it down. I think the 12oz. weight is too much after seeing him handle the bike. Now I have to decide between a 10 or 8 oz. weight. So far so good but I know his dirt sandwich is coming. One thing guys, I'm mixing at 32:1 as a prior owner did and the service manual suggests but the bike has a lot of oil coming from every crack and crevice at the end and at the mid connection on the tail pipe. We changed the packing before we went out and it was saturated. The bike was lots of compression when I kick it, so I'm doubtful it's the rings and it runs great. Could it be running way to lean? I'm hesitant to mix it leaner in fear of cooking the piston. One guy told me he runs his 2003 CR250 at 60:1 and the bike runs fine. I'm no mechanic but what should I be looking for?

[woodsman]

I did NOT respect the powerband of my new yz125 2003 and while testing it on ate a blacktop sandwhich

Let the kid read this ...


This is for the kid, "Be careful if you bring up the front wheel to fast. It hurts the ego more than anything!!! And I would know! "


There he's had his warning, so when he flips it make sure he's all right then start laughing at him, long and hard