This is going to be tough; the 250Fs are within a few ounces of the exact same weight and they make almost the same horsepower numbers.

This is the first year that there's a real choice among 250 four-strokes. Honda announced its CRF250R a .year ago, right about the same time that Suzuki and Kawasaki announced that they would form an alliance to develop new models. A few months ago we learned that the KX250F and RMZ250 would be the first of those. And so all four bikes hit the dealers at' nearly the same time. The 125 class will never be the same.

NEWS FROM THE ALLIANCE

Right from the start of the Suzuki/Kawasaki deal, there were unanswered questions. Could two companies that had been so competitive for so long suddenly make up and be friends for the greater good? It's been a rocky road. Kawasaki felt cheated right away when shipments of Suzuki's hottest models, the DRZ and the quad, were delayed. In fact, the green version of the 2003 DRZ400 was so late in arriving at Kawasaki dealers that they decided not to purchase any 2004 models. Now Suzuki's corporate nose is out of joint because Kawasaki dominated the development of the KX250F. Suzuki supplied the original engine drawings, but had nothing to do with the bike from that point forward. Accordingly, the RMZ250 has Kawasaki wheels, Kawasaki levers, Kawasaki suspension and even has KX250 stamped right on the cases.

Both entities seem happy with the finished motor. It's super compact. We weighed the engine without the carb and it was just under 51 pounds. The crankshaft is positioned very low in the cases-the gearbox is actually a little higher and that's where all the oil is carried. The crankcase itself is supposed to be dry in order to reduce drag on the crank. If the bike sits, however, oil will work its way into the crank area and the sight window will appear dry. We've heard some reports that dealers have added oil to a cold motor until it's visible in the glass, resulting in massive overfilling. That makes the motor run hot and eventually blow seals.

As usual, starting was a major concern. The bike has a sensor on the shifting drum that tells the ignition when the bike is in neutral, so that a different spark advance is used. Pretty clever. On top of that, a centrifugal device holds one exhaust valve partially open at kicking speeds, just like the Honda and the Yamaha.

Kawasaki's development monopoly is obvious in the chassis. The steel perimeter frame is almost a dead ringer for the KX1 25 frame; there are only a few different angles here and there. For that matter, the fork and shock are straight off the KX125 with just heavier springs. They are both Kayaba-made and aren't terribly different from Yamaha's in construction. Kawasaki did away with the externally adjustable high-speed compression adjuster on the shock last year.

The CRF has the best suspension and the highest revving motor. Insiders say the run of CR125Rs will be cut short so that Honda can produce more CRFs.

INSIDE THE CRF

Visually, it's easy to tell a CRF250 apart from a CRF450, unlike the too-much-alike problem that Yamaha riders face. But designwise, the CRF250 is clearly a little brother to the 450. It's a five-speed. It has separate oil chambers for the engine and gearbox. It has the Unicam design-all 450 stuff. The Unicam design in particular is kind of an oddball setup. Traditional theory holds that you need double overhead cams in high-rev motors to keep reciprocating weight in the valve train to a minimum and avoid valve float. Honda figured this was only a problem on the intake side with its larger valves. So a single cam was placed right over the intake valves for direct actuation. A forked rocker arm works the exhaust valves. The cam still uses a centrifugal compression release on the cam, just like the others. It just holds both valves open instead of one.

Keeping the engine oil separate from the gearbox enables the Honda to use super slippery oils without worrying about messing up the clutch. Honda's own four-stroke oil is as good as any for the engine. You can also use Mobil One or any high-end automotive oil. The engine oil capacity is reduced, but it doesn't seem to matter. Since it's kept away from that dirty, nasty clutch, it doesn't get contaminated.

The frame is nothing like the original 1997 CR aluminum frame. It's made to flex in all the right spots now. Honda guys claim that those years of having overly stiff frames actually put them ahead in the suspension race as they attempted to make the bikes less harsh. It might be true.

THE REIGNING CHAMP

You've got to hand it to Yamaha. No one would have believed that a 250 four-stroke could be so stinkin' good against 125 two-strokes. The only reason that the YZ250F hasn't utterly dominated the Nationals is because the top riders have been forced to keep riding two-strokes. Until now.

The 2004 YZ250F hasn't dramatically changed from the '03 version. That's mostly because the '03 had major changes. That bike got a lot of motor updates, including the automatic decompressor. It also got new bodywork and some significant suspension changes. Now it gets even more serious fork work. The upper tubes are larger, the bottoming system has been reworked and the clamps are new, pinching from the back rather than the side.

Yamaha has the only true dry sump in the bunch. The oil is carried in the frame, rather than the crankcase (like the Honda) or the gearbox (like the Suzuki). Traditionally, this results in lower oil temperature, but more weight. The oil capacity is actually very similar to the Suzuki's, though, at 1200cc. This year, Yamaha concentrated on relieving crankcase pressure. Twostrokes use crankcase pressure to push a fresh charge of mixed fuel and air into the top end, but for four strokes, case pressure is the enemy of performance. So Yamaha opened up the cases to allow pressure to escape up through the cam chain cavity and out the breather in the valve cover. Other changes include the non-slip seat cover and aluminum oil lines. The Yamaha lost about two pounds since last year.

When you look at the measurements of all four machines side by side, their similarities are more striking than their differences. Weight, for example, on all of them is within a half pound. The Yamaha is 216 pounds even (without fuel), and the others are 216 and a half. It goes beyond that. The seat heights are the same and the distances from their seats to their footpegs is the same. The wheelbases are the same, the bores are within a millimeter, and even the peak horsepower numbers aren't that far off. These engineers definitely drink sake with each other and share company secrets.

THE SAME ONLY DIFFERENT

Yes, the peak power numbers are similar, but they make power in very different ways. The Honda is a screamer. It starts making okay power down low, but it doesn't start really moving until about a zillion rpm. It has a very long powerband, but without any real bursts or hits. It just keeps on going and going and going. Eventually, you'll hit the rev limiter, but by that time the engine is spinning faster than a dentist's drill.

The KX/RMZ motor is just the opposite. It doesn't do much at really low rpm, then just goes nuts in the mid-range. The bike has a 125like hit. Then, just when you're getting ready for a Yamaha or Hondalike super rev, the power tapers off. The KX/RMZ is no screamer. In fact, you never really get near the rev-limiter, because all your natural instincts have already told you to shift by that time.

Somewhere in between extremes is the Yamaha. It doesn't have the lower mid-range burst of the alliance bikes, but it definitely gets with the program earlier than the Honda. It revs to almost the same level as the Honda, but you don't have to scream it to keep it moving. Lazy riders can actually get around the track at a decent clip by torquing their way through the turns. You still have to use a little clutch work, but the Yamaha is probably the only one that gives you the option of rolling on the throttle like a big bike. You can do that with the Honda, too, but you might lose a bike length in the process. Oddly enough, even though the Kawasaki/Suzuki (or whatever you want to call it-boy, this is going to get old) has more power sooner than the other two, you still have to shift it more. The power just doesn't carry on as long. Riders who came from a 125 twostroke will be in heaven-they'll shift about when they're used to shifting. Riders from bigger bikes will have to pick up on the technique.

It's interesting that every single test rider walked away claiming that the YZ had the most power, yet the dyno said otherwise. That has more to do with the way horsepower is measured; the formula gives huge weight to rpm. Thus, the highrevving CRF was the champion of the dyno, but most riders thought it was the weakest overall.

REALLY DIFFERENT

We walked around these four bikes with a tape measure and got really frustrated. How could they feel so different when they aren't? The Kawazooki (okay, we promise not to use that name again) feels the lightest and smallest. We know that no number can back that up, but it's true. The machine feels like a real-live 125. Back when the YZ250F burst on the scene there was huge controversy because the bike didn't seem like it belonged in the same class as 125s. If the Kawasaki were around then, the controversy would have been lessened.

Strong riders who manhandle their bikes into submission love the way the Kawasaki doesn't fight back. They say it turns great. But died-in-the-wool Suzuki guys don't like the way the bike turns because it's not at all like an RM125. The RM is probably the best-turning bike of all time because it turns inside or outside, throttle on or throttle off, with an expert or with a novice. The fourstroke turns more like a KX, which is good, but not as good. We did get a lot of complaints about the Bridgestone 601 front tire, which is dedicated hard-terrain rubber. Once we swapped to a more well-rounded Dunlop 742, the bike was better in turns.

The Yamaha feels very different. It seems like a great big, heavy machine and nothing at all like a 125 two-stroke. The front end of the YZ, in particular, feels heavy. You learn to deal with it and even use it to your advantage. It's well planted and can find traction where the other bikes just wash out. It's by far the most stable of the four machines.

Somewhere between the two extremes is the Honda. It feels lighter and easier to manhandle than the Yamaha, but not quite as 125like as the other -ah, two. It's excellent in the turns, but doesn't quite have the front end bite of the Yamaha. Honda has a way of making virtually all riders feel comfortable. The bike seems to fit everyone. The Yamaha, on the other hand, despite feeling large, was a little cramped in the cockpit.

SUSPENSION SWEEPS

In the suspension wars, we've reached a new plateau. All four bikes are excellent. Yes, some are more excellent than others, but none gives you a real advantage or disadvantage on the track. We have to give some credit to Honda-the line about having to work harder in the suspension department because of the aluminum frame might not be a line. The Showa fork, in particular, is just excellent. It feels soft but doesn't dive excessively and doesn't bottom. Keep in mind, we have riders like the Wolf and Lump ready to crush-test full-size machines. Neither could find a flaw with the CRF fork. Craig Davis, who weighs half as much as either of them, left the clickers in the stock positions and also declared the Honda fork best.

Yamaha put a lot of effort into its fork this year and it shows. The bike has a much greater cush factor. But there's still a trace of that mid-stroke harshness from last year and bottoming is more noticeable than on the Honda. If you can't deal with the occasional bottoming, then go in on the clickers and deal with a little more harshness. No mystery there. The Kawasaki fork has a similar feel. It's perhaps a little stiffer than the Yamaha front end and a little more Pro-oriented. Overall, we gotta admit that we have little to complain about regarding front suspension, or for that matter, rear suspension. In back, the test riders generally rated the Yamaha best simply because the bike went the straightest in whoops. The Honda and the KX/RMF both can develop a little side-to-side hop if you let them.

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE

All of these bikes start more easily than the original YZ250F. All of them have automatic decompressors, so when they are cold, you just kick and go. Only the Kawasaki/Suzuki gave us occasional problems when warm. We never learned exactly what the motor wanted. Sometimes it would start with just a little throttle, sometimes it just wanted the hot-start trigger. Sometimes it was fine. The bike's kickstarter is very long, which means that it doesn't spin the motor very fast with any given kick.

The most quiet exhaust note belongs to the Honda. The Kawasaki's and Suzuki's are the loudest. The Kawasaki and Suzuki also run a little on the hot side. We occasionally boiled them over. The stock radiator cap is a 1.1. We installed a 1.6 and the problem went away. Just for a little perspective, the engine never gets anywhere near as hot as an XR250, which was known to burn right through the rider's boots.

Getting the perfect jetting will probably be an eternal mission on all three. We managed to get an extra half horsepower on top of the Suzuki by installing a richer mainjet and moving the needle one position leaner, but the bike did pop a little on deceleration. The Honda became more throaty when we leaned the needle one position. But most of the time you can make drastic changes with no noticeable effect.

The winner in sheer garage appeal is the Honda. After three weeks it still looks new, aside from a little knee burn on the graphics. The Yamaha looks like it came from a scrap yard and the other two aren't much better. The Honda also comes stock with Renthal bars. They are still on the bike unbent. All the others have either been replaced already or need to be replaced.

Kawasaki did see fit to add some nice details, like inline throttle cable adjusters and reversible bar mounts. But it doesn't have an on-the-fly clutch adjuster and the positioning of the hot-start trigger makes clutch adjustment even tougher.

WHAT ABOUT A WINNER?

The loser is much easier to choose. The 125 two-stroke comes out way behind. Honda has already announced that the 2004 CR125R will be delayed. Why? Because dealers aren't asking for any. Honda honchos accordingly arranged for the CRF250R to have a longer run on the production line. The bottom line will be more CRFs and fewer CRs. The same thing will happen with all the 125s.

You can still argue that two-strokes are lighter and smaller and make an easier transition from the mini ranks. But the gap is closing. The KX and RMF are so 125-like that you have to really look hard to find any disadvantage.

But a winner? That's tough. The four bikes are so equal in weight, suspension and performance that you could make a case for any one. For right now, we like the case for the YZ best. It has the most versatile motor; you can lug it or scream it and its reliability is proven. As for second, we'll just say that hard-core 125 guys will probably fit the KX/RMZ best and bigger riders should go for the Honda. We have a feeling that both machines will get even better after their first year is done.

FINAL SETTINGS & CONDITIONS Temperature: 90° Altitude: 1500' msl CRF jetting: 160 main; NCYR needle; 3rd position*; 42 pilot* CRF shock: 100mm sag, 7 Iscd, 1 5/6 hscd, 10r CRF fork: 12c, 8r KX/RMZ jetting: 180 main*; needle; 3rd position*; 40 pilot KX/RMZ shock: 1 Oc, 9r* KX/RMZ fork: 8c*, 11 r YZF jetting 180, main; EKR needle; 4th position; 42 pilot YZF shock: 12 Iscd; 1 1/4 hscd; 12r YZF fork: 12c; 12r

YAMAHA YZ20F Most versatile motor Most stable Excellent rear suspension Decent fork Feels heavy 216 lb without fuel $5599 msrp

KAWASAKI KX250F/SUZUKI RMZ250 Big mid-range hit Small and light feeling Easiest transition from 125 Runs slightly hot 216.5 lb without fuel $5599 msrp

HONDA CRF250R Super high-revving Not as torquey as others Excellent fork Decent rear suspension Renthal bars Easy to start 216.5 lb. without fuel $5799.msrp

"Two-stroke loyalists insist that it's too big a gap between an 85 and a 250E The Kawasaki is a small 250F that bridges that gap somewhat."

 

"Did years of overly stiff aluminum frames teach Honda to work harder on suspension? The CRF fork was a spectacular favorite."

 

"If you expect your RMZ to turn like an RM125, you'll be disappointed. Nothing does."

Reprinted from: DECEMBER 2003 / DIRT BIKE