Ricky Carmichael's Championship Honda CR250 2 Stroke - Motocross Action Magazine
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- čas přidán 15. 09. 2019
- #cr250 #twostroke #Honda
Ricky Carmichael’s Championship Honda CR250 2 stroke is undoubtedly one of the most iconic race bikes of the past 15 years. Ricky was able to capture a perfect season, battle against new contenders, and fight adversity within to become better know as the GOAT (greatest of all time). Motocross Action Magazine sat down with Erik Kehoe (race team manager) at the Honda Headquarters in Southern California to reminisce on Ricky’s era of dominance while at Honda.
A stand out season for Kehoe and Ricky was 2002 when RC was able to capture the first ever perfect season going 24-0. Erik told us that it was incredible to see something like that happen. Ricky was able to avoid first turn pile ups, illness, bike issues, etc. Kehoe admired the fact that Ricky started the season rough and was able to come back and show absolute dominance by the end of the year.
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Loved it when RC came to Honda,had been some dry years since the McGrath era on Honda, really would have liked to hear more about the bike though, the setup for RC, the engine development vs stock, carb, suspension gel etc especially the power valve so much could have been discussed about the bike, yet mid way it almost came off as a 450 sales pitch, many forget even though RC didn’t race the 04 SX season he did win and dominate the 05 season on a 2t indoors, the top 3 of that year were all on 2t. I wanted to know more about the bike, you show the bike yet 50% is talked about the 450. The fans love 2t Honda you may want to talk about 4t, we came here for this bike.
Amen. Everything’s always gotta be a secret.
I agree!!
Exactly nobody gives a shit about Honda’s 4 stroke
@@BigDirtDawg this is the best comment I’ve ever read
I remember when I was growing up this bike was what made me love motocross. I MISS RC
Dang wanted to hear it running ☹️
luckily got to hear it at budds, and bubba's kx 125
insane how fast they were going in person
dennis That’s awesome
ikr
One of the greatest liveries of all time. Post 9-11 with Woody woodpecker holding old glory poised and attacking like an A-10 worthog in a dive. Shock and awe indeed. Just like Ricky's style, except winning 24 motos on that bike there really was MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. 🐐
That pipe to this day is still one of my favorites. Full carbon silencer, beautiful welds and shape to the expansion chamber
They made his bikes so short and the seats were even concave lol but short or not this man is the goat and a legend to me. Hes the reason I started racing
Lmaoooo
Basically a 85 big wheel with 250cc race power lol
@@bunnymanmoe8819 it has 125 tires for sure it's just so funny lol kills me
@@brodyrichard263 Fr fr lol
Brody Richard 125 and 250 wheels are the same size 😂
I have a autographed race worn jersey from RC's 2002 Red Bud race. Won it from a Racer X subscription I signed up for at the track that day. Still has the Red Bud mud on it and Ricky signed it in 2 places. It was on my doorstep when I got home from the hospital the day my little brother died. It's a very special jersey to me to say the least.
"Chad Reed had certain techniques and strengths that he took to another level....like taking people out in corners"
The only way you can take other riders out in a corner is by being fast enough to catch them in the first place. RC still ranks CR as one the best riders he had the privilege to race against. Enough said!
As you see, Chad Reed has a 132 podium finish, and he is the top 1 podium ranking
Lol Reed was trash all these reed groupies always trying to throw reasons around why he is good he was 5th best lol
@@fridelikakurnia6477 he raced for 50 years! He should be #1 in every single category, but he's not. That's because Reed isn't good.
I’m sure that if Honda ( and other brands) would make some 2 strokes for like 3 years in a row they would sell out each year!!!
Jeremy Rousselet Yamaha makes one
Austin Craig I know, a bit outdated theYZ. Dreaming about a fresh CR or KX 🤩
fred savage can only imagine
revenge69ful thinking about getting a 250 TC 🔥
Pretty soon they will be banned in california
As Ricky often said: ''The rest is history...'' But what an epic history! :)
This 2stroke dirtbike looks beautiful
This is a great looking bike! I love my restored 1995 CR250 but I would like to add this year to the stable.
That 95 engine is legendary compared to these RC valved engines.. could only imagine that gen engine in this chassis and the damage Ricky could have done.. I remember how much he complained about the engine in this bike . So sad.
i mostly prefer yamahas, but those 02-07 cr250s are some of the best looking bikes ever made.
I don't want to hear about 4 strokes. We want to hear about the development that went into this bike, the changes, the setup, the pitfalls, the mods and all of the details that lead to a championship. Killing me.
The best era of racing thays why i have my 01 and 02 CR250s
The 2001 CR250R is the most legendary 2 stroke of all time in my humble opinion! Widely regarded as the best handling MX bike of all time amongst many local legends in the Hawaiian track and trail riding community! One of the fastest and gnarliest trail riders that I have ever known and ridin with "Roman man" as well as Brock Little who is a legend in the Hawaiian big wave surfing community, also a force to be reckoned with in the Hawaiian trails. Both insist the 2000 and 2001 CR250R is the best chassis design ever!
Love both of mine 00 and 06
I don’t really begrudge 4 strokes, but I do begrudge the AMA for giving them a 200cc advantage and then never taking it back and letting things be equal. Let a 250 run against a 250 regardless if it’s a 2 stroke or 4 stroke. I really feel like that the AMA rules and the whole 4 stroke “movement” has damaged motocross to the point that I don’t think it will ever recover.
Hmm interesting comment, not sure about right now as technology has improved but when 4 strokes came out the power wasn't equal cc to cc, so a 250 2 stroke vs a 250 4 stroke isn't an even match , as far as the " 4 stroke Movement" I wouldn't call it a movement id call it a progression, the manufacturers are going to be looking for the latest and greatest to sell bikes plain and simple. I will agree racing sucks now its too fast and the tracks turn into a blown up minefield , just my take
I know in the beginning they had to give 4 strokes a handicap to allow them to develop and be competitive. I just would have liked to see that eventually go away and let a 250 run against a 250 no matter the stroke.
A 250 2t and a 250 4t could never be equal. When I lived down in Georgia we had a lighted dragstrip on the dirt. I drag race the couple for 450 4t with my CR 250 R. They beat me every time but buy a bike or half a bike length. The 250 weighs 30 pounds less than the 450 in about 15 pounds less than the 250 and has almost as much power as the 450. And there’s no time in chain to jump no valves to break off and stick into the piston no gear oil change no oil or oil filter and no moving parts at all in the whole upper end. A two stroke eats up shitloads of gas to make all that power. I get better gas mileage in my truck.
@Rollyone hat number is inaccurate. Idk where it came from but ive seen it before also. A stock 05-07 cr250 had 46.6 hp so still more than the 250f but not by much.
@Rollyone yeah its 46.6. I also thought it might be at the crank as well. almost all hp figures for mx are given at the wheel. But I have seen that same number on some spec sheets.
Motocross then > Motocross now
Torosus Horneri they need to bring back 2 strokes
We need more of these MXA! 1999 Pro Circuit bike would be on my list..
Such an underrated time in Carmichael’s career.... he was 🔥🔥🔥 and that bike 😍😍😍
Great video, what a time that was in motocross... Miss those two strokes.
MORE TWO STROKE VIDEOS💯 this was real good
I have an awesome one on my channel just saying.... If you love the sound.
I have this magazine with RC's featured bike on it... I need to look for it again and keep it as a memorabilia.
Great to hear all about it.
Epic times.
Rick is a legend, these bikes fly in his hand, and it is beautiful to see his riding style. I am thrilled to see his work on the dedication for motorcycles
Put any moto x bike under that man and he was unreal and great to watch rc respect man
That is one of the most awesome bikes of the day and Ricky was Sicky ! Cheers
wonder what lap time that bike can do today vs the new 21 450 bone stock on the same tires?
Thanks for the close ups very nicely done ✊
5:31 I remember that outdoors season K Dub was on that 450 and was giving Ricky all he could handle the last few rounds, I remember Honda made a commercial with footage of them going at it promoting both bikes it was a brilliant commercial the next outdoors season I think was when Ricky made the switch to the CRF before his deal with Honda was up and went to Suzuki
Would love to have that engine on my 03 cr250
I still have an 03 Cr250. Love that thing
Is like "days of thunder" but with motocross is beautiful see that bikes restoured ❤👌🔥
Do the same with Carmichaels Suzuki rm 250 with Roger De Coster.
no one wants to or even care about a video about a rm 250... except queers like
chrsmcwtrs except a couple of millions world wide Carmichael fans and pure motocross lovers who are not biased and understand what high tech racing is about. Sorry for excluding you.
chrsmcwtrs you prob vote for Hillary
@@chrsmcwtrs The RM 250 was a mean machine.
Riders like myself and top racers can win on anything. Only sissy ass Liberals like you say dumb shit like that.
He might have recognized it but if i recall he said " I am going to race the 450 next year in supercross because it is the best bike Honda has"............. but after Honda he went to Suzuki and raced an RM250 to that championship.
Suzuki didn’t release their 450 til the 05 motocross season...he had to race the 2 stroke in supercross but as soon as it was available he went to the 4 stroke for outdoors
"The four stroke, the four stroke ,the four stroke " thanks Eric for stepping on the two strokes calls every chance you had ON A VIDEO DEDICATED TO A 2 SMOKER jesuth chrith
That was right at the change over. That is the only damn thing they were thinking about. It was burned into his brain, as it would be for any racing team. It's the unknown baby!!!
It was the next step for racing. A 60 horsepower 250 two stroke would be unrideable and the new crf450 almost makes that stock that anyone with throttle control can ride. The two strokes do have their place but for pure pro racing, the 450f can make so much more power and smoother than a 250 can. That being said I would absolutely love a 250 class like they do with the 125 all stars.
@@fosterschutt6125 That's why they need to make a 450 two stroke and let them race. A four stroke will never be more powerful when the CC's are equal. This 250 two strokes racing with 450 4 strokes is bull crap.
Alloy Framed CR's are the Best Looking MX Machines Ever Made!! Even if Jeremy McGrath Hated the '97 Alloy CR250r I'd still Love to get a 1997-2001 CR250 - I had a '88 CR250rj & it was a Beast! Bring Back the 2 Smoker MX Machines!! Less Parts/Less Weight=More Fun>Less$$$ & The Great Castrol A747 R30 Racing Smell!!😉👍🇦🇺
Yea, those 88 250,s were really angry...
Hella motor.... 🔥🔥🔥
I'm gonna do a 2stroke build with a 2023 YZ250 so stoked can't wait. 2strokes for life
for a bike thats probably 18-19 years old it sure still does look just as good as the modern factory bikes
Eric kehoe was a brill rider and a very well explained vid 👍
After nearly 20 years they still won't give any technical details about the bike like hp, stock vs RC's seat height, special internal mods of the time, etc. The only thing worth mentioning was the dead feeling shock which everyone already knew.
Absolutely great behind the scenes Team Honda story. I had no idea James Stewart tested and came very near to riding for Honda. I wonder if he had... But,it was not about this bike at all, except the small " he liked the rear dead, heavy rebound... won't hit his butt through the whoops.." segment. Which still is not about this bike, but rather Ricky's set-up preferences! You owe us the technical low down on THIS bike!
Now that’s a bike cr250 legend .. best bike ever 😎👍🏻🇬🇧
bringing me back to my childhood!! WOWWWWW!!!
La plus belle machine de mx et surtout une des dernières malheureusement !
the best looking two stroke pipe ever
Like me some CONES.
QUIERO QUE REGRESEN A LAS CARRERAS PUROS MOTORES DE 2 TIEMPOS, ES EL MEJOR SONIDO QUE HAY.
The racing is just plain boring these days. Bring back the two strokes!
Magic bit of machinery.
rc and cr is everywhere on this bike:-)
Next video, actually about the bike !!
I thought Ricky had the perfect outdoors on a 450 man it’s been 20 years almost so memories aren’t what they used to be
@@EarthSurferUSA I remember that Ferry season I always thought Tim was going to go on and be so good but his timing was terrible luck. the 250 class was so stacked back than sneaking a win was almost impossible it went right from MC or Emig winning it all to MC or Ricky then to Ricky Chad or Bubba. Amazing guys Like LaRocco, Windham and Ferry rarely if ever saw a win.
Not much mention on how funky the bike was set up. Bars were super low and waaaay back, low rear end and almost no seat. I saw Ricky race during this era and he was flying, a real superstar.
Ricky's favourite 2 stroke is the rm 250 that's what he has at home
I still think the 99 CR factory bikes were the most bad ass. I remember the Dirt Rider Article on them. 90k$ had a computer under the right rear panel.
LOVING the hidden "stealth" exhaust suppressor. This '02 and the 2008 were my favorite Honda 250's. (Wishing I could chat with R.C's mechanic)
You can hus name is Chad watts and he still building the fastest 2 strokes on the planet
@@ilovec4s250 no way!!! Does he build and sell them? Got a link?
Eric is a legend in his own rite, great to hear him speak on his experience with Ricky. I would have greatly enjoyed some race footage of Ricky on this bike and some more entailed points of the motor.
Great video though 👍
Long live the 2t and RC!!
Unfortunately that would be a problem because he is still endorsed and with Suzuki. But i would have loved to hear R.C speak about the bike.
Enjoyed that😁
This was awesome.
I still believe that if they would have made the 4 strokes match cc’s with the 2 strokes we would see most pros riding 2strokes. I can’t imagine where 2 strokes would be if they would have kept up the R&D
I've heard that Suzuki had to offer RC an additional Million dollars to ride the 450 because he was so comfy on the 2 stroke he didn't want to change.
2 stroke engines were at the height of their evolution. Anything beyond that would be iterary improvement at best. 4 strokes were still in their early stages, and now they are superior in every single metric in terms of racing
@@zacka161 They are not superior in weight, despite astronomical budgets in R&D, and an extra 15 years of development. Sometime after 98 the Japanese manufacturers started adding weight to the frames of the 2T MX bikes in an attempt to make it impossible to get them below the legal weight requirement imposed by the AMA. Even these aluminum CR frames had the weight built into the head stay area so it was difficult to tamper with. McGrath in 94 I think had to run an HD inner tube if he was running that thin, light knobby for the sand tracks because the lighter tire was putting him under legal weight with a steel framed CR. I haven't seen a 450 yet, full-factory budget and all, come close to breaking the minimum weight limit.
I agree
zacka161 look at Ktm there 2 strokes are even faster today and they have fuel injection on them i mean sheesh 2 strokes are cheaper lighter can make the same horsepower and have a wild fun powerband compared to a 2 stroke. The Ama and tree huggers are why 2 strokes are dying. if you didnt know by 2025 in cali no 2 strokes will be sold period and all old ones will be grandfathered in and green and red stickers will be gone
That's my Favorites All Time Rider & Bike Combo RC/CR Goats🐐🐐
still my favorite bike ever
AND Ricky still beat the four stroke.
Wow great inside info.
We need 2t supercross again
I feel blessed to have a 06 verner built with a 2018 hrc front end
Varner
Sweet bike! Loved the detailed shots! Bike needs a new right side fork guard though.
Let's talk about how you dropped RC and haven't won anything since!
@revenge69ful suzuki, many say is the worst bike but has the most titles in the last 10 12 years
First off I loved my Suzuki's I don't care what anyone says they make a good bike. I meant Honda hasn't won any major title since dropping RC
@@andrewreebel7967 Honda was the best in 2stroke and fail in 4 stroke the first years i think
Honda doesn’t need to win anything though...they control the majority of the market or at least the used to. They market themselves as a reliable bike that the casual rider can ride that doesn’t require as much maintenance while other companies make more race ready bikes that may be better for more serious racers. They sell way more than other companies because of it or at least they used to.
They also stopped producing the best bikes they ever made.
Erik Kehoe a great career as a MX racer!
When I was a kid I got to watch the GOAT race live in seattle he was so fast it was almost like he had an extra gear
This is why I bought my Honda CR250R! Honda has always been my mainstay even know I have a Suzuki drz250 , honda crf50 pitbike, and daughter rides honda TRX 90.#RC⚡️CR#TeamHonda#PitbikeLife#ProTaper#Renthal#BBR#FMF
Brought a new 06 back in 07 and still have it
THIS is how you make videos MXA!
Such a good looking bike
Hi Eric. Great video. Thanks. Craig
What a totally awesome and iconic bike. It looks absolutely gorgeous. Brand new, and to HRC factory racing (and 'exacting') standards. This machine and right rider would 'tear the arse' out of modern bikes and racers. All hail the CR250R 'chariot of the Gods'......(well, Ricky Carmichael, of course)........
Start the damn thing
Would of been nice to find out what HRC actually did to the beast to make it the best it could be.... I'm sure there was more than billet hubs and a few titanium bolts thrown at it from the factory parts bin
la mejor cr 250 2t foreve rc
piece of art.
What pipe is that?
Rc and rc250 is #1
Motocicleta maravilha
how are you cameron I hope you are well I have a question I would like to know if my motorcycle has the possibility of putting a thicker tire? the size of the rear tire 90/100/14 and the front is 70/100/17 so they originally come
i don't say it often but that's one beautiful bike.
Is that red ground cable on the RC valve cover grounding the coil to the engine?
Oh my god this dude won’t stop talking about 4 stroke 4 stroke. Bruh my guy I wanna hear it run I wanna hear more about jetting and the tuning and development they put into these bikes
14 teeth sprocket and big chainwheel 53 i think,what does it bring thats same then 13:49 but this combo is lighter?
Screeming Eagle!!!!!
I wasn't aware that James Stewart ever tested the Honda during that time.
Most killer bike ever.
THE GOAT!
Can you guys do one on the rm250
Dang what about the bike?🤔
In house HRC exhaust?
Ricky rode a two stroke in the 05 SuperX in the 05 outdoor he rode the 4 stroke and he made plans to exit for obvious reasons non of which being his ability I think he felt it was the beginning of the end he was right ,.
what is the purpose of the red wire coming from the rc valve?.🤔
Nice bike
The tubing at 5:13 and 5:44, was that custom done because I never had a chance to throw a leg over the Hondas at this time... It looks to be just for RC, I've never seen a bike pull the frame in that tight.
I was riding YZ's when I wasn't riding *CG's* in the Navy.
Looks standard to me for the twin-spar aluminum frame, but I've only ridden a couple, been around a few.
Yz's is awesome
That’s way more narrow then the one I rebuild and replicate this winter
with the 450 there were some advantages ....like 200cc more motor
Doug Henry developed the first racing 450 not Kevin Windham but whatever both have epic talent but they need to get that one right
The title is misleading. This was about Carmichaels 02-04 seasons, not the bike itself.