Can someone tell me a bit about the DR 250 and CRM 250?

[byke95]

I'm on the hunt for a greenlaner/commuter bike. The commuting is just around town, so 5 miles to here and there mostly but the bike would need to be able to cope with the odd 30 mile ride to Salisbury from Bournemouth so I can get to the Salisbury plains (when I finally find out where they are! ).

Originally I was after a XR250 but the DR and CRM (early 90's) seem to go for a bit cheaper and seem to have higher spec bits.

So, what would be the differences between the Suzuki DR 250 and the Honda CRM 250 when compared to each other and something like the XR250?

From reading around this section (well, something G said) I understand the CRM to be a bit more of a road biased 2 stroke? Is this the same for the DR?

G, if you read this, do you think a CRM 125 would be up for the job?

What kind of servicing would I be looking at?

Thanks for the help!

[T1z3R]

i used a CRM125 to do a 35 mile daily commute with no problems.
was enjoyable as well.

im not up on the DR so cant offer much but check out www.crm250.com
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duck my sick!

[byke95]

[T1z3R]

servicing? umm...needed a top-end rebuild after i bought it which was done by babykat250, instigator and me. everything else was done by me or instigator i.e. oil changes, brake pads etc.

it was the first bike i worked on and it taught me lots about 2ts. id say now that they are pretty easy to work on.

it was stolen a few months back but i really want another one now and was looking at a 250 myself. would prefer a CRM250 AR from '99 but they are still expensive IMO.

older ones can be had quite cheap now.
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duck my sick!

[byke95]

[T1z3R]

personally i wouldn't want to pay any more than £1000 for a '92 model in good condition with a few spares etc, less if the condition is poorer.

the AR stands for Activated Radical engine control system, this has the effect of producing excellent low rpm torque but at top rpm has the usual two stroke power. As a side effect of this system the AR is excellent on two stroke Oil and petrol consumption.

taken from https://www.leisuretrail.co.uk/Home.htm
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duck my sick!

[byke95]

You're a true gent, thanks again!

[T1z3R]

haha no problem

but if you find more than one going cheap then PM me
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duck my sick!

[G]

Thee DR250 is a 4 stroke, so should be similar to the XR, though got a feeling it maybe a little heavier and more road biased?

The CRM250 would be my choice of those listed.
A long time ago I was considering a trail bike and was looking at the DR350 or CRM250 - the CRM had a listed 10hp more and 10kg less. Ok, it's a 2 stroke, but being a 250 should have enough low down torque for greenlaning.

I wouldn't be so happy about doing 30 miles on a 250 4 stroke on openish country roads.


So far my CRM hasn't been great off road - it's based on the fairly revvy NSR engine. Added to that, as standard it's geared for getting on for 100! I've down geared it a bit to around 80, but compared to Korn's XR which has a much broader range of torque and is geared to 55-60!
It's only been a serious problem on really, really, really soggy mud stuff. However, it does mean you need to work it a bit more.
I shall probably try and get a decently bigger rear sprocket (will have to be custom made though) and see how it feels after that.

Working it more seems to mean it overheats quite easily. However if I have to spend less time at the redline, this may not be quite such an issue. Alternatively cleaning out the cooling system and maybe a different sparkplug may help.

For doing 30 miles then going greenlaning or similar, the CRM250 would definitely be my choice.
However it may not be so great for commuting.

Considered a DR350? These are supposed to be a good compromise between on and off road.
Looking at them however and you might as well also look at the DR600 which is only a little bit heavier, but got a nice engine for commuting etc. While the 600 engine is more than you'd need for green laning, it does mean you can just use the low revs and let the low down torque do the job. Can be quite a hassle to start - probably helps if you've got some decent weight behind you (which if I remember, you don't; well not as much as me, anyway . )

[byke95]

Cheers G, all that was really handy to know!

[G]

4 miles from work, but how long warming it up etc? That’s what I was considering for the 2 stroke.

Higher CC doesn’t have to mean higher costs. DR600s aren’t that expensive (mine were both around £600) as they are oldish (newer 650cc models are more dosh and more weight) insurance should be quite cheap – probably relatively a bit cheaper to buy than the more popular DR350 model for a bike in similar condition just because they aren’t as popular (and are a little over 33hp rather than just under the 33hp which the 350cc is.) Fuel consumption’s probably similar – bigger engine, but means you don’t need to rev it as much to go the same amount.

I would expect the CRM would generally be more to buy and run than one of the older 600cc trail bikes.


Incidentally, when I first got my first DR it took me about 15 minutes to get it started! I got the knack of how to do it, but some people may just be physically able to do it.

[byke95]

[G]

Forgot you had the XR.

As said, if you get the right 600 it won't weigh much more than a 350 and will be easier to ride - definitely a lot less hassle on the road.

However I'd look at the weights - still quite a bit more than something like the XR250.

My CRM's got a temp guage as well, otherwise <shrugs>, just let it run for 'a bit' of time.