Not satisfied with taking five of the top ten places in the AMA Supercross 250SX East final points standings, Honda has made a significant number of changes to the 2016 CRF250R, with the primary objectives being to increase horsepower and torque across the range while also making improvements to handling.
IMPORTANT UPDATES
ENGINE
To increase power for 2016, Honda made a number of changes to the CRF250R engine, including lightening the piston and connecting rod, boosting compression, switching to titanium exhaust valves, revising the intake and exhaust ports, adding an exhaust resonator to the header pipe and increasing the diameter of the inner muffler pipe. Corresponding with the increased power, capacity of the left radiator was enlarged to aid cooling.
FORK
For 2016, the CRF250R retains Showa's Separate Function Fork Triple Air Chamber (SFF TAC), but with a number of updates. As before, the air chambers are incorporated in the left leg, while the right leg is devoted to damping. (This comes from feedback through the racing program with the works Showa SFF TAC.) Also, Honda houses all three air chambers (Inner Chamber, Outer Chamber, Balance Chamber) inside the fork, which is consistent with the factory Showa fork and helps reduce the chance of impact damage to the Balance Chamber.
Compared to the 2015 CRF250R, pressure in the Inner Chamber (i.e. primary spring) has been reduced to provide more suppleness in initial travel. Correspondingly, a redesigned seal decreases friction, and a third adjustment valve has been added so that Outer Chamber pressure can be increased to resist bottoming. (Previously, only the Inner Chamber and Balance Chamber could be adjusted.)
As with coil-spring forks, Honda recommends that most tuning be done through valving; air-chamber pressure should be adjusted only to alter spring rate. The Showa SFF-Air Support smart-phone app can be helpful for determining proper air-pressure settings.
| Change | Detail | Benefit |
| ENGINE | ||
| New piston & connecting rod | Lighter | Enables higher revs |
| Revised compression ratio | 13.8 (was 13.5) | Increased power |
| New titanium exhaust valve | Lighter | Enables higher revs |
| Improved intake/exhaust ports | Different shape | Increased flow |
| Modified camshaft, valve lifter | Increased valve lift | Increased engine power |
| Modified intake valve buckets | Added Diamond Like Coating (DLC) | Decreased friction |
| Different shift-drum stopper | Bearing added to roller | Improved shifting feel under high load |
| Added exhaust resonator | Situated inboard exhaust header | Increased bottom-end power |
| Revised muffler end & inner pipe | Larger diameter | Increased performance |
| Revised airbox boot | Different inner duct length | Improved flow |
| Larger left radiator | Corresponds with increased power | Increased cooling capacity |
| CHASSIS/SUSPENSION | ||
| New footpeg bracket design | Fewer protrusions to retain mud | Less likely for peg to become stuck in folded position |
| Longer fork | Outer tube 5mm longer above top triple clamp (no change to travel) | Increased adjustment range |
| Improved inner fork seal | Revised construction, shape; 3 seals instead of 2 | ~25% less friction to correspond with decreased pressure in inner chamber |
| Added 3rd air-pressure adjustment valve in fork | Adjusts air pressure in Outer Chamber | Enables increasing pressure to resist bottoming |
| Revised fork damping adjusters | 8 clicks per rotation (was 4) | Increased tuning adjustment |
| Revised fork/shock damping settings | More progressive | Corresponds with internal fork updates |
| Reduced chain-roller diameter | 38mm -> 34mm | Swingarm travels further before chain/roller interface restricts movement; improves traction |
