Playbike Maximus
PLAYBIKE MAXIMUS
BER's big little CFR230E
Leave it to the Brown Brothers, Washington-based masters of minibike mayhem, to turn a mild-mannered Honda CRF230 trailster into a maximum moto-machine. Okay, it’s still a minibike, but it ain’t much like the playbike it once was. We’re mega-sure of that.
Takes three to make one-bikes, that is. The electric-start motor, carb and wiring come from a CRF230. A CR80 Big Wheel donates suspension components, wheels and rear subframe, including seat and airbox. A BBR aluminum frame kit rounds out the package, and includes mounts, gas tank, radiator shrouds, exhaust system, battery cage, graphics, seat cover and airbox adapter. Once you’re that far along, you might as well throw the rest of the catalog at itour testbike came blinged-out with American-flag numberplates, anodized rims, works suspension revalved and with Stifter springs, sano billet triple-clamps, even a machined-aluminum gas cap for crying out loud!
Left in stock trim, the Honda motor fires right up and purrs like a kitten-a little loud, really, make that a roar.
But the tame, easy-riding nature of the CRF is still there. Anyone can ride it, from rank beginners to lifelong trail vets. It’s a 230, so there’s quite a bit of torque on tap compared to the hopped-up 150cc minibike motor typically stuffed into the same chassis. Actually, the 230 frame is stretched just a bit, and the handlebar is higher, making the BBR a comfortable fit for adults up to 5-fooMO. On CW's scales, the BBR weighed-in at 197 pounds dry, an impressive 53 less than a showroom 230.
Feathery it is, fast it’s not. But that didn’t stop your author from bruising some egos at the press launch of the new ’04 CRF450R. (Sorry, fellas.) Because the BBR is a bit smaller and so much lighter than a regular CRF, it catapults minibike handling up to new levels. Where the stocker is slow and rather vague, the BBR feels more like an R or racing version, even with the tame motor. It goes where you point it with a very planted front-end feel, no doubt due to the heavier 230cc motor. Because the CR-spec fork is so much better than the spindly stocker, it doesn’t bottom when you pick up the pace or hit stuff you didn’t intend to.
Good feelings carry on to the back end, where the shock is plush and equally impressive on the big hits. And you can jump it without being punished. All in all, pretty impressive.
What else would you expect from-get ready-a $12,000 minibike? Choking, are you? Well, let me help you rationalize. This is twice the bike, if not more, compared to a standard $3299 CRF230. It isn’t going to get outmoded anytime soon, ’cause last time I checked, a twovalve, air-cooled motor is already as oldtech as they come. But there is very little to go wrong with a motor this simple-overheating, for instance-so you can take it on some pretty demanding trail rides and come out smiling. It would be a cinch to add lights, make it more of an all-rounder-hell, dual-purpose it for that matter!
Most 230s roll out of BBR (www.bbrmotorsports.com) for around $9500, just not as flashy as the one you see here. The basic frame kit, which includes a better-than-stock 26mm carb, goes for $3500. As soon as that 230 you already own needs a little help...
Forget the price, this is one fun bike. And no secret: BBR is shipping these babies out the door as fast as they can get engines for them, so somebody’s catching on! -Jimmy Lewis
