The CRF250L Owners thread

[itrack]

Originally Posted by Harcomo

Well, looks like it is happening on bikes all around the world unfortunately. I have the Dobeck EJK on mine and a member said he had contacted Dobeck and they suggested resetting the idle switch point on the EJK controller. I did that to mine but have not ridden it since because of the cold weather. So....don't know if that will help but at any rate, it is happening just the same to totally stock bikes and it is an issue that Honda needs to address and implement a fix. Let us all know if you come up with anything and like you said, don't count on your dealer for any help with an issue like this as they will likely not have a clue. In the meantime, when you pull in the clutch and roll to a stop, keep giving it some throttle to keep the engine from idling down too low....maybe that will help for now.

It only does it when you drop speed with the clutch in, say more than a 15mph drop. If you just let the engine slow you down it never happens.

[EEKAMOUSE]

Originally Posted by Lost Rider

35 Nm

35 Nm =25lbft seems high and is that the same value for upper and lower fork pinch bolts

[lrgart]

I am squirreling away my LRP funds and can't tell you how much fun it is seeing your videos and pictures! Wish St. Louis had a little more elevation to it, but I guess that means a road trip is in order!

[CNDRAT]

i have been checking out this thread (may be purchasing the Honda)..came across your post...Wow..Gobsmacked....Well Done Mr LR and Mrs LR

Originally Posted by Lost Rider

Well... it did very good with no major issues except one of the many falls was right onto the perfect sized big rock that bent the shit out of the radiator. Normal wear and tear for a team Lost Rider Adventure.
Luckily no leaks on the radiator, and I'll be taking it in to a local auto shop to straighten it out.
I'm hoping for a more stout radiator guard to become available, I'm not convinced the ones made from pressed aluminum sheets will provide enough lateral strength to survive a sideways hit as well as could be. I'm sure it would help though and I haven't seen one in person.
Luckily Honda made the radiators out of some pretty flexible metal and it wasn't a ride killer.
Hopefully these guys will make one for the LRP:

https://www.bulletproofdesigns.com/p...or-guards.html










Honda also made the shift lever nice and flexible and while it did get bent up a few times, it was easy to straighten out to keep on riding, no foldable one going on this LRP, would rather bend the lever than break the shaft instead when we hit just the right rock and there's no give.




We were able to run heated grips and heated socks with no issues of running out the battery, so it seems the charging system is stout enough for comfortable cold weather riding.





The tool tube and fender bag carrying essential spare tubes and tools for trailside repairs in places that didn't interfere with the packing of camping gear and extra fuel worked out great too.






The Highway Dirt Bike handgaurds took the punishment as usual in stride, transferring the hits directly to the top clamp and not breaking or bending the Protaper bars. The Flatlands tail rack was essential for securely holding a gas can with ROK straps and providing tie off points for the camping gear.
Overall the LRP took the first of many beatings (rides) to come... Most of the way I set this bike up comes from lots of experience riding in demanding conditions, Honda has a well earned reputation for being bullet proof.... It's proving to be a perfect DS bike for the less aggressive rider and we hope to see many miles of good dirty fun out of it.
So far it's Nancy Proof.




Here's another short video of the latest LRP ride.

[DirtyBlackIrish]

Originally Posted by Lost Rider

Well... it did very good with no major issues except one of the many falls was right onto the perfect sized big rock that bent the shit out of the radiator. Normal wear and tear for a team Lost Rider Adventure.
Luckily no leaks on the radiator, and I'll be taking it in to a local auto shop to straighten it out.
I'm hoping for a more stout radiator guard to become available, I'm not convinced the ones made from pressed aluminum sheets will provide enough lateral strength to survive a sideways hit as well as could be. I'm sure it would help though and I haven't seen one in person.
Luckily Honda made the radiators out of some pretty flexible metal and it wasn't a ride killer.
Hopefully these guys will make one for the LRP:

https://www.bulletproofdesigns.com/p...or-guards.html










Honda also made the shift lever nice and flexible and while it did get bent up a few times, it was easy to straighten out to keep on riding, no foldable one going on this LRP, would rather bend the lever than break the shaft instead when we hit just the right rock and there's no give.




We were able to run heated grips and heated socks with no issues of running out the battery, so it seems the charging system is stout enough for comfortable cold weather riding.





The tool tube and fender bag carrying essential spare tubes and tools for trailside repairs in places that didn't interfere with the packing of camping gear and extra fuel worked out great too.






The Highway Dirt Bike handgaurds took the punishment as usual in stride, transferring the hits directly to the top clamp and not breaking or bending the Protaper bars. The Flatlands tail rack was essential for securely holding a gas can with ROK straps and providing tie off points for the camping gear.
Overall the LRP took the first of many beatings (rides) to come... Most of the way I set this bike up comes from lots of experience riding in demanding conditions, Honda has a well earned reputation for being bullet proof.... It's proving to be a perfect DS bike for the less aggressive rider and we hope to see many miles of good dirty fun out of it.
So far it's Nancy Proof.




Here's another short video of the latest LRP ride.

Great pics and I love your movies you put up!!!! They are always an real enjoyment and make my day a little bit brighter. Thank you!

[kiwi5]

Originally Posted by itrack

It only does it when you drop speed with the clutch in, say more than a 15mph drop. If you just let the engine slow you down it never happens.

Good point, l have been ordered by the boss to take the CRF back out this weekend and to give it a bit of a thrashing to see if it happens again. The dealer (of course!) had no idea . I had so much fun on it last weekend that I can't wait for another blast I have to say that it beats my old TTR250 hands down. Not sure if it is the lower center of gravity or whatever, but it feels far more controlled on loose gravel. We want to get up to the 1000k mark for the first service and only have about 300kms so far, so it looks like I'm going to have a sore ass by the time the weekends up. Seeing as I don't have to buy replacement tires I plan to thrash the rear tire as much as possible....

[kiwi5]

Originally Posted by DirtyBlackIrish

Great pics and I love your movies you put up!!!! They are always an real enjoyment and make my day a little bit brighter. Thank you!

Wow, some of the best bike video I have ever seen- you guys are amazing. I want to set up our work bike with the same handlebar setup. What tires are you running on CRF?

[Lost Rider]

Originally Posted by EEKAMOUSE

35 Nm =25lbft seems high and is that the same value for upper and lower fork pinch bolts

35 Nm (26 lbf-ft) for the top

32 Nm (24 lbf-ft) for the bottom







Thanks Kiwi!

I'm nice and mellow now mate.

Go and put some more miles on it sounds like a good idea, the engine is still tight and who knows, maybe you don't have the stalling curse. Give the throttle a blip or two when rolling with the clutch in also seems logical. If after you get the first service done you have this problem then we'll know more. Not saying a bike should stall at all and want to know how it turns out, just wear the engine in and see how it goes. At least it's not the leave you stranded type problem.
Good luck, and post some photos, I know you have some beautiful landscapes down there! I was there earlier this year working, a shame I didn't get to ride.
We're currently running a D606 rear and Pirelli XCMH front, both working great on our hard rocky, sandy, dry terrain with some pavement thrown in.



Nancy and I are glad you guys enjoy what we're doing, thank you for the kind words, it's a great bike and we're lucky enough to have awesome places to ride. Life is good in California.

[kiwi5]

I just checked out the Lost website and will order my stickers ASAP! Last time I was in Death Valley was in 1984 (Operation Desert Eagle while in the US Army). We had WAY less fun than you guys What tire pressures were you running? Did you go with rim-locks on the CRF? I'm not sure I'll put rim locks on both front and rear but the rear tire seems like a good plan.

[Lost Rider]

Right on thank you! Feel free to use the military discount, thank you for your service!


Yes we have rim locks on both, but balance with spoke weights. Ran 17psi rear 20 psi front on that ride. Worked out well carrying a load and no bent rims, but Nancy's pretty light too. I watched her get pretty sideways many times and then the knobs dug in.

Operation Desert Eagle while in the US Army, a boss who demands that you go ride, living in NZ... sounds like an interesting life you have.


Cheers!

[kiwi5]

Originally Posted by Lost Rider

Right on thank you! Feel free to use the military discount, thank you for your service!


Yes we have rim locks on both, but balance with spoke weights. Ran 17psi rear 20 psi front on that ride. Worked out well carrying a load and no bent rims, but Nancy's pretty light too. I watched her get pretty sideways many times and then the knobs dug in.

Operation Desert Eagle while in the US Army, a boss who demands that you go ride, living in NZ... sounds like an interesting life you have.


Cheers!

I'll send you a PM with details! I'm still trying to figure out how to post photos, why is it so difficult? Apparently I have to go to another website, load the photos there...blah blah. Looks like I'll need to bring my IT staff in to help.

[Bob80]

Originally Posted by kiwi5

Steady on there Captain! I am posting real info that is happening to our CRF250L. IF you read through the posts you will see that it is not an isolated incident (take a look at the CBR250 stalling issues if you want to read about a million pages of agony). I actually like the CRF, and as I stated- it does not happen to all bikes and IS clearly happening to some. Do not worry, I will certainly post updates as we try to figure out why the stalling/stopping is happening to a new motorcycle. Forums are not only for posting the good things that happen with our bikes, but also as a way to inform others of issues and hopefully rectify them.

Good posts Kiwi5, and good description of the stalling issues. Exact same as I was/am experiencing. I'm down and out for riding till the spring (too cold here) so can't be of much help now in troubleshooting this stalling issue. I'm leaving it up to members like yourself and others in the sunny south to hopefully get er figured out...I for one, will greatly appreciate the answer/solution to this problem and read here frequently....good luck, keep us posted and thanks in advance!!

[SAPB]

Originally Posted by Bob80

Good posts Kiwi5, and good description of the stalling issues. Exact same as I was/am experiencing. I'm down and out for riding till the spring (too cold here) so can't be of much help now in troubleshooting this stalling issue. I'm leaving it up to members like yourself and others in the sunny south to hopefully get er figured out...I for one, will greatly appreciate the answer/solution to this problem and read here frequently....good luck, keep us posted and thanks in advance!!

Mine stalls after backfiring, seems to happen on every ride. I've got the habit of blipping the throttle, on downshifting, so that the RPM is closer, causing less clutch wear. Always done that even in cars (never owned an automatic). Now that I'm noticing it, it's always backfiring/stallling during downshifting. Sometimes, I "bump" start it, snapping the clutch, instead of hitting the button. This is my 3rd bike with FI, had an SV that would backfire once in a blue moon, and a C14 has never stalled/backfired. Ironically, I chose the CRF over the Kawi KLX after watching someone take 10 minutes to get one running. Other than that problem, it's a keeper. Going in for 1st service any time, now, see what they say. 60 degrees here on Monday, and now it's snowing.

[Brandon805]

Originally Posted by Just Bob

THIS is what a motorcycle should look like. Polish is for your teeth.

Our license plates are damn near identical, cept I got the number of the beast haha. And yes, she's darling.

[Lost Rider]

Originally Posted by kiwi5

I'll send you a PM with details! I'm still trying to figure out how to post photos, why is it so difficult? Apparently I have to go to another website, load the photos there...blah blah. Looks like I'll need to bring my IT staff in to help.

Look back a few pages for some help with posting photos, or here:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=919





I was poking around the service manual last night trying to see what you could check.

Here's a couple things I found, though it's pretty in depth and it would be best for you to get a service manual to troubleshoot your stalling if it continues after your first inspection. I'm just touching the surface here.

-intake air leak or top end problem
-throttle operation and free play
-IACV operation
-Throttle position sensor could need to be reset
-restricted fuel tank breather hose
-deteriorated fuel
-faulty MAP sensor




One thing is for sure if it continues, you'll need to involve a dealer in order to check the ECU for fault codes, one of the prices we pay for having a high-tech bike.... there's just some things we can't troubleshoot without a computer hooked up to it.
There's a variety of other things that could cause the stall, or low idle. 1450RPM is what it's supposed to be idling at.

Seem like there's quite a few little service connectors a dealer would have, that people could make to help with the troubleshooting.

Go ride it some more, get a service manual and let us know how it goes.

Somewhere out there, there is a solution. I find it hard to believe dealers are clueless on this stalling thing, with all the resources and sharing of info between them. From looking around the manual though, it is very apparent there MANY things that can cause stalling and maybe there's just no one fix for everyone.

That's why it's important to have a good relationship with your dealer, or choose a good dealer to buy the bike from...

Glad our LRP is running good, a man could go crazy trying to figure this out.

Good luck.