The Honda CRF Works Edition is by no means a new thing; this pristine, almost factory looking version of the production model motocross bike has been available to customers in America for quite a few years… and it was also available in Australia in 2024, but only in the 450R version. But never before has Honda released the 250 Works Edition, so in that sense the CRF250RWE is a new machine.

Inspired by the Factory Honda race machines of both Jo Shimoda and Chance Hymas the Works Edition models come with a huge list of goodies that will have any hardcore motocross fan drooling. There are a few things on the list of extras that grab your attention immediately such as the Kashima coated outer fork tubes and titanium-oxide coated fork sliders on the Showa fork, and the titanium Yoshimura exhaust system similar to the one used by Aussie superstar Jett Lawrence. But to any hardcore moto fan, the biggest addition to the CRF250R Works Edition over the production model is the hydraulic clutch.

The list of smile-provoking bling is quite extensive, and when you consider the price point of the standard production unit at $13,799 compared to the Works Edition price of $16,399 you’ll see that the extra $2600 wouldn’t be enough to pay for half of the extras on the WE.

The opportunity to ride this work of art came during our recent media test of the new 2025 Honda CRF450R at Victoria’s Ride Park. We’d heard rumours that the Works Edition would be available for us to test on the day and we kept our fingers crossed that the opportunity would come to fruition… Once we arrived at the track and saw the WE model in all it’s glory we knew we were in for a treat.

More than the sum of its parts

From the moment you lay eyes on the Works Edition it feels like a methodically prepared factory race machine, not a generic bike that has been made for the masses. When you first sit on the bike there are a couple of things that immediately separate the bike from the basic production unit. Firstly, the aftermarket Throttle Jockey gripper seat cover with horizontal ribs across the front of the seat in contrasting white over red literally holds your bum in place with a purpose. This is the kind of seat grip that will give you monkey-butt if you don’t have a well trained MX  rear end. Secondly, the Renthal Kevlar grips come standard in a ‘gum’ colour and feel like absolute heaven in comparison to the standard grips on the base-model bike.

In addition, your eyes can’t help but scan to the dark grey metallic-coated triple clamps that are well within your line of sight. And yes, the hydraulic clutch pull is noticeably lighter than the cable clutch.

The scene was set and while I still had the recent test of the production 2025 CRF250R fresh in my mind it was time to gear up and see what this baby had.

Ride time

From the moment you fire up the CRF250R Works Edition you can tell there’s something special going on. Even just revving the bike before you click it into gear, you can hear a raspy note to the engine. Once I got going and tackled my first section on the Ride Park circuit I could feel it wasn’t just the sound of the bike that was different – there was noticeably more power right through the rev range. The hydraulic clutch was not only light but had a great action and feel to it, very similar to the standard Honda 450.

After about 10 minutes of riding I came back in to have a chat with Honda Racing Australia’s head race team technician Mark Sladek. I’d already read that the Works Edition had a Yoshi exhaust, different ignition mapping, a Hinson clutch basket and a Twin Air air filter, but the power delivery on this bike seemed a little bit extra special, a bit more than than those things listed should deliver. Perhaps the hand polished cylinder ports have something to do with it but after feeling the power delivery I was certain that something had been modified in the head department. As to whether there has been some small mods inside the head or whether it’s just simply a polish of the ports is still to be confirmed.

Either way, the engine on the Works Edition and the way it delivers its power is super impressive. The speed at which it revs completely through the range and hits the rev limiter is mind blowing, and for the average rider on a 250 who spends too much time bouncing off the rev limiter, you’ll need to be careful to keep pulling gears as quick as you can.

Mapping

On the production 2025 CRF250R I choose to run the Aggressive Map (Map 3). I didn’t mind the Standard Map (Map 1) but Map 3 was my go-to and once I’d decided on that I left it there for the remainder of the test session. With the Works Edition bike, however, I found that the Standard Map 1 worked best for me. Much the same as when I ride the current model CRF450R, the Standard Map 1 is my ultimate go-to map.

Map 1 on the CRF250R Works Edition seemed to give the bike a little more fuel and allowed it to retain a good amount of torque off the bottom while still revving right the way through the range. Smooth Map (Map 2) is just not what I’m personally chasing from a map for a 250; I weigh around 80kg and Map 2 is just a little too docile for me), while the Map 3 just seemed to lean the fuelling out a tad while making the bike rev a little too quickly through to the rev limiter.

Hydraulic clutch

Just as you would expect it to, the hydraulic clutch works flawlessly, and is quite possibly the most impressive addition to the WE model. And while it has come standard on the CRF450R for a few years now, we all had our fingers crossed that it would come standard on the production Honda CRF250R for 2025. Although that’s not the case and the hydraulic clutch only comes on the 250W WE, the cable clutch on the standard 250 still works extremely well, but with a slightly stiffer pull than the hydraulic set up.

My gut tells me that for 2026 the production CRF250R will come standard with a hydraulic clutch, but nothing has been confirmed at this stage.

Dunlop versus Pirelli

Tyres really are a personal thing and I have to say that I prefer the Pirelli tyres that come standard on the production CRF250R over the Dunlop tyres that come standard on the CRF250R Works Edition, as well as on the production CRF450R. And yes, I know that the bulk of your favourite riders out there such as Jett and Hunter Lawrence, Eli Tomac, Chase Sexton, and even Kyle Webster and Jed Beaton here in Australia all run Dunlop tyres, but they are Factory Dunlop tyres that aren’t available to the public.

One thing I will say though is that the 110 size rear on the CRF250R Works Edition is a much better size than the 100 rear on the back of the production model. Once again, these are just my opinions and you’ll need to do your own due diligence to see for yourself, as tyres are such a personal thing.

Is it worth the extra coin?

Hell yes! Just scan your eyes over the list of extras. The Yoshimura exhaust, the hydraulic clutch and the coated forks alone would set you back more than the $2600 premium for the Works Edition. Add in the price of extras such as the Hinson clutch basket and cover, the engine and ECU work, along with the many other additions, and the WE really does start to look like great value for money.

Who will this bike suit?

To be honest, there’s no specific demographic that the Works Edition will suit. The bike is perfect for someone that wants a good-looking weapon of a 250 with specced-up suspension, a great exhaust system, extra power and all the little extra gadgets, without having to fork out more than $20,000.

It will also suit those who get in early and place an order on a bike that’s a little different to what most other people have. It will even suit the national level racer hoping to set the world on fire; 90 per cent of the work is already done to turn this thing into a full-blown factory-level race machine.

This bike also has enough poke for those 450 riders who would love to hop on to a 250 because they’re so easy to ride, however they question whether a 250 has enough get up and go to blow their hair back.

Overall

Honda has come up with some absolute gold with the CRF250R Works Edition. I was blown away from the moment I fired the bike into life and completed my initial laps at Ride Park. The engine is super impressive and the overall package is second to none.

What extras does the Works Edition get?

  • Hydraulic clutch
  • Hinson clutch basket and cover
  • New Yoshimura exhaust with stainless-steel header pipe and titanium muffler
  • Twin Air air filter
  • Throttle Jockey Team Honda HRC graphics
  • Throttle Jockey seat cover
  • Red cylinder-head cover
  • Hand-polished cylinder ports
  • I.D DirtStar LT-X rims
  • Kashima-coated outer fork tubes
  • Titanium oxide-coated fork legs
  • Titanium oxide-coated 18mm shock shaft
  • Hand-operated fork-compression adjuster
  • I.D-DM2 Gold chain
  • Grey metallic-coated triple clamps
  • Renthal Kevlar grips
  • Dedicated ignition and injection mapping
  • Dunlop MX33 Tyres (wider 110 rear tyre)