RIDING THE 2025 HONDA CRF250RWE: THE WRAP

This week we took delivery of the new Honda CRF250RWE. This bike is new on two levels; first of all, it’s a model that Honda has not offered in the past. The “WE” on the end stands for “Works Edition” which means it has a whole bunch of upgrades over the standard model. That’s been a tradition on the 450 side, but the 250 is new. And then the standard model is mostly new for 2025, too. The basic layout of the motor hadn’t changed, but the frame is new, the airbox is new, the suspension has been reworked and obviously, the bodywork gives it a completely different look.

The Works Edition treatment list is pretty extensive. Here’s what it has:

• Hand-ported head
• Yoshimura exhaust system
• RWE mapping
• Kashima fork coatings
• RWE fork valving
• Kashima shock coatings
• 18mm shock shaft
• RWE shock valving
• Twin Air filter
• Throttle jockey seat cover
• Kevlar grips
• Red backgrounds
• Dunlop tires
• Hydraulic clutch

Those last two points put the 250 on the same page as the standard 450. The stock 250 has a cable clutch and Pirelli tires, whereas the 450 has a Nissin hydraulic clutch and Dunlop MX33s. There will be only 500 CRF250RWEs imported, and the price will be $10,599. That’s $2300 more than the standard model.

If you’ve been paying attention to the 250 class, you know that the new Honda 250 has been a huge hit. The frame changes were made across the board for the 250 and 450 competition models and resulted in a noticeable handling improvement. We never really complained about the 250’s handling but the 450 had a nasty side. It turned out to be because of a little too much lateral frame flex and while we didn’t complain about the 250, the increase in stability is noticeable. The standard CRF250R might be the best handling bike in the class now. It turns well and never, ever does anything surprising. The RWE is the same and has slightly better hold up at both ends of the suspension. And, just like the standard bike, the RWE fits virtually everyone perfectly. We had 5’5” Sean Lipinovich riding it as well as 6’-tall Mark Tilley and they both feel like the bike was custom-made with them in mind. Honda has always done that well.

The shortcoming for the standard Honda 250 was peak power. At lower revs, it was impressive, but just when a KTM or Kawasaki was hitting its strike, the Honda would go flat. That’s why we were so excited to try the Works Edition. The head work, the pipe and the new mapping might be enough to fix that issue. We’ve only had a couple of days on the bike so far, and at this point, the peak power passes all our seat-of-the-pants testing. The output keeps on climbing where the standard bike hits a wall. We still don’t know if it can match the same peak of the KTM or Kawasaki, but at this point, it looks good. Beyond that, the change in tires made a big difference. We know that Pirelli tires have a long history of success in Europe, but there’s no question that the Dunlops were better suited out west where we ride and test.

We are just starting on our 250 shootout right now, and unfortunately the Honda CRF250RWE won’t be involved. It isn’t necessarily the price that disqualifies it; the standard Husqvarna FC250 is just as expensive. We simply can’t take on more bikes. It’s already an eight-bike comparison with the Triumph thrown into the mix. You simply can’t ride that many bikes before track conditions make comparison impossible. With Triumph, Beta and Ducati all lining up, we will have to figure out a solution to that issue within the coming year, but the very concept of a shootout makes thorough testing difficult with such a big group.

BIKES IN THE GARAGE

See you next week!

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