Honda CRF250 Rally – best mods / upgrades

[minkyhead]

high Minky--interested in the "power box"--is that claim with a complete system or just the front pipe. It seems that they have copied KTM by fitting a closed Helmholtz resonant chamber (basically resonating like blowing over the top of a milk bottle--which we both remember!)---the KTM idea is to provide a positive reflected pressure wave (due to the resonance) back at the valves in the MID RANGE to push fresh charge back in (lost by the large valve overlap tuning for power at high revs)--basically it improves cylinder filling and torque in the MID range, and not at the top end. Its a crude attempt at variable valve timing (and has a fixed resonant frequency so can only "come in" in a narrow RPM band due to the fact that the wave travels back against the flow at the speed of sound and is largely independent of engine revs--it needs to arrive as a positive pressure just before valve closure--its really using old two smoke spanny tuning )---, but with the Honda tune (compared to KTM) I would have thought that any gain was marginal---but stand to be proved totally wrong with a dyno curve!

sorry chris though you might have seen i were having a bit of a jape ......theres no dicernable difference between the powwweeeer box and the o/e header ..excepy of course its stainless steel and looks better ...fmf started it ..with the power bomb thing ..and lots have copied it for marketing i reakon .....the o/e header is actually pretty free breathing compared to the old one on the pre 17 models ... as i say it just were a bit tatty when undressed so to speak ....i were just pulling a vertual leg tbo

[catcitrus]

whooops--you certainly got me there!--and we agree--just a marketing thing which annoys me because people fall for it and pay good money for the stuff--especially the "mufflers" which are a simple straight through that you could knock up in your garage from tube and stuff available on the Tinternet--no real silencing science can be employed with that design--but might be worth it if you can get something secondhand and cheap--back to the Helmholz----agreed except that KTM do it for a reason on a high revving, high performance ENDURO bike--KTM are just launching a bargain deal on 300 EXC two strokes--grunt to die for and low weight--and these days they are fuel injected into the transfer ports (oil is injected separately)--with a fuel to oil ratio of 70:1--the oil tank holds enough for 7 tanks of fuel--and its electric start--if I had the money I would be sorely tempted--as they do a 50 mm lowering kit--great to see that KTM are persevering--and with very good technical reasons for torque spread, top end power, tractability and so on.--shame that the bureaucrats keep knocking them back--but KTM do get around the law and they can be registered of course.

[OB1]

I ordered some pannier frames and a rear rack from DirtRacks (https://www.dirtracks.com) in Canada last week and, 9 days later, they have arrived. I took advantage of the extra hour of daylight and got them fitted last night.

They would probably take a competent person about 20 minutes to fit... took me an hour!

They're not too wide, which is good and each side weighs only 1.1 kg as does the rack, so not too heavy neither. All in, including postage, £200.

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[#47steve]

How do you open tool box? Got to take rack off?

[OB1]

How do you open tool box? Got to take rack off?

Yep... or remove it altogether as some have done.

Just after I finished fitting the frames, I realised that I'd left a Twix in there from a ride out a couple of weeks ago...

[rbailey]

Bob and I both run an altrider hemisphere bag setup. I have mine set pretty far back as i like lots of room on the bike. I'm not prepared to compromise riding position just to get the bag in the best place. As a result mine sits quite high, resting on the exhaust shield and toolbox. I just have enough rear rack left to ram a roll bag in containing the tent.

Bob manages to get his kriega us10 mounted behind his hemisphere so you can imagine how much further forward his setup is.
We have vastly different riding styles due to bobs-one-leg, he sits down whereas my knackered knee means i stand up wherever possible. Both setups work great, we've both done bigish trips in 2018 without complaint so anywhere in between is possible.
Here's mine

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@scoobydidler thanks for that matey, thats a really useful reply, and the pic brings it to life.

So, it looks like you have the hemispher saddle bags with a rolltop bag ontop of that (attached to the hemispher saddle bags), and then the smaller rolltop bag (with your tent) at the back. Is that correct?

Also... What luggage rack do you have under all that lot? Obviously it does a decent job, as what you show on the pic, is pretty much where i plan to be.

Finally, are those hand guards the barkbuster jet ones? They look pretty cool, and hand guards are also on my shopping list!

Thanks matey...

Roy

No problem Roy.
The handguards are polisport plaggy things, no metal brace so they're not as good as barkbusters but they do the job.

Not quite right on the luggage, the red roll bag (tent) sits behind the altrider, i hitch the altrider up and shove the roll bag fractionally under. I use two rok straps, one end fastened to the rack, tother end fastened to the altrider. That's it.

The rack is from Thailand, bikerzbits.com i think, exactly the same available on ebay. I modified the rear mounting stays, they were crap. I made some rudimentary stronger ones, easy.

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Hi @scoobydidler and @boboneleg,

I am now getting there with my Rally, got most mods sorted now, and really happy with it. I have documented what I have done so far at the following blog: http://smallbikeadventures.home.blog just to try and help anyone else going on a similar journey.

The last area I need to sort out is the luggage. I am torn at the moment between the Altrider Hemisphere you guys are running, and the Giant Loop Great Basin. The question I have for you boys is this... I assume the altrider has straps at the bottom of each "leg", that you strap to the bike somewhere, on the subframe or something? I am looking at the side of my bike, and I am not sure I can find any decent mounting point where I could strap to, on either side of the bike. Where are you boys attaching the lower straps to on the Rally? Any info / pics would be really useful. Is it the same place you strap to on both sides, or different on each side? Really appreciate any help.

Thanks,

Roy

[OB1]

Mike and I were in his shed on Saturday adding a few bits to my bike in the form of Renthal bars, Oxford heated grips and a double USB socket that is wired into the loom - meaning that when the ignition is off, the socket is off... not like the socket on my Tiger... that killed the battery...

[boboneleg]

Hi @scoobydidler and @boboneleg,

I am now getting there with my Rally, got most mods sorted now, and really happy with it. I have documented what I have done so far at the following blog: http://smallbikeadventures.home.blog just to try and help anyone else going on a similar journey.

The last area I need to sort out is the luggage. I am torn at the moment between the Altrider Hemisphere you guys are running, and the Giant Loop Great Basin. The question I have for you boys is this... I assume the altrider has straps at the bottom of each "leg", that you strap to the bike somewhere, on the subframe or something? I am looking at the side of my bike, and I am not sure I can find any decent mounting point where I could strap to, on either side of the bike. Where are you boys attaching the lower straps to on the Rally? Any info / pics would be really useful. Is it the same place you strap to on both sides, or different on each side? Really appreciate any help.

Thanks,

Roy

Hi Roy, I've only just seen this. I'll try to have a look tomorrow.

cheers, Bob.

[boboneleg]

This is how I secure my Altrider bag to the Rally.

These clasps I secure under the rear rack, on other bikes I put them under the rear mudguard

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The bottom straps I secure around the frame under the rear footpeg

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[boboneleg]

The top straps I secure under the rear rack, this is not strictly necessary but adds to the security of the whole thing

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I cannot speak for the Giant Loop as I've never used one but the reason I like the Altrider is it's so versatile. I have used it on the Rally, DR350, DR650 and KTM Adventure and the fact that the holster can remain on the bike and you can just remove the 'trousers' is ace.

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I hope this helps.