The 2025 Honda CRF250R has spent a little more time indoors this last month than at the track. I have been so busy building race bikes ready for the start of the ProMX season that the Honda has had no choice but to sit in the corner of the workshop and watch me. I’m getting calls from all over Australia as well as New Zealand and even Europe to build engines and tune ECUs for various people. This is all great for business and I really enjoy working with motorcycles everyday but the downside is it’s cutting into my ride time, and with daylight savings ending, that means I can no longer knock off and go for a ride after work.
My son has been at me to take him riding and even now my daughter has joined in on the situation. But before I can find some time to head to the track with my kids I need to give the Honda a service to keep it in shape.
To start off the service I put the 2025 Honda up on a centrestand and check for any play in any of the wheels or swingarm bearings. I then run around and check the tension on all the spokes and check the chain tension before lubing the chain. While the bike is up on the centre stand I also check the brakes and tyre pressures. It is common for tyres to deflate over time and in this case the tyres have both dropped down to 11psi, so I pump them both back up and set them at 14psi. I also then go over all the pivot points like footpegs and levers and give any of them a squirt with silicon spray if they are sticking. While doing this it is also a good time adjust the cable free play in the throttle and clutch.
With that all done it is time to move onto the engine. I remove the dirty air filter and replace it with a clean pre-oiled one I have ready to go. Then it is time to remove the fuel tank to access the rocker cover to check the engine valve clearances. The Honda rocker cover is quite snug between the throttle body and ignition coil so it is easiest to loosen the throttle body and pop it backwards to get the rocker cover free from the engine. This bike has only done eight hours so the engine is still very fresh and new, but it is common for valves to seat in during the run-in period and require an adjustment early on. These Honda valves however have not moved at all and are still perfectly within spec so I reassemble the engine, but at least I have peace of mind that the engine is running well.
Now it is time to check the coolant. The 2025 Honda has spent a little time on single trail recently which commonly makes it run hotter than it would on a motocross track because of less airflow. This time around the Honda had dropped some coolant and so I topped it back up. Then it was time to drop the oil and change the oil filter. It’s also common to see some small flecks of metal in the oil or oil filter on the first few oil changes. This is due to any rough edges on any gears or castings wearing in. After a few changes however this should clear up. This is the Honda’s second oil change and this time around there are no metal flecks to be seen in the oil or oil filter. I fitted a new oil filter and poured in some fresh oil.
Now all I have to do is wait for the weekend and I can get out and enjoy the Honda on the track.
