Flywheel 2001 cr250

[VAL]

Well, I am in a paradox.
When I first got the bike, it smoked a bit and had a bit of mushy bottom end. not to say it wasn’t super fast but it was... manageable.
I think I have reached nirvana as far as tuning but in this success lays my dilemma.
I have been through the engine with a fine tooth comb, Replaced main seals, freshened up the top end, tried every jetting combination known to man, messed with fuel oil ratios, and now this bike is razor sharp.
That brings me to my next question.
This bike is soooooooo responsive that if in any gear at any speed I so much as relax my right had and allow the bumping of the bike over the ground cause my hand to so much as twitch, the bike will lurch forward. This responsiveness causes me to hold on with a death grip when on the track, causing me excessive arm pump, and after only a couple of laps, I'm of on the sidelines stretching an rubbing my forearms. I know I sound like woose, but even my 21 year old son who does some racing (YZF450) says the bike is high spirited and that he too was having problems with arm pump with this bike.
I've been looking at a flywheel weight. Has anyone out there had the same experience and installed a weight to mellow the beast, if so was it successful?

[Kev_CR]

Originally Posted by VAL

Well, I am in a paradox.
When I first got the bike, it smoked a bit and had a bit of mushy bottom end. not to say it wasn’t super fast but it was... manageable.
I think I have reached nirvana as far as tuning but in this success lays my dilemma.
I have been through the engine with a fine tooth comb, Replaced main seals, freshened up the top end, tried every jetting combination known to man, messed with fuel oil ratios, and now this bike is razor sharp.
That brings me to my next question.
This bike is soooooooo responsive that if in any gear at any speed I so much as relax my right had and allow the bumping of the bike over the ground cause my hand to so much as twitch, the bike will lurch forward. This responsiveness causes me to hold on with a death grip when on the track, causing me excessive arm pump, and after only a couple of laps, I'm of on the sidelines stretching an rubbing my forearms. I know I sound like woose, but even my 21 year old son who does some racing (YZF450) says the bike is high spirited and that he too was having problems with arm pump with this bike.
I've been looking at a flywheel weight. Has anyone out there had the same experience and installed a weight to mellow the beast, if so was it successful?

Yep, I had the same problem on my '99 CR250.. I put on a 12oz flywheel on it and tried it last Saturday at the dunes and it made a huge difference, it actually took me a while to learn to twist the throttle more than 1/32 of a turn.

[KKXR400R]

I'm going to be putting a 12 oz on when I rebuild the low end in a few months. This [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] will give you an idea on which weight to throw on your bike...BTW have you thought of a Rekluse?

-Kevin-

[Kev_CR]

If I was to do it again I would probably go with the 10oz, but I haven't tried the track yet. I went a little heavy because you can have them turned down by a machine shop to lessen the weight if need be.

[VAL]

Originally Posted by khen

Yep, I had the same problem on my '99 CR250.. I put on a 12oz flywheel on it and tried it last Saturday at the dunes and it made a huge difference, it actually took me a while to learn to twist the throttle more than 1/32 of a turn.

I would think the dunes would mellow the beast just by the lack of traction. Have you been on hard surface, maybe after you put it on you went in the street to see how if felt?

[VAL]

Originally Posted by KKXR400R

I'm going to be putting a 12 oz on when I rebuild the low end in a few months. This [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] will give you an idea on which weight to throw on your bike...BTW have you thought of a Rekluse?

-Kevin-

I dont want to sound stupid, but what is a Rekluse?

[Kev_CR]

Originally Posted by VAL

I would think the dunes would mellow the beast just by the lack of traction. Have you been on hard surface, maybe after you put it on you went in the street to see how if felt?

I run a paddle at the dunes so it hooks up really well.. Before I would really have to have throttle control or I'd wash it out when cornering.. I've ridden the dunes enough on it to tell the diff. Now I can actually just roll on the throttle without worrying about it. It also doesn't stall as easily. To answer your question, I did ride it on the street after installing it as well and noticed the diff there to.

[VAL]

Originally Posted by khen

I run a paddle at the dunes so it hooks up really well.. Before I would really have to have throttle control or I'd wash it out when cornering.. I've ridden the dunes enough on it to tell the diff. Now I can actually just roll on the throttle without worrying about it. It also doesn't stall as easily. To answer your question, I did ride it on the street after installing it as well and noticed the diff there to.

thanks I am going to order one tonight

[Kev_CR]

NP, The flywheel weight and the GPR stabilizer are the best purchases I've made for my bike.

BTW, To answer your other question, the Rekluse is a semi-automatic clutch kit you can put in that allows you to run without your manual clutch. You can still use your manual clutch to build revs to launch, but the rekluse will engage/disengage at a set rpm to help eliminate stalling and abrubt take offs.
I've considered getting one, but they are fairly pricey.

[dhighlan]

Yep I have 12 oz and it smoothed it out nicely, 9oz I think would be perfect. A Rekluse is a centrifugal clutch design that can be set for the clutch to engage better and no need to use it for shifting but rather just let off the throttle slightly. Steel clutch plates smooth it out also. Definitely worth it to help exactly what you speak of with the lurch.

[KKXR400R]

Originally Posted by VAL

I dont want to sound stupid, but what is a Rekluse?

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

I have seen alot D-37 racers switching to these and they say its like cheating. I have raised my eyebrow a few times out of curiosity. I'm gonna ask a fellow club member this weekend, who also has an 01 CR250, if I can take his bike for a spin. I'll keep you posted. Another alternative (much cheaper) is gear the bike a little taller. You'll lose a little low end but it may mellow out the hit a little. Right now I'm running 13/48 but in a few days I'm gonna gear taller to a 14/48 so I can get more top speed...sucks to be tapped dry lake bed only to get passed by a 250f.

-Kevin-

[VAL]

Thanks for the input. I ordered the 12-ounce flywheel weight. If it slows it down too much I can chuck it on the lathe at work and shave off a couple.
I check out the Rekluse on the web and man it sounds like the ticket especially with the override. I think I'll wait a bit. Its allot of money and some how it does seem like cheating. But then again, today’s cheating could be tomorrow’s standard.

[808hondacrguy]

You will love the 12 oz fww,perfect for that bike,even for motocross.Best investment I made for mine!

[dhighlan]

Originally Posted by VAL

Thanks for the input. I ordered the 12-ounce flywheel weight. If it slows it down too much I can chuck it on the lathe at work and shave off a couple.
I check out the Rekluse on the web and man it sounds like the ticket especially with the override. I think I'll wait a bit. Its allot of money and some how it does seem like cheating. But then again, today’s cheating could be tomorrow’s standard.

Val
I love my cheating Rekluse, 3 yrs now and can't imagine life without it.

[VAL]

Originally Posted by dhighlan

Val
I love my cheating Rekluse, 3 yrs now and can't imagine life without it.

dhighlan,

I see you have quite a collection of bikes. Which one got the clutch?
I went back to Rekluse site and they don’t have one for the 01 Cr, or at least they don’t list it on their site. The more I think about it, the more I want one. Geeeeeez you guys, I was all happy about buying the flywheel weight and now I'm jones-in for a clutch. When will the madness end!!!!!!!!

[AV8R]

If I understand correctly the problem is the throttle being real sensitive off the bottom right? I'm sure the fly wheel will tame it down a little, but have you considered just putting a little slack in the throttle cable so that the bike doesn't jump every time you touch the throttle.

You could also put a stronger spring on the slide for throttle return and this would make it less likely to accidentally twist the throttle. It would also require more effort on your part to twist the throttle making it somewhat less responsive for the same twisting effort.

You could also take off the throttle tube and make the groove where the cable runs a little deeper in the initial track for the cable. This would require more of a twist say 1/2 inch vs 1/8 inch to get the same throttle response.

On my 2000 CR250 I run 14/50 sprocket combos and that significantly tames the response as compared to the stock 13/50.

[KKXR400R]

Originally Posted by VAL

dhighlan,

I see you have quite a collection of bikes. Which one got the clutch?
I went back to Rekluse site and they don’t have one for the 01 Cr, or at least they don’t list it on their site. The more I think about it, the more I want one. Geeeeeez you guys, I was all happy about buying the flywheel weight and now I'm jones-in for a clutch. When will the madness end!!!!!!!!

Paul runs a rekluse on his bike. Heres his start at 100 MCs....

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[VAL]

Originally Posted by AV8R

If I understand correctly the problem is the throttle being real sensitive off the bottom right? I'm sure the fly wheel will tame it down a little, but have you considered just putting a little slack in the throttle cable so that the bike doesn't jump every time you touch the throttle.

You could also put a stronger spring on the slide for throttle return and this would make it less likely to accidentally twist the throttle. It would also require more effort on your part to twist the throttle making it somewhat less responsive for the same twisting effort.

You could also take off the throttle tube and make the groove where the cable runs a little deeper in the initial track for the cable. This would require more of a twist say 1/2 inch vs 1/8 inch to get the same throttle response.

On my 2000 CR250 I run 14/50 sprocket combos and that significantly tames the response as compared to the stock 13/50.

Its not a matter of the throttle cable being adjusted to tight, its just the bike is super responsive. I worked so hard to get this bike to work in all rages of the throttle and to that end I am successful. My problem is it is just super tuned and I am not. I think that a race trained 19 year old who rides every day 4 hours a day might have the saddle time to not have this be a problem, but for a 51+ year old guy who has been riding 4 strokes all his life, this is a bit of a problem. When my son was riding it on the track, I took the opportunity to throw a couple of laps on his YZ450F. It was nowhere near the snap of the CR. I didn’t get near the arm pump, because it was much more smother with the throttle response.

[Kev_CR]

Originally Posted by AV8R

If I understand correctly the problem is the throttle being real sensitive off the bottom right? I'm sure the fly wheel will tame it down a little, but have you considered just putting a little slack in the throttle cable so that the bike doesn't jump every time you touch the throttle.

You could also put a stronger spring on the slide for throttle return and this would make it less likely to accidentally twist the throttle. It would also require more effort on your part to twist the throttle making it somewhat less responsive for the same twisting effort.

You could also take off the throttle tube and make the groove where the cable runs a little deeper in the initial track for the cable. This would require more of a twist say 1/2 inch vs 1/8 inch to get the same throttle response.

On my 2000 CR250 I run 14/50 sprocket combos and that significantly tames the response as compared to the stock 13/50.

Those are some good idea's! With mine I did put as much slack in the cable as I could while still allowing the slide at the carb to open all the way, it didn't allow for a lot though, but it did help a lot in the whoops. I think with the flywheel weight solution though your getting an advantage of a harder pull from the bottom with a slower rev and decreased stalling in the technical stuff. To me it made it feel more like a quick revving 4 stroke, but not to quick revving. So it feels like I'm still utilizing the power of the bike, but trading some of the snap for a bit more torque/smoother hit. I could see an argument for either solution though.

[VAL]

Put the 12 oz flywheel weight on this weekend. Super easy to install. I only had a chance to use it on the street but I can tell the difference. First off the bike idles smoother. Second, when it gets into the meat of the power band, it is much more manageable. It is still much quicker than a four stroke but now she has some manners. To anyone thinking about a flywheel weight to make the power more manageable, get one; you will be glad you did.