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2012 CBR250R Race Bike

28K views 69 replies 16 participants last post by  600k2 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello everyone! Im starting this thread to consolidate the information/pictures/videos I have out there about my bike and the mods I have done to it. Ill do my best to keep it up to date!

The day I picked it up:


Current:


Mods:
Yoshimura Rearset Brackets
Woodcraft Clip Ons
Leo Vince Corsa Carbon Full Exhaust
Jett Tuning Power Commander PCV

Bodywork:
MotoFairingsInc (eBay)

Tires:
Bridgestone Battlax BT-003

Videos:
A few laps on the CBR250R at Heartland Park Topeka

Planned Mods:
Sprockets (Not sure exactly which combo I want to run, yet)
Non O-Ring Chain
Racetech Springs/Emulators (Planning to contact Thermosman about this)
Preload Adjusters
Rear Shock (Not sure on which on to go with, yet)
R6 Throttle Tube (Shorter turn to get to full throttle)
Spiegler Brake Lines
 
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#4 ·
This is my fear, as well. Im waiting to see where the club Im looking to race with next year will be running. I know one track that they usually run would benefit from the extra "umph" from the 13T front but I dont want to be changing out sprockets all the time, either. There is a pretty good chance that we will be running another track that has a very long front straight and if the Ninjas are getting up to 100+ and Im stuck at around 85 MPH, its going to suck.

I also need to get my tune in order with the bike. When I went to the Leo Vince full exhaust and the PCV, I got a lot more usable power in the mid range for coming out of corners but I lost 2-3 MPH on the top end. I will need to get around that issue before I would even think about switching sprockets and losing even more off the top end. I didnt plug the PAIR valve, so that might be part of the issue.
 
#24 ·
Ordered several new parts late last week! Should be showing up throughout the week so I will keep you all updated as they arrive! :D

600k2, if you look at this, I had one more question for you about safety wiring the chain. It looks like you just use the wire instead of the included clip, right?
 
#17 ·
Now, now, children. :) We are all friends, here.

benny: I know what youre saying. Id just never heard the term "flush" used to describe a bike. I thought it was mostly car guys that used that term.

If you think the pic of the car you posted is flush, you should see my 350z. When the weather gets nicer (we have all sorts of snow/nastiness here, right now) Ill pull it out of the garage and snap some pics for you.

Anywho... back on topic.... I have been working on the race bike a bit here and there so I should have some more updates to give you guys, shortly. I just wish the weather was nice enough for me to get out and test ride the bike after making some of the new mods.
 
#19 ·
I installed the keyless ignition today and it works great. Thanks again 600k2! I was going to remove the ignition cylinder but saw that it will probably be easier to just replace the top triple.

I have also disabled the PAIR system. So far, I just removed the solenoid and plugged the hoses with a couple of bolts and clamps.

If a mod could contact me about editing thus thread, that would very awesome. I'd just like to be able to edit the original post.
 
#26 ·
Google search images of how to do it.

I put the wire real tight in the groove for the clip and used some small needle nose to gently bend it 360 degrees around, then twisted the wire to the other pin and put it in the groove and bent it all the way around and then twisted it on that pin. Too tight and the wire stretches/becomes weak or breaks. You can silicone over it too.
 
#28 ·
Once again, thank you for the info! Youre definitely making things easier on me! Haha. Ive been a mechanic for several years but I havent worked much on bikes. So, I like to have the info and know that Im doing things correctly rather than the (what seems to be quite expensive, sometimes) trial and error method.
 
#32 ·
Great report on your track bike Green Bread, I really enjoyed it as I ride my 2013 Repsol at the track too on Novice days. I'm interested in trying the Bridgestones when my originals wear out. I havent changed the body work on my bike but have removed 13kg of unnecessary crap off the bike to improve the power to weight ratio. As I only weigh 60kg (132lbs) I can easily pull a 15th front sprocket, which I need as my track has a long back straight and I would hit the redline otherwise. I'm also running a Leo Vince & K&N airfilter but with out the power commander. I see 100mph on the road regularly when the conditions are right and I'm in the groove!
Hey I noticed in your photo of the power commander set up that you are still running a Yuasa lead acid battery. One of my biggest weight savings was swapping to a Shorai Lithium Ion battery. You lose about 2kg and they are a good battery. I see STG have them for $103. Worth a look.
 
#33 ·
Thanks for the nice comments, Kiwi! I dont think you would be disappointed, at all, with the Bridgestones. I know I was very surprised at how much more confidence inspiring they were than the stock IRC's. If you have any other questions, please feel free to shoot me a PM. As you can see from reading through this thread, 600k2 also races his bike and he has been a huge help in getting me set in the right direction.

Before I go back to the track this spring, I plan on taking the bike to be weighed. I want to know how much weight Ive pulled off of it through the bodywork, clip ons, battery, lights being removed, etc. Im hoping that I can get the bike down around 300lbs. We will see...

As far as the battery goes, I actually just received another package today with some new goodies. One of them is a Ballistic 4 cell battery that weighs less than 1lb. I believe they said it was 13oz, to be exact. That should be about 6lbs of savings and I picked up the battery for under $90.

The chain pictured below is an X ring chain that I will be keeping as a spare, more than likely. I might go ahead and send it back, too. I bought one of the RK chains off of Amazon that was recommended here and will probably buy another one as a spare since they are so ******************** cheap.

Ive also been doing a low carb diet to get my body weight down..Im 5' 11" and I was right at 180 when I started the diet about a month and a half ago. Today, I weigh 163! Amazing what cutting out junk food can do for your weight. I feel a lot better throughout the day, now, as well. The post-lunch food coma doesnt hit me, anymore.

Heres the parts that arrived today:

 
#34 ·
Thanks for the nice comments, Kiwi! I dont think you would be disappointed, at all, with the Bridgestones. I know I was very surprised at how much more confidence inspiring they were than the stock IRC's. If you have any other questions, please feel free to shoot me a PM. As you can see from reading through this thread, 600k2 also races his bike and he has been a huge help in getting me set in the right direction.

Before I go back to the track this spring, I plan on taking the bike to be weighed. I want to know how much weight Ive pulled off of it through the bodywork, clip ons, battery, lights being removed, etc. Im hoping that I can get the bike down around 300lbs. We will see...

As far as the battery goes, I actually just received another package today with some new goodies. One of them is a Ballistic 4 cell battery that weighs less than 1lb. I believe they said it was 13oz, to be exact. That should be about 6lbs of savings and I picked up the battery for under $90.

The chain pictured below is an X ring chain that I will be keeping as a spare, more than likely. I might go ahead and send it back, too. I bought one of the RK chains off of Amazon that was recommended here and will probably buy another one as a spare since they are so ******************** cheap.

Ive also been doing a low carb diet to get my body weight down..Im 5' 11" and I was right at 180 when I started the diet about a month and a half ago. Today, I weigh 163! Amazing what cutting out junk food can do for your weight. I feel a lot better throughout the day, now, as well. The post-lunch food coma doesnt hit me, anymore.

Heres the parts that arrived today:

Dang, I lost your thread for a moment.:D


Where'd the exhaust hanger come from and how much?
 
#42 ·
Update with some new pictures of the progress! Please ignore the Pepto Bismol pink walls. Ive only owned my house for two years and the basement is a project I have yet to tackle (Probably from spending time working on the race bike, instead. :D). Not sure what the previous owners were thinking.

Anyway, Ive got the controls all put back together with the Woodcraft clip ons, preload adjusters, and new top triple. I also finally got around to removing the stickers from the tank (looks MUCH better IMO).

How its sitting in the basement, currently. Hmm, just noticed that I left the tank on crooked. Ill need to go fix that. The GSXR front end and rear shock in the background are going on to my 2009 Gladius, next!:


Closer shot of the new controls. Those Renthal Kevlar grips are awesome!:


The new battery all snug in its new home. I am probably going to drill two holes in the bottom of the tray on each side of the battery to secure it with zip ties. I think that should be fine if I use thick zip ties since the battery is so light.:


New hanger looks really nice compared to the stock bracket with the foot peg removed.:


Thats it for now! I have talked to a friend of mine who owns a body shop about spraying the fairings with some left over paint in exchange for putting their shops name on the bike. He sounds interested so that could be happening soon, as well!
 
#44 ·
That is very tempting! The Yoshi brackets that Ive got on, right now, actually work quite well but it would be nice to cut the weight and get the looks of the Woodcrafts. Ill definitely keep those in mind for my next round of purchases. Ive got to make sure Ive got the cash to get my race license, race entry, and for a track day the weekend before I start racing to get final settings in, fix any issues, etc.

Or... are you saying to use the Woodcrafts WITH the Yoshi brackets? That would definitely require a longer shift rod.. haha!
 
#45 ·
Well, its been a while but Im back with an exciting update. Progress has been continuing on the race bike with getting it prepped for the first race coming up in two weeks. Today, we took the bike to get dyno tuned to see where things were, currently. First, heres a list of the mods Ive done since my last posting:

- Installed 13T front sprocket
- Installed non-oring chain
- Vortex Aluminum 38T rear sprocket
- Removed air box resonator/blocked off
- Removed air box filter cover
- Coolant replaced with distilled water/Water Wetter
- PAIR system/Evap system removed

Below are the dyno graphs. The blue line is the baseline run with the map that came pre-loaded from Jett Tuning for my mods. The red line is the best run after doing a few tweaks to smooth out the curves. The maps that came from Jett were pretty good for being pre-loaded maps and based upon conditions in CA. We were able to get a pretty decent increase across the mid range in both torque and HP. I am pretty pleased with the results, so far, as this is right at the same power level with Ari Henning's bike with similar mods, shown in Motor Trends "On Two Wheels Series".





Ive also taken on a couple of sponsors for the 2014 season. One of them is my buddy's body shop and he is painting my fairings for me, for free. The blue/white/red/gold theme is no more! The bike will be black/white with a small amount of red to match my racing leathers. Here is a sneak peek at whats to come:

 
#46 ·
- Removed air box resonator/blocked off
- Removed air box filter cover
- PAIR system/Evap system removed
I have just plugged the PAIR system (didn't remove it). However what does blocking the air box resonator do?
 
#50 ·
Its the box that's attached to the velocity stack, which is the cone shaped piece that is attached to the throttle body. Basically, where the air box attaches to the TB, there is an extra plastic box that acts as a "silencer". I just popped out of and plugged the hole.
 
#51 ·
Thanks. :) Any error codes with the PAIR system removed? Did you buy a blanking plate for the system?

Sent from Motorcycle.com Free App
 
#57 · (Edited)
that is one sharp looking CBR250R. If Honda did a CBR250RR , I could see something like this looks wise . I just brought some similar or same aftermarket fairings, lower cowl and seat cowl and a slip on exhaust . I am hoping to go all Blue on mine. I like how you left those black plastic covers off your bike exposing the inner's/bones of the bike
 
#54 ·
Had a great day at the track today, despite some 25+ MPH winds. Turned my best lap, yet, with the CBR and got my knee down for the first time, ever, in the first session. I was quite pleased!
that's awesome. never had the guts to race myself, plus I am a top heavy guy. but I've always been into racing. watched the Keith Code VHS as a teen and try to keep race riding technics top of mind when riding into corners.

my respect for scrapping the knee
 
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