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I have a 2005 CRF250X I bought new last fall. I only have 100 miles on it and am trying to decide if I want to do the valve inspection myself, (I have some mechanical aptitude, but dont particularly love wrenching). The big question is just how high maintenence are these bikes? I grew up on dirt bikes that seeed to run forever with very little repair and a little basic care. Have I bought the wrong bike if I do want to spend a ton of time or cash on maintenence?
Thanks

These bikes are as reliable as any modern four-stroke racing machine. You're getting a lot of rpm's and power from these engines. One school of thought is that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". In other words, if it starts and runs fine, then don't be concerned about the valves.The other school of thought is, yes, check you valves yourself just to get a baseline of where you are. The choice is yours.
The 250's are a little harder on valves due to the higher rpm's. If you regularly bounce off the rev limiter, your mileage may be less than a more conservative rider.

One of the most important items, however, is oil and filter maintenance. Especially the filter. You should keep it clean and sealed. Clean it often and make sure that you use filter rim grease to get that good seal. It's best to have several filters to keep one clean and ready while the other is in the machine.

You didn't mention anything about any mods that you have done. IF you haven't re-jetted, then you are running too lean. That needs to be done. There are more mods to do in order to get the most out of the bike, but jetting is essential.

Joe

Do the valve inspections yourself, its not that difficult. Purchase the shop manual for the bike , about $50. There is a post/sticky on thumpertalk that gives step by step instructions with pictures. You can also do a search on CRFs Only for the same post. I was a little nervous the first time, but now its a piece of cake. Checking your valves will not prevent them from going bad, but it will help you catch the valves going bad before it becomes a major problem. As far as high maintenance, just change the engine and tranny oil regularly (for me its approximately every 100 miles or 3 rides) and change the air filter regularly. I think I check the valves about every oil change. Some people perform maintenance more frequent, some less frequent than others.

I recommend a JD jet kit, 55 leak jet (if you have a California model), 42 pilot, finger adjustable fuel screw, and a napalm air filter screw. Regarding valves, some have had touble, but I think the majority have not. Do a search for information, there is tons of it on this site.

These bikes are not the old XR's and do require a little more maintenance, but you will find that with any brand high performance bike.

Thanks guys! fast helpful replys. I am pretty good about oil changes, filter maintenence etc. I ride almost entirely on North Georgia mountain trails and gave up racing years ago so my riding style is generally very kind to the bike. I downsized from an XR650R beacause I rarely got it out of 2nd gear up here and after a heart attack 2 years ago wanted to opt for lighter weight and the button. No mods so far, but will look into rejetting.

thanks again!

My '05 x just about gave up on me at around 2000ish miles i'd say.. I can say I expected alot more out of it but I also didn't ride it the easiest. I felt I did a pretty good job keeping up on the filter and oils. Maybe I just got the shaft...

My '05 is basically stock. Ride trails and not too hard on bike. Yet to find rev limiter. After several hundred miles had shop check valves with no problems.
Considered rejetting but the plug looks perfect. No signs of running to lean.
Added 9 oz. to flywheel and it made a nice difference in the tight 1st and 2nd gear trails. Much smoother coming off idle.

mark0621 wrote:Thanks guys! fast helpful replys. I am pretty good about oil changes, filter maintenence etc. I ride almost entirely on North Georgia mountain trails and gave up racing years ago so my riding style is generally very kind to the bike. I downsized from an XR650R beacause I rarely got it out of 2nd gear up here and after a heart attack 2 years ago wanted to opt for lighter weight and the button. No mods so far, but will look into rejetting.

thanks again!

What part of north Georgia do you live? I live in Ringgold, about 5 miles south of Chattanooga. If you live pretty close i can come over and walk you thru a valve check. It`s very easy and simple, owning 3 CRFs i`ve gotten pretty good at it.