Kenda engineers are all about the details. From the tread pattern and rubber compound down to the tiniest sipe, each aspect of Kenda tires are meticulously engineered and tested to meet Kenda’s high standards.
Kenda engineer, Matt Berger employs that same attention to detail in his meticulous CR250R rebuild. Modeled off of Ricky Johnson’s 1986 CR250 with 2023 plastics to marry the past and the present, there was not a piece of this bike that was untouched. It runs like a champ and is meant to be ridden, so Matt went for maximum off-road traction with the NEW Kenda Washougal 3 front and Washougal 2 rear.
Taking a deeper dive into the build, Matt went 17 years in the past and 20 years in the future with this project. The bike is a 2003 Honda CR250R with a modern feel and a retro look. Yes, the fork boots are just for looks!
No stone was left unturned, every piece of this bike was touched in one way or another. Plenty of tasteful Cerakote, powder coat, vapor honing, and aluminum finishing. All casting flash was removed on the triple clamps, linkage, kick starter, and brake pedal. All OEM hardware was re-zinc plated. Matt did a full motor rebuild with DH1 Mods, top end work and REM polished transmission. Lectron Billetron 38 carb w/OEM pink hoses. Boyesen RAD valve and exhaust flange. He personally shipped the upper fork tubes to Japan for genuine Kashima coating. The valving on front/rear suspension was done by Ride JBI.
The goal was to make sure the CR250 was built not only to look good, but to run and ride just as well. A lot of attention was focused on making sure the motor, suspension, and controls were all top notch.
This bike was built to compete in the 2023 Broke To Built bike build contest.
You can check out the full build series on Matt’s YouTube channel here: https://youtube.com/mattberger02