PHOTOS: SIMON CUDBY
Full Rebuild with Hot Rods Complete Bottom End Kit (crankshaft, main bearing/seal kit, transmission bearings, engine gasket kit). Vertex Pistons Pro Replica Piston Kit (ring, pin, clips).
wrenchrabbit.com
Steering Stem Bearing Kit, Linkage Rebuild Kit, Swingarm Rebuild Kit, Wheel Bearings
pivotworks.com
Carb Rebuild Kit, Throttle Cable, Clutch Cable, Front and Rear Caliper, Master Cylinder Brake Rebuild Kit, Brake Pins
allballsracing.com
Front and Rear Rotors, Front and Rear Brake Lines, Shift Lever, Front Brake Lever
tuskoffroad.com
Suspension Rebuild and Service (tracking down broken and hard-to-find parts)
factoryconnection.com
Front Brake Cap, Rotating Bar Mount, Frame Guards, Stand, Clutch Perch Assembly
worksconnection.com
Sandblasting, Powder with Super-Durable Clear
sandiegopowdercoating.com
Full Rebuild with Hot Rods Complete Bottom End Kit (crankshaft, main bearing/seal kit, transmission bearings, engine gasket kit). Vertex Pistons Pro Replica Piston Kit (ring, pin, clips).
wrenchrabbit.com
Steering Stem Bearing Kit, Linkage Rebuild Kit, Swingarm Rebuild Kit, Wheel Bearings
pivotworks.com
Carb Rebuild Kit, Throttle Cable, Clutch Cable, Front and Rear Caliper, Master Cylinder Brake Rebuild Kit, Brake Pins
allballsracing.com
Front and Rear Rotors, Front and Rear Brake Lines, Shift Lever, Front Brake Lever
tuskoffroad.com
Suspension Rebuild and Service (tracking down broken and hard-to-find parts)
factoryconnection.com
Front Brake Cap, Rotating Bar Mount, Frame Guards, Stand, Clutch Perch Assembly
worksconnection.com
Sandblasting, Powder with Super-Durable Clear
sandiegopowdercoating.com
ostalgia can get the best of me at times, and when I saw this 1992 Honda CR250R sitting in a friend’s garage, I had to have it. Later I found out that my buddy bought it from his boss at Dymond Construction (Micky’s dad) nearly three decades ago, and that this was actually one of Micky’s bikes from that year! It ran when I got it, but it leaked oil like an old Cadillac and the frame was stretched and cracked like, well, like you’d imagine it would be on Micky Dymond’s supercross practice bike from 1992.
We tore this thing to the ground and sent the frame to Chuck at MetalTek to get welded and pounded back into shape. The footpeg holes were so bad that we welded them shut and drilled new holes. That actually allowed us to mount modern pegs to it instead of the razor blades that passed for pegs back then. It got a fresh coat of white at San Diego Powder & Protective Coatings. The engine was torn completely apart and rebuilt with a Wrench Rabbit kit. Having every single part and piece you need in one place makes this a manageable and affordable project.
FMF supplied an exhaust system for the build. Parts can be difficult to find for a bike this old, so a few things like the airbox and swingarm just had to be cleaned up and reused. The stock hubs were cleaned and coated by Faster USA, then mounted to new rims and spokes. SuperSprox and Dunlop also contributed parts. The folks at All Balls were a big help on this as well. Their rebuild kits for the carburetor, as well as new cables and brake caliper, plus master cylinder kits, were an integral part of getting this thing working right.
We rode this for the first time at Milestone, and I was blown away by how good it was. These older bikes have a more compact feel. The rider compartment has more of a pocket and makes you feel like you’re sitting in the bike rather than on top of it. It was familiar and comfortable to me. The engine was surprisingly strong as well. We kept the cylinder stock and just added the FMF pipe and silencer and V-Force reed block to boost performance. I could roll the throttle on as I exited turns and the CR built power steady and strong into the higher rpms. After I got used to the characteristics of the bike, I was twisting the throttle like it was 1992 again and having a ball.
Maybe it’s just because I remember how amazing Jeff Stanton and Jean-Michel Bayle used to be on this exact motorcycle, but this quickly ranked as one of the best builds we’ve ever done here at Racer X. See the whole test at racerxonline.com.