Installing the new stainless Yoshimura RS-12 full system took me less than 20 minutes and the instructions were very detailed. All of the parts that came inside the box fit perfectly and it was easy enough that my novice mechanical skills could install it! In my opinion, Yoshimura is one of the highest quality exhaust manufacturers in the industry. I have been a part of a few R&D departments and I can tell you first hand that the quality, fit and finish of a Yoshimura exhaust is impressive. I wanted the stainless full system because it was less expensive ($1149.00 vs.$1679.00 for the ti system) but is a little heavier than the stock muffler system by just over a pound. I didn’t care about weight as much as performance so stainless is fine with me! If you want a lighter exhaust than your stock piece, don’t get the stainless muffler system, go ahead and splurge for the titanium system.
Now to the part that everyone wants to know…Does the Yoshimura help the little red screamer? The simple answer is yes, but who likes simple answers? Not us! With the stock system, the ’26 CRF250R pulled nicely bottom to mid-range, but lacked some top end and over-rev. When trying to grunt up obstacles, the engine still needs some help, but the 26 CRF250R is much better than the older version of this engine. This had Yoshimura rethink their RS-12 for ’25-’26 and came in with a spec that keeps most of that bottom end/low RPM response but added mid range meat and top end pulling power. With the stock muffler the Honda still liked to be ridden a gear lower at times in corners (than other 250F machines), and if I didn’t keep it in second, it took a bit of clutch feathering and more shifting to get the bike pulling hard again.
As soon as I fired the bike up with the new RS-12 exhaust it was clearly a bit louder, not obnoxious, but a nice, throaty sound that was deeper and less raspy than the stock muffler. I tested the stock system back to back with the Yoshimura system on the same days, so it was cool to see the places on each track where the bike really felt different. The most noticeable place the bike felt better was exiting out of corners while accelerating out of tight inside ruts. With the stock system I had to slightly slip the clutch and pay attention more to my RPM’s, all the way up the lip (If there was a jump out of a corner). When I bolted on the Yoshimura system I could leave it in second gear and just use the meat of the new found Yoshimura power to pull me up and over those types of jumps. Some areas of the track I had to be in second gear and then immediately shift into third with the stock system. With the Yoshimura system I could now be in second gear and let it pull that gear longer rather than having to shift.
The Yoshimura RS-12 can also recover quicker if you’re in too high of a gear through corners. The RS-12 picks up quicker and makes the bike feel a little lighter through the mid-range. On soft berms the RS-12 allows the rider to stay on top of the soft stuff better than the stock system because of that quicker rev feel (or “spool up”). From mid to top end is where you will notice the big difference between the RS-12 and the stock system. You’re able to pull each gear longer and with a harder feeling pull when making that shift. I would even venture to say that the mid rpm response is slightly crisper when in third gear not to mention that recovery feel in third gear through deep corners is notable right away. Bolting on the Yoshimura RS-12 full system will not make your Honda a lot more responsive down low, but I appreciate that it didn’t complete kill the low end that Honda has found for the 2025/2026 machine. The best part is that the Yoshimura muffler looks much better than the stock piece and sounds ten time better. Hard to beat the craftsmanship as well as the muffler packing of the Yoshimura.
If you have a 2026 Honda CRF250R and feel like you’d like a bit more mid-top end power (as well as low end recovery), I’d definitely look into the RS-12 stainless system. Yoshimura offers two options, the stainless muffler system ($1149.00), and the full titanium system ($1679.00). Admittedly none of these are super inexpensive options, but it’s one of the few things in today’s four-stroke world that can provide a true bolt on benefit.
