Here lately I have become pre-occupied with getting hurt.I have thought about doing a hare scramble or two with my 02 250f,and was wondering if anyone does the scrambles with the mx bike?.

Most of the hare scrambles bikes are MX models with a larger tank and maybe an 18" rear wheel. Add hand guards and go race. Do a search for some of Yamakaze's posts on his YZ and his WR, he does both and you can get some useful info from him. Gearing and suspension set up will help engine management and handling for your riding style. Good luck on your races.

Bill

That is the best bike for the woods in my opinion. I also have an 02 250f. I ride nothing but Harescrambles. Basic things I did are wrote below. Frow what I seen here on TT is wr guys make some mods so as their bikes are like the yzf and we do the same to ours to try and make them woods friendly. Good luck and welcome to the woods

The 250f is a great HS bike. Here are some of the mods I would suggest.

The first thing I would do is cut the bars down to 28-29", they will end up being an inch longer than that when you add hand guards.It is much easier to get through trees and tight areas this way at speed.

Radiator guards are another must for two reasons, they keep mud off to prevent overheating and offer excellent protection.


Flywheel weight will take the edge off the low end snap and help with traction and hook up, without compromising anything.

Skid plate will keep you from smashing things up on rocks and stumps,logs etc..... The ones that have side protection for engine cases help alot.

A Brake Snake is a cheap way of protection that is highly suggested.

Tires - depending on terrain, but usually the softer comounds are best for most tracks and start air pressure about 12lbs and adjust from there. I have found in many situations I have to run even less to help with hook up. A good example of all around tire would be Dunlop 756 or Michelin S12. Use heavy duty tubes and Slime to prevent flats from thorns etc....

Handle bar mounted Hot Start Button - save much frustration!

Mount a cheap watch somewhere on your handle bars to tell what time it is during race.

Adjust suspension a little softer and figure out where it is most comfortable and less tiring - you will have to play with this one a little.


These are the first things I would do and would not race without period!!



Optional but helpful mods:

Suspension Revalve
After market pipe and or ignition
03' exhuast cam (if it works we shall see)
Steering Dampner setup
50 tooth on rear depending on track
O-ring chain will last much longer and better for mud.

I love this bike and the gas mileage is soooooo good that the small stock tank will last the whole race no problem!!
The power and weight are the best I have ever tried in the fourstroke department for HS racing.

Just to let you guys know if you buy a set of stock renthal yz80 you don't have to cut anything and the moose barkbusters mount up perfect. Mine are around 29 inches with busters. Everything fits back on the bars perfect.... nothing is jammed together. They also are about an inch taller.

that sounds pretty good I'm going to try that next time I bend my bars and need to change

Thats all I race is hare scrambles....and not with the 954.....

I did HS all year this year on my YZ. I used only rad guards, hand guards, and enduro type skid plate. The clickers were backed out (stock suspension), rejetted for elevation and only recently I added a 50T sprocket.
I'd really recommend the sprocket change if there are tight trees or steep hills. I think that the 52T (like the WR comes with) will be the hot sprocket. The 50T is better but not quite enough.

Like all things, this is subjective. There are guys who race totally stock MX bikes in HS races. I see it all the time. Then there are those of us who like to improve our mounts.

If you're racing MX you've probably already made the bike more to your liking. Bars, grips, clamps ect. So that stuff is done for the most part.

If you are going to ride in any trees at all I would use some type of hand guard. I like the metal Enduro Engineering ones. They also make them for MSR and Moose. They will save you many broken perches and levers. That will save you that frustration during a race. They also strenghten handles bars, so you'll bend fewer.

As for cutting your bars down I'd wait and ride in the woods first. If your clubs have real tight trails then you'll need too. I personally never cut mine. I don't like how they feel. I have more leverage and control with wide bars. It occasionally slows me down a little in the really tight stuff. But I can say that 99.5% of the time they aren't too wide.

I ride 1.5 and 2.0 hour races. I've never had a problem making it on the stock 2.1 gal tank. However, some guys I race with use an aftermarket tank to carry the fuel lower on the bike. They say they can really feel the difference. I've never ran a big tank so I can't say for sure yet. But, I did pick one up and will see if I can tell a difference myself. Bottom line. You won't need one to race HS.

If you like riding HS after you try them I'd get a steering stabilizer. Scotts or GPR. They are a safety investment if you ask me. Once you ride in the woods with one you'll wonder how come everyone isn't using them.

A fly wheel weight on the 250F isn't really needed in my opinion. I don't have stalling problems. Make sure your idle is set high enough per the manual. 1700-1900 RPM is the idle guide. If you ride a lot of slippery rocks, roots and mud you may want one. Again, it's something you won't really now until you've race a couple times.

Radiator gaurds are good protection against damage. If you get full coverage ones like the Devols. Same for a skid plate.

If you decide to stick with the HS stuff you'll benefit from some suspension work. But, I wouldn't spend the money until you decide you like HS. BTW, you'll like it. I've converted many MX riders to HS/XC. They like the ride time!

Now, the sigle most important thing in my opinion. Get some tires for the terrain you're riding. Don't go try a 2 hour mud race on a wore out set of 739s. You'll be miserable and hate your time in the woods. If I had to chose only one set of tires for year round riding here in OK I'd use Michelin S-12s. They aren't great hard pack tires, but they're not bad. They work good everywhere else. Find out what works for your area.

You can see that you really don't NEED a lot to go HS racing.Some type of bark busters is about it. Back off the suspension clickers so you can survive a 2 hour MX race thru the woods and your set.

I would highly recommend you do at least two HS races. I think you'll love them. Let us know how they go. We love to hear race reports.

Good Luck

Thanks for all the info.I usually do about 1 scramble a year.My family likes the mx better for watching.They get bored at the scrambles..For some reason the injury factor is starting to weigh on me a bit more.I think I'm way overdue.
I will probably just keep the stock gas tank for now.I'm gonna run the vet 'c' class,and can stop and refuel along with an anticipated breather.
I wish I had some old plastic,my bike is real nice and new looking.My wife says its gonna look like sh*@ when the race is over...lol

vetplus40,

You could use clear contact paper (plastic stick on stuff for shelves) to protect the plastic. It works nice for me. I just pulled it off after 2 seasons and the plastic looks brand new shiny. It keeps the stickers on at the pressure washer too.

You can get the contact paper at Walmart or better stuff elsewhere. I just use the walmart stuff.

If plastic is your issue, just spend some time and cover it.

Thanks for the tip.I'll hit something in the woods,always do.hahahahaha

If you want a quick gas stop fill a half gallon milk jug with your gas. Pull off cap and squeeze all the gas into your tank. It will dump in 5 seconds or less.

Yup yup, milk jug, or 2 liter soda bottle. I use a soda bottle if I am doing over 2 hours. I can go a full two hours on my 520, approximately 40 miles. Stock gearing, stock tank, stock jetting - SX model. You should be able to get simillar milage...but don't run out...it would really stink.
I hate stopping for fuel, as it messes up my flow!