Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1088954
March 2019 9 A er a quick call to Trail Rider adver ser Nault's Honda in Manchester, New Hampshire, owner Paul Nault offered to order a CRF250F immediately and hook us up with one for a long-term test bike. We both felt that the li le CRF250F has a lot to offer woods riders, young and old alike. First impressions were posi ve. Unlike a play bike, the CRF250F is sprung for an adult. Suspension is similar to bikes of the early 80's with Showa con- ven onal 41mm forks offering 8.5" of travel. The Pro-Link rear delivering 9.1". With a seat height of 34.8" it should be confidence-inspiring to short- er riders. Ergonomics are typical Honda; control placement is perfect. The morning we took deliv- ery, it was cold with the thermometer reading 5 degrees. With the key on, the 250F fired instantly. In fact, there really wasn't any warm-up required — it was like the bike had been running all day. Anxious to test out the CRF250F, we loaded up the Sprinter and headed south to meet up with a cou- ple race buddies, Beau Viens and Owen Tirrell. Both AA riders with a sweet secret stash of southern Massachuse s woods riding. I'd been chomping at the bit to actually ride the 250F in condi ons where we could find some trac on. Having spent some me on modern, small bore, entry-level four strokes over the last three seasons, I'd wondered if the li le 250F would have enough power to li the front wheel if needed. Owen, being the first to throw a leg over, squashed that concern instantly with a 100-foot wheelie before railing it into a berm. As good as the CRF appears, it seemed like it might actually be a pre y capable woods ride. The three of us headed out on a pow- erline sec on with a fair amount of snow covered, single track offshoots. With such a low center of gravity, the 250F carves corners with ease. As men oned above, it's certainly no race bike, but it does hold its own well when kept with its limits of suspension travel. What's fun is the power matches the suspension quite well, and the Nissin disks front and rear haul it in immediately. Actually it's hard to get into trouble with the 250F. All three of us put this li le bike to the test and it con nually surprised us every step of the way. Steep hill climbs were conquered with ease as long as the thro le was kept open. We like swapping res for the terrain here at Trail Rider and were pleasantly surprised to see the factory-equipped