Honda CRF150R

The CRF150R is the four stroke answer to the 85cc two strokes. It is a proper race bike with a liquid cooled, four valve engine, a five speed gearbox, real suspension and disc brakes. The RB Expert version has bigger wheels for taller kids. It makes its power smoothly, which makes it easier for a junior to ride fast, and it has been essentially the same bike since 2007.

It suits a junior who finds an 85 two stroke too snappy, or a family that already knows four strokes. The trade off is servicing: it is a small high revving four stroke and it wants pistons and valve checks the way a 250F does.

Treat it like a small 250F. Oil every 5 to 8 hours of racing with a 10W 40 full synthetic (it takes well under a litre, so check the manual), air filter every ride, and valve checks at the interval in the table. Plan on a piston around 30 to 40 hours for a bike that races, and do not run it past that because the bottom end pays for it.

Keep the coolant fresh and the radiators straight; a mini with a bent radiator boils in a hurry.

Ask about the last piston and the last valve check, and get receipts. Make sure it starts easily (it is kick start only) and idles cleanly hot. Check the frame around the footpegs and the subframe for crash damage. A CRF150R that has been raced hard by a fast junior and never had a piston is a rebuild waiting to happen.

Recent sold prices are on the Marketplace page linked below.