.Walk up to the CRF and you know you're dealing with a proper Japanese built quality product, its great to an ignition key that works a steering lock and a lockable same key petrol cap.
25hp sounds crap but it really isn't the bike spins unto 50 mph as quick as you like tops out at about 80mph and cruises comfortably at 70 mph, the power is delivered in a smooth solid fashion hasn't got the brute force of the KTM 450 and you can't lift the front wheel at will but its just nice.The Nissen brakes are powerful and controllable the gearbox is slick and neutral is easy to find but the real revelation is the handling on the dirt the bike feels you with confidence it feels secure and planted on mud gravel sand or rocks the on-road handling is terrific being light and flickable,the exhaust is really quiet a really really useful attribute on a trail bike.
The unobtrusive exhaust can be handy.
A great trail bike then....unfortunately the CRF does have some really bad faults, the fueling is terrible the bike is not happy unless its on a positive throttle its great going uphill but trying to go along at a steady speed on the flat or god forbid going down hill its a nightmare the engine revs surge and hunt you feel like a metronome when you're standing on the pegs rocking backwards and forwards with the out of control engine revs the slower you go the worse it gets sub 10mph in first gear the bike is almost unridable much clutch slipping and revving needed, this seems to get worse the hotter the bike gets,Im really disappointed that this fairly major fault wasn't mentioned on the UK reviews of the bike a couple of which are very lengthy, the very poor fueling also gives the CRF a real propensity to stall pulling away from a standing start and accelerating away from a rolling start in 1st or 2nd gear you really do have to give the bike a handful and slip the clutch.
Not a fault but something to watch out for is.....Im in the habit on cold days of dangling my cold hands over the end of the exhaust to warm them whilst waiting at the end of a lane don't do this on the CRF it melted my glove the exhaust fumes are hot enough to weld with.
A lovely bike which I really want to like Im going to look at fitting a Recluse clutch to help with the low speed running maybe look at making it American 40bhp spec, anyone having one of these on their shopping list please ride one on the trail first so you know properly what you're getting you're welcome to swop bikes with me for half an hour.
and somones already working on it now ..bazzaz ejk ect 
